New Maruti Suzuki Swift Launch Preview!

Tomorrow, one of the most anticipated cars in recent times, the new Maruti Swift Hatchback will be launched. While almost everything about the car, from the features to the variants it packs in, is already known, the big factor that could make or break a car model in India, which is the pricing, will be known only tomorrow, during the launch.

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Small Car

The story thus far.

The Maruti Swift was first launched in India in 2005, as a petrol hatchback. The Indian car buying public took a while to really warm up to the car, whose shape was quite different from anything on Indian roads. The Swift was launched initially with the G13B, 1,298cc four cylinder petrol engine generating about 85 Bhp.

This 16 valve, DOHC engine, which Maruti was also using in the Maruti Esteem, was super reliable, quite peppy and reasonably frugal too. Maruti, launched the car in four variants, with the top end model getting ABS and automatic climate control. However, Swift sales really took off once the FIAT derived 1.3 liter Multijet diesel engine arrived onto the scene.

Old Maruti Suzki Swift

Immediately the waiting period, especially for white colored Swift Diesels shot up to no less than 4 months and the Swift raced off to set landmark after landmark in terms of sales. Along the way, Maruti gave the car a mid career exterior facelift and introduced the superb 1.2 Liter K-Series petrol engine early last year, which though being less powerful than the 1.3 Liter petrol motor, more than made up with its terrific response, superb refinement and higher fuel economy.

The diesel engined Swift however motored on gamely, setting sales record after sales record. Now, with 8 Lakh Maruti Swifts being sold in the country over a span of nearly 6 years, the time has come for an all new Swift, and that is just what you will get tomorrow, an all new version in which practically every panel is different from the previous version.

Say hello to the new Maruti Suzuki Swift.

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Small Car

The new Maruti Suzuki Swift is an all new model with significant changes to the body of the car. The new Swift is both longer as well as bigger than the outgoing model. The wheelbase has gone up by 40mm, resulting in more leg room at the rear, to the tune of about 24 mm. Now, while that isn’t a lot, it still is quite significant given the fact that a cramped rear was one of the bugbears of the previous Swift.

This apart, the interiors see a minor refresh in terms of materials used. While the dashboard is all too familiar, the quality of parts sees an improvement to make for a better feel inside the car. One thing which is a step backward in the newer model is that the boot volume has actually gone down to 205 liters from the previous 232 liters.

In the engines department too, Maruti has a major upgrade for the petrol motor, which now gets dual variable valve timing. The peak power output goes up by 7 Bhp to 87 Bhp while peak torque output is at 114 Nm, while fuel economy sees a minor improvement by about 5% over the previous model. The Fiat Multijet diesel engine though doesn’t see any changes although fuel economy has been improved by around 4%, primarily due to the weight savings the new Swift comes with due to the usage of a lighter plastic fuel tank instead of a metal unit.

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Small Car

One thing the diesel engined model has seen is better sound proofing, making for a quieter drive. Due to the longer wheelbase of the car, folks who’ve actually managed to get behind the wheels of the new Swift say that the car’s unsettled ride over bad roads has been solved to a great extent. However, we’re wondering if Maruti has actually managed to ensure that it has solved the rattling problem in the new Swift, a problem which was a major gremlin of the older model.

Variants wise, one big addition in the new Swift is the addition of Airbags and ABS to the top end ZDi diesel engined Swift, a feature that was hitherto absent in the diesel engined model. So, finally will give prospective new Swift owners the option of specifying the diesel model that is fully loaded, with no compromises. One standout feature in the new Swift is that of turn indicators on the outer rear view mirrors which is an India specific feature.

What you won’t get on the new Maruti Suzuki Swift?

However, a full list of features available on the international model will not be available on the Indian variants of the new Swift. They are 1) Bluetooth 2) Cruise control, 3) 60:40 rear split seat, 4) ESP  5) Push button start, 6) curtain airbags and 7)16 inch alloy wheels. Of all these features, Bluetooth and the split rear seats are features which Indian new Swift buyers might particularly miss.

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Small Car

What will be the new Maruti Swift be priced at?

Maruti Suzuki, late last week cut production as car demand has been slackening across India. This cut in production has two sides to it. One, the Maruti Swift will have plenty of production capacity to meet the projected high demand the car is set to generate given that over 40,000 bookings for the new model have already been made. Two, the onus is now on Maruti to make the new Swift build on the success of the outgoing model, by pricing it competitively. Talking of which, a 30,000 rupee price increase is what the grapevine seems to be suggesting. Watch this space!

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Specifications

New Maruti Suzuki Swift Variants