2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift review, road test

The Swift has long been India’s most-loved hatchback. Does the bond deepen with the new third-generation model?

Published on Mar 29, 2018 06:00:00 AM

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2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift review, road test

Grip and body control are great but the lifeless steering is a killjoy.

Just like its predecessors, the latest Swift has a youthful air about it.

Despite its light weight, the Swift feels confident at high speeds and stability is good.

Swift is attractive but top-spec versions' jazzier wheels and LED headlights make a big difference.

The latest Swift can appear slightly larger than its predecessor but the changes in overall dimensions are minimal. The new car is 40mm wider and actually 10mm shorter in length. There’s a 20mm longer wheelbase too, but the numbers that really stand out are those for kerb weight. The new Swift is up to 110kg lighter than the old model, with the heaviest of the petrols tipping the scales at just 880kg! The diesel Swifts also commendably duck under the one-tonne mark.

At the core of the Swift’s remarkable weight loss lies its new platform – ‘Heartect’, as Suzuki calls it – that also forms the basis for the Baleno, Ignis and Dzire. By carefully constructing elements of the basic frame in smooth shapes that provide strength, Suzuki says it has managed to minimise the need for structural reinforcements that would otherwise greatly add to the weight. The smooth, curving form of the frame is also said to help better disperse impact energy in a collision. The use of a significant proportion (around 40 percent) of high-tensile steel in the Swift’s monocoque construction also brings with it gains in weight and rigidity. Maruti says the Swift meets the upcoming norms for front offset and side impact, as well as pedestrian safety regulations.

What’s clear about its looks is that the Swift-typical youthful and sporty vibe is intact. There are obvious similarities with the Dzire sedan at the front – the two are identical in design until the B-pillar – but the Swift’s sleeker bumper, multi-slat grille and make-up free look (read no chrome) are more in keeping with its personality. Swept-back headlamps, a rising window line, and tail-lamps that flow on to the haunches are clear links to the Swifts of old but the treatment of the individual elements is refreshingly different. Blackened A- and B-pillars make it to this Swift too, and there’s also the addition of a black element on the C-pillar that only enhances the ‘floating roof’ effect. Smooth contours on the body and the pronounced ridge on the tailgate do their bit to add volume to the design. A detail, however, that does take time getting used to is the position of the rear door handle that sits just aft the window, rather than on the door. We inevitably found ourselves reaching out to the traditional position every time we wanted to open the door.

Unfortunately, not all versions of the Swift are quite as eye-catching as the one you see in the pictures. LED tail-lamps are common across the board, but the attractive LED headlights (with daytime running LEDs) and the precision-cut alloy wheels that do so much for the look are only part of the package on top-spec petrol- and diesel-manual cars. Lesser variants with halogen headlights and silver alloys or steel wheels appear just that – lesser variants.

Under the Swift’s bonnet, you’ll find familiar engines. There’s Suzuki’s K12 1.2-litre petrol engine and the Fiat-developed, Maruti-branded DDiS 190 1.3-litre diesel, both of which are carryovers from the first-gen Swift. The new Swift also continues in its use of an electric power steering, a front MacPherson strut and rear torsion beam suspension setup, and a front discs and rear drums brake arrangement.