Maruti Suzuki Swift

Exterior

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift uses the same Heartect platorm as the Baleno. It's a pretty-looking car, with soft lines all over. Up-front, the wide grille, along with the up-swept headlamps that incorporate LED projectors, give it a rather aggressive appeal. You will also notice that the floating roof is now a trend among most cars on the market, and finds its way onto the new Swift as well. Mildly flared wheel arches along the sides give the car a masculine appeal. At the rear, the squared LED tail lamps look brilliant when lit up, especially in the dark. Another nice touch are the door-handles now placed in the C-pillar, giving one the impression the little car is a three-door hatch. 

Variants

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift variants for the petrol model are as follows: , LXi, VXi, VXi AMT, ZXi, ZXi AMT, ZXi+ and ZXi+ AMT, while the diesel variants are the LDi, VDi, VDi AMT, ZDi, ZDi AMT, ZDi+ and ZDi+AMT. Features include a 7.0-inch SmartPlay touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and navigation as well. You also get auto headlamps, keyless entry and go, climate control, rear-view camera, voice commands and a lot’s more. On the safety front, it gets ABS, dual airbags, ISOFIX child-seat mounts and seatbelt pretensioners. 

Interior

The cabin appears to be very well thought out. It is uncluttered, functional and feels like a rather a nice place to be. Plastics used, however, are a little hard, but overall – the cabin is well built. We loved the flat-bottom steering wheel and fiery orange gauges ahead of them. The seats are well-bolstered, holding the occupant snugly in place. There's also ample legroom and headroom for passengers at the rear. A capacity of 268 litres of space is pretty good as well. 

Engine Specifications & Performance

The Swift is powered by two engine options: a 1.2-litre K-series, four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 82bhp and 113Nm of torque, while the 1.3-litre, Fiat-derived four-cylinder turbo diesel motor makes 74bhp and 190Nm of torque. Both engines are paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox, while there is also an option of an AMT automatic transmission. The petrol engine is smooth and enjoys being revved, but it takes some effort in helping it get up to speed. The diesel motor, on the other hand, has a better mid-range and is far more progressive in terms of power delivery. Refinements levels have improved as well, while ride quality is very impressive, with no bumps what-so-ever upsetting the chassis. The steering responds well, and the chassis proves to be very capable. The Maruti Suzuki Swift is sold with Bridgestone Ecopia tyres which are great for fuel efficiency and offer decent grip but make the car aquaplane quite easily. 

Mileage

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift's ARAI-certified fuel efficiency figures are rated at 22kmpl for the petrol variant, and a staggering 28.4kmpl for the diesel model.