That the Swift is close to the hearts of more than a million Indians, would be an understatement. The more accurate figure would be 2.97 million — that’s how many Swifts Maruti Suzuki has sold since its introduction in 2005. It was a hatchback that drove well, looked outstanding and no matter how difficult it must’ve seemed to justify the Swift as a VFM purchase, people fell in love with the car the moment it arrived. Then came the diesel-engined version, which only made the Swift’s case stronger, until Maruti Suzuki decided to go petrol-only sometime towards the end of the last decade. Did that, and the burgeoning rise of SUVs, shake the Swift off its pedestal? Well, clearly there must have been an impact, but to give you an honest picture, in 2023, Maruti Suzuki sold 2,03,500 Swifts, making it the best-selling car in the whole country. That’s quite a large number and it just goes on to showcase the car’s dominance.
While revelling in the success of the hatchback might be a good idea for its makers, it would also come with the slight apprehension of how good the next one will do, surely? Because Maruti Suzuki is ready with a new Swift. It looks striking, comes with a slightly controversial engine change, and appears to have been equipped fairly well. Not a bad start, although with the ever-so-important questions like ‘Has Maruti Suzuki ruined the Swift,‘ or the one that goes like ‘Have they traded in vital horsepower — and one whole cylinder from the engine — just to get more fuel economy,’ we couldn’t quite wait to get behind the wheel and find out a few answers.
Behind the wheel
Which is why it makes sense to start with how the Swift is to drive. It’s based on the Suzuki HEARTECT platform, but with a retuned suspension system. While there’s no doubt it’s made to improve the car’s ability to absorb bumps, the Swift impresses with its cornering tactics. Its high-speed stability and overall composure can’t be faulted, and on good roads, when you want to push the car, it rewards your inputs. For an unmodified car, that’s not downright terrible on bad roads, the Swift shines with its eagerness to be driven hard. The steering, now lighter and happier to self-centre, is complemented by a new hydraulic clutch (which is also lighter than before) and decent brakes (front discs and rear drums).
The all-new engine, also a point of contention among online chatrooms at the moment (or social-media feeds, whatever you call them) is a 3-cylinder naturally aspirated unit, which makes a maximum of 81 bhp and 11.4 kg-m. In comparison to the previous four-cylinder engine, that’s a drop of about 8 bhp. Where the engine makes up for that is in the claimed fuel economy, which is now rated by Maruti Suzuki at an extremely impressive 24.8 km/l for the manual-gearbox version and 25.75 km/l for the AMT. It also brings down the car’s CO2 exhalation by about 12 per cent. So, while there’s no doubt, the previous K-Series engine was a charmer, the achievements of this new engine can’t be overlooked, either.
AMT or manual gearbox
The engine can be specced with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or an AMT. AMT for those not too happy with randomly abbreviated terminologies is short for automated manual transmission. Think of it as a manual gearbox, but one in which the car does the shifting for you. These are more cost-effective to buy and cheaper to run (as the claimed average figures suggest, too), but all this comes at the expense of speed.
On the Swift, the AMT brings the convenience of not having to deal with the clutch, but owing to the gearbox’s slightly slow nature, it’s always a good idea to plan your overtaking moves well in advance. The other annoyance, apart from the noticeable gaps between gears, is that the engine noise sometimes gets a touch too intrusive with the AMT sensing the need to drop a gear. There’s a manual mode, too, which can effectively put you in charge of the shifting. Handy for when you want the Swift in a more enthusiastic manner, although if you’re going to do that, it’s easier for us to recommend the 5-speed manual over the AMT.
It’s a pleasure to operate, the manual gearbox, the throws are short, and the shifts are not heavy, either. Rev the engine to its 6000 rpm redline, use the power to the fullest and enjoy what a brilliant little car the Swift is. This is unending fun, because not only are you more involved in the process now, the engine is pretty much dancing to your tunes. Would you feel the drop in horsepower? I don’t think so, mainly because Maruti Suzuki engineers have tuned the engine to ensure it never feels gutless. Okay, it’s always nice to have more power, especially when the rest of the car seems to be ready for it, but in this stock condition, the Z-Series engine isn’t something the prospective buyer needs to worry about. Nearly full marks there, Maruti!
Striking, yet familiar design
The Swift has been a likeable design always and the new styling incorporates the best of familiar cues with some all-new bits. The result is a car that’s definitely a Swift and there’s no way you’ll mistake it for anything else from the segment. It continues with a 2450 mm wheelbase, but it’s now longer by 15 mm, taller by 30 mm and narrower by 40 mm.
The bikini-cut bonnet is a noticeable detraction from the norm, the rear door handles have found their way back to the door, and all the new bits make this appear like an evolutionary design update. The L-shaped LED elements both in the headlights and taillights certainly make the design more cohesive, and at the same time, effectively hide the car’s drop in width. The 15-inch alloys look rather neat, too and it’s safe to say that this iteration of the Swift is also a good-looking car.
An easy choice
Unsurprisingly, the interior isn’t too different from what we’ve seen with the Swift. It’s nearly all-black, but with tangible efforts made to up its premium quotient. The dashboard design is new, there’s a ‘floating’ 9-inch touchscreen system, and the ergonomics are pretty much on-point, too. The seats are comfortable, although I’d have liked a touch more stiffness, the steering feels nice and substantial, and it retains analogue gauges, too. There’s a small multi-info display positioned between the speedometer and the tachometer, and the essential read-outs are instantly accessible, including turn-by-turn navigation. Both fuel gauge and oil temperature displays are also analogue and nestled within the speedometer and tachometer. If that’s a bit too much throwback for the modern car enthusiast, they’d be happy to know that there’s wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the top-spec versions also get a rear camera and wireless smartphone charging.
The rear gets its own AC vents and the space at the back isn’t too bad. While three people can sit in the rear seat, that’d be okay only for short journeys. There’s 265 litres of boot space available and ideally with four occupants onboard (including the driver), the Swift should be a decent car for weekend getaways, I reckon. Maruti Suzuki has also equipped every variant of the car with six airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, ABS, Stability Control, and Hill Start Assist, to ensure that the Swift is a safe car, although it hasn’t been rated yet.
Prices for the all-new Swift start from ₹6.49 lakh, ex-showroom, and go all the way up to ₹9.65 lakh. For that money, you get a car that continues with its original formula unchanged. It drives really well, the new engine isn’t anaemic, and on the whole, it has become a more rounded product. The overzealous infiltration by SUV lookalikes in that price might mean that you could be swayed by their relatively butch looks, but as a package, the Swift is still an easy choice to make. Like it has been since 2005. Quite a legacy, isn’t it?
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