Maruti Swift road test, review

With the Swift, Suzuki debuts its brand new engine – the Z12E. It is a three-cylinder unit, but its displacement remains identical to the outgoing K-Series four-cylinder unit at 1,197cc. Obviously, its bore and stroke have been revised to 74mm and 92.8mm, respectively, (from the near square 73mm and 71.5mm of the previous unit). For better thermal efficiency, its compression ratio is rather high at 13.0:1 (versus the older unit’s 11:1), and it has an electric water pump that lowers the direct load on the engine. Also included isa high porosity catalyst and a Lambda sensor to keep a check on emissions.

Maruti hasn’t opted for a mild-hybrid system with this engine, which is available in international markets; however, it retains the automatic stop-start system to save fuel and help with emissions targets.

The three-cylinder unit comes to life with a bit of a shake. In comparison, the older four-cylinder unit was completely vibration-free. You will feel some tremble at idle, particularly in the front seats. But these vibrations smoothen on the move, and things get better from thereon.

The Z12E’s 82hp and 112Nm of torque are modest, and are 8hp and 1Nm lower than the outgoing petrol the Swift, but Maruti has tuned this engine with a clear focus on drivability. Throttle responses feel crisp and it takes off in a reasonably peppy manner. Power delivery is very smooth and till 3,000rpm, there’s more than enough performance to potter around town and even keep up with highway traffic. Hence, a majority of owners will find no reason to complain.

Driving enthusiasts, on the other hand, who enjoy spinning the motor harder, will yearn for quicker progress in the mid-range and at higher revs. There’s a mild spike in performance beyond 5,000 revs, but the revs max out at 6,000rpm (300rpm lower than before), which feels restrictive.

Its gearing is very similar to the outgoing (K12M) – the final drive ratio, and the first three gear ratios are identical, but its fourth and fifth gears are taller than before to keep the revs lower (than before) at cruising speeds to reduce fuel consumption. The 5-speed manual gearbox has been re-engineered with this generation, and the result is that in terms of smoothness as well as shift quality and precision, this unit is the best in the market. Complementing this manual is a new hydraulic clutch, which feels less snappy than before and extremely light to use.

We put it through our performance tests and learnt that in terms of outright acceleration, this new Swift has taken a step backward. In manual guise, it sprints to 100kph from a standstill in 13 seconds, which not only makes it over a second slower than the outgoing car but interestingly, it is also slower than the Gen 1 2005 version. However, this new three-cylinder redeems itself in terms of rolling acceleration times, which are similar, and in some cases, even better than all its previous generations, making it the most drivable Swift till date.

On the other hand, its clutch-free, 5-speed automated manual transmission or AMT demonstrates how this technology has evolved. At moderate pace, shifts are mostly smooth and the pause between them is minimal. And even though this transmission upshifts to the highest possible gear at the earliest, in the interest of fuel efficiency, it is reactive to accelerator inputs and won’t hesitate to downshift two or three gears, if needed. Further, there’s a tiptronic or manual mode, wherein it will not upshift automatically and give you full control over the transmission; it will downshift automatically if the engine speeds fall too low to prevent the engine from stalling.

However, a sporty hatch like the Swift deserves a better auto gearbox. It’s fine in everyday stop-go traffic, but the engine-gearbox calibration should be smoother. Spirited drivers, in particular, will be left disappointed, as the AMT truly makes the Swift feel underpowered. Under hard acceleration, the pause between the AMT shifts is more pronounced, and from a standstill, it takes nearly 3 seconds more than a manual Swift to hit 100kph.