Maruti Suzuki Swift Long Term Report: August 2018

As much as we love driving and we wish it was a stress buster, the reality is that congested urban roads and unruly drivers lead us to road rage. But every once in awhile getting stuck in the traffic, thanks to monsoon downpour, can be quite therapeutic. Trust me, my imagination isn’t getting the better of me. The Swift does manage to achieve a bit of this provided you give it a chance.

For starters, as the 1.3-litre MultiJet diesel engine is almost tuned to perfection, it doesn’t suffer from the turbo-lag that the previous generation used to. Therefore, with smooth linear acceleration, the stress levels are very much under control. The flat bottom steering wheel doesn’t just look and feel sporty, it actually lets you weave through traffic effortlessly and provides a decent feedback as well.

But what do you do when you’re stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, obviously you can’t keep turning the steering wheel when the car is static. This is where the 7-inch infotainment system comes into play. Sure, the touchscreen is as intuitive as a smartphone, not to mention user-friendly, but it’s the voice command function that lets you enjoy the system hands-free. Depending on the smart phone’s operating system, you can simply call out ‘Hey Siri’ or ‘Okay Google’, and let your virtual genie play your favourite track, make a call or simply voice reply to WhatsApp messages. So next time when you’re stuck in the traffic jam give your Swift a chance to calm you down.