2018 Maruti Swift Test Drive Review

2018 Maruti Swift Review

Car Tested: 2018 Maruti Swift; Road Test No. 900

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 5.79 – 9.78 lakhs

The 2018 Swift is all-new in terms of design and looks, is lighter than its predecessor

There are very few automobiles in India which deserve to be called gamechangers. Arguably one of them is the Maruti Swift, which completely changed the way people perceived hatchbacks when it was first launched in 2005. The hatchback segment is a very large share of the Indian car market and to crack this is no easy task. Testimony to the fact is that the Swift has featured in top five best selling cars in India for over a decade now. Now, Maruti is ready with the 3rd generation model of this hatchback which promises to be better in every respect. While the car will be launched at the upcoming 2018 Auto Expo, we are in the hills of Lonavala to get up-close and personal with the all new Swift. Will the next generation model carry the legacy of the Swift, we are here to find out?

Motor Quest: The Swift was first launched in 2005 and was an instant success. The car was known for its sporty styling and stupendous handling. Maruti started selling the diesel powertrain in 2007 and this one was a hoot to drive. The turbo would literally give you the kick-in-the-pants feel. In 2011, Maruti introduced the 2nd generation model which was received with a lot of enthusiasm and had a long waiting period. The facelift came in 2014 and now Maruti will be launching the 3rd generation model.

Exteriors – The third-generation Swift underpins an all-new platform called the Heartect. This is also the same platform that the Baleno and Dzire sit on. The hatchback gets an all-new front fascia with a new grille, new LED projector headlights with LED DRLs and a sportier looking bumper. Changes to the side profile come in the form of new 15-inch precision-cut alloy wheels (on the top-spec Z+ trim), and the door handles being shifted to the C-pillar from the doors (like the Chevrolet Beat). There are new LED tail-lights and a new bumper. We particularly like the way the round fog lights have been integrated into the lower part of the bumper. It looks like the car is menacingly smiling at you. Inspite of all the changes, the silhouette is very characteristic Swift and it is more of an evolution. Maruti has given a floating roof feel by blacking out the A, B and C pillars.

Interiors – As this is a new generation car, the interior too has been completely redone. You get a new flat-bottom 3-spoke steering wheel, whole new dashboard layout and a SmartPlay 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The screen also serves to display the reversing camera. The air-con vents on either side of the dashboard have a rectangular design while the ones in the centre are round. The switches for the climate control are again, round and have a chunky feel to them. The instrument dials are also new. Unlike the Dzire, you get aluminium inserts in the all-black dashboard instead of the faux wood. Quality seems to have improved leaps and bounds and the cabin does have a feel of being premium.

Maruti has worked really hard to improve the interiors of the Swift

Dimensionally, the third generation Swift is wider by 40 mm, wheelbase has increased by 20 mm and in spite of this Maruti has managed to reduce the overall length by 10 mm. This has resulted in increased space in the cabin. The cumulative legroom (front and rear) has increased by 17 mm and shoulder room has increased by 23 mm and 8 mm at the front and rear respectively. Rear headroom was quite tight for tall passengers in the previous generation model, however, now it has increased by 24 mm and is good enough for tall passengers. The front seats are wide enough and generously comfortable with the addition of side bolsters and enhanced shoulder cushioning. The rear bench offers adequate support but under-thigh support is lacking for tall passengers.

Maruti has gone for a slightly driver centric cockpit design (by 5 degrees). The driver’s seat gets height adjustment (only in the top-spec Z trim) while the steering gets only tilt adjustment. The AC has been re-worked to cool the cabin faster. ORVMs are electrically foldable and adjustable. Sound quality from the speakers is good and the touchscreen is also very intuitive. We have said it in the past and will say it again, Maruti does have the best infotainment system in the business. Boot space has been increased from 210 to 268-litres and for the first time in the Swift, you now have 60:40 split rear seat which can be folded to extract more room.

Performance – Powering the all new Swift are the same engines which do duty on the 3rd generation Dzire and have been around for quite some time. The 1.2-litre K-Series petrol engine loves to be revved and packs a good amount of punch in the low and mid range of the rev band but the top end gets considerably audible. This gasoline engine produces 83 PS of power and 113 Nm of torque and still continues to the best in the segment. The diesel too is the same engine which has been in the line-up for over a decade now. The DDIS oil burner produces 75 PS of power and 190 NM of torque. There is some amount of turbo lag until 1800 RPM after which the turbo spools up and performance is brisk. Although there is enough power on tap, we would have preferred a more powerful engine on the table. Mated to both these engines is a 5-speed manual transmission and Maruti is also offering an automatic with both petrol and diesel engines.

The Swift gets the same engines which offer good pep; AMT is a good addition

The automatic or the AGS (as Maruti calls it) is the AMT transmission widely used in an array of Maruti cars. The AMT, by nature, has some amount of lag and won’t and shouldn’t be your choice of transmission if you are an enthusiast. However, it really scores when it comes to adding the comfort and convenience of an automatic. Those who spend a considerable amount of their commute in bumper to bumper traffic will find the AGS very useful. The petrol AGS redlines under 6000 RPM while the petrol manual slightly above 6000 RPM. The petrol AMT, in the manual mode, will not upshift gears till you do so while the auto mode it takes its own sweet time to upshift. That said, this AMT gearbox is definitely improved and does not have the jerky feel as in other Maruti’s AMT gearbox while being responsive as well. Somehow, the diesel AMT felt better to drive due to the higher torque output from the diesel motor. However, the AGS is only available in the V and Z trims and will not be available on the top end Z+ trim.

From an enthusiast’s perspective, the manual is certainly more fun to drive. The manual gearbox is slick, and the gears shift with ease. We didn’t notice any notchiness from this gearbox. Maruti has added additional insulation in the engine bay and this has bettered the NVH levels. The diesel engine is barely audible in the cabin. The noise only creeps through at high revs and it is a significant improvement over the previous generation model. Due to the 40-kg diet in weight, the 0-100 km/hr times have improved by nearly 10% and fuel economy has also improved over the previous generation car.

Driving Dynamics – The Swift has enjoyed segment best driving dynamics, both in its first and second generations. We are happy to say that even with the 3rd generation, the Swift hasn’t lost its soul and still manages to put a smile on your face once you get behind the wheel. The all new Swift is lighter in weight by nearly 40 kgs and courtesy of the new HEARTECT platform, the body structure is more rigid due to use of high and ultra-high tensile steel. This has managed to improve driving dynamics by quite a margin. The diesel Swift’s steering offers terrific feedback at both low and high speeds and is well-centred. This car loves to be pushed around corners and performs beautifully around the twisties. The steering weighs up well at high speeds and is very predictable.

Even sudden changes in direction don’t unsettle the car. The tyres offer tons of grip and tend to understeer on extremely hard cornering, something which the end customer will seldom do. The all new Swift surprised us with the ride quality. The suspension has been tuned towards the stiffer side but Maruti has managed to strike the balance quite well. To elaborate, the suspension manages to filter the undulations without passing them onto the cabin. Even though it is stiffer than before, it doesn’t get choppy on bad roads. The rear tends to get bouncy on bad roads but overall there is a vast improvement from the previous generation car. However, the petrol-powered Swift does not have the same steering feel as in the diesel and feels less enthusiastic in terms of cornering abilities mainly because it is lighter than its diesel counterpart. Ride quality is not all that great definitely not as good as the diesel’s.

Safety and After Sales Service – The 2018 Swift gets dual airbags, ABS and ISOFIX child seat mounts as standard across the range. The Standard and Safety pack variants of the Swift (both with six airbags) scored 3 and 4 stars respectively in the Euro NCAP crash tests. In a first, the Indian model will get dual front airbags as standard across all the variants of the Swift which is a welcome move by the country’s largest automaker. The carmaker has a good reach of after-sales network across every nook and corner of the country and this will play a vital role in the new Swift being an instant hit with Indians.

Verdict – The Maruti Swift has been a hit in the Indian market in the past and nothing much is going to change with the third-generation car. We reckon that Maruti will price it competitively and there could be a price overlap with its elder sibling, the Baleno. However, the Swift customer is more of an enthusiast and someone who wants an engaging car to drive. The all new Swift is a vast improvement in practically every department and looks to be just another success story for Maruti with its quality interiors, a long list of features, potent engines and now with the option of automatic, it makes a very practical buy in the hatchback segment. Something on which both the mind and heart agree on.

What’s Cool

* Improved cabin space
* Option of automatic in both petrol and diesel trims
* Improved quality all around
* Steering feedback
* Ride and handling

What’s Uncool

* Still the same age-old diesel engine
* Possible chance of cannibalisation with Baleno

Alternatives: Hyundai Grand i10, Ford Figo

2018 Maruti Swift Specifications

* Engine: 1197cc, DOHC, 4-cyl | 1248, DOHC, 4-cyl
* Power: 83 PS @ 6000 RPM | 75 PS @ 4000 RPM
* Torque: 113 Nm @ 4200 RPM | 190 Nm @ 2000 RPM
* Transmission: 5-Speed MT, 5-Speed AMT
* Fuel Consumption: 12-14 km/l | 15-18 km/l (Real-World figures)
* Fuel Type: Petrol | Diesel
* Suspension: McPherson Strut (Front), Torsion Beam (Rear)
* Tyres: 165/80/14 (L & V trims), 185/65/15 (Z Trim)
* Brakes: Disc (Front) & Drum (Rear), ABS
* Safety: 2 airbags, ABS, EBD, ISOFIX

2018 Maruti Swift Dimensions

* Overall length x width x height: 3840 mm X 1735 mm X 1530 mm
* Wheelbase: 2450 mm
* Ground Clearance: 163 mm
* Boot Space: 268-litres
* Turning Radius: 4.8-metres
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 37-litres
* Kerb Weight: 855-880 kgs | 955-985 kgs

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