Maruti lauches its first diesel car - The Swift Deisel

Breaking News: The much awaited first diesel car from Maruti, the Swift diesel, was launched on Wednesday with an introductory price tag of Rs 4.68 lakhs for the LDi and Rs 4.96 lakhs for the VDi version. (ex-showroom, Delhi). The engine in the diesel Swift is the 1300cc DDiS engine, a derivative of the Fiat Multijet engine, says BS Motoring. Maruti has a plant in India to manufacture exactly this diesel engine in India - it only seems logical that it will find its way in to the Indian Swift too. Maruti also said that it plans to launch two new models in the next fiscal (2007-08) and a new model for export to Europe by 2008-09. However, it did not give any details of the new models to be launched.

Blog Vault: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 'My next car's SWIFT (new review below)'

Cars never got me crazy and I've always wondered how can it put most people into hysterics when spoken of; ofcourse Formula1 is an exception. The other day I was in Spencer Plaza (shopping mall in Chennai) and there they had displayed a soon-to-be-released car. It looked spectacular from the third floor but what caught my eye were the number of people trying to have a feel of the car. Had a feeling of deja-vu; these people just won't leave anything thats new, free and being displayed (guess I had assumed too early).
We had gone to Spencers to while away time and very soon even we were there having a look. My idea on cars were modest to say the least and the first thing I saw then in the car were the shape, light spacing and the color of the car. Yes, my dominant opinion on cars then were based on looks. Interiors, Comfort, Practicality and Driving Comfort were almost secondary.
Well, all this was about to change. I had then been going for my driving class where driving comfort became an important aspect for me. Though I haven't got to drive many different model of cars and never wanted to juxtapose car features and compare but cars were something cannot avoid hearing about it in today's world. Now after reading review and feature articles on cars, in particular the ones on the new car in spencers , yes its the Maruti Suzuki Swift, I too have joined the rest in speaking about cars.
Looks :
Spectacular. Has a very sporty look and have never seen any other hatchback car with the looks of this class.
Interiors :
Well depends on what kind on interiors do you expect and with what you compare with. Nevertheless its good and neat.
Storage:
It could do with more storage space. Storage space is much lesser than a few other hatchback cars. Though it has a glove compartment, a seat parcel tray would be very important space as these days most of the car space in taken by CDs.
Comfort:
Very comforatble. Has a width of 169 cm and is well suited to seat three behind. The leg space is good though Getz is a little better in this aspect. AC is spreads out well as in most of the Maruti Suzuki cars. Other features in this department include lights on warning, seatbeat warning, door open warning, key inside warning etc. It has a 6 inch speakers on all the four doors and so there is no compromise on the sound quality.
Driving Comfort:
I haven't driven it so cannot give you a hands on review. What I can do is tell you from what I've heard and read.
It has a mileage; the fuel efficiency is 12kmpl on city road and 17kmpl on highways. Its has a power of 87bhp of 1.3L engine, good for a bit more heavy car. Another interesting feature is the slightly bigger tyres, the bigger the tyres the better the drive on the Indian roads. The tyres are around 14inches bigger than the tyres of the esteem which is13inches. As the Swift has a flat torque shaft it requires a lesser gear shift.
Safety:
This is seldom taken into account while buying a car; however it should be one of the most important considerations as the safety aspect takes into account not only the people in the car but also the car itself. The car's built with thick steel and therefore looks strong and solid. It has an aluminium engine which reduces the weight. Most of the weight comes from the chassis and the body of the car.
The ABS and EBD feature prevents the car sliding but preventing the wheels to lock prematurely and therefore stops the car. The braking system here is commendable. The ZXi model of this car comes with dual front airbags.
Pricing:
Aha! Thats something that actually makes people decide whether to buy or lie. Well, nothing wrong in it, affordability with quality that all crave for and the feeling of getting more out for less does seems like an achievement.
There are three versions of this car;LXi is around 3.8 , Vxi is around 4 and ZXi is around 4.8 and all this very less as compared to their other competitors. So the pricing is very attractive and unbeatable.
Me on the car: Its the best bet on a hatchback car in India and affordable for the Indian class. Whats more, its up with a Deisel version.
Me in the car: Well, as I said my next car is Swift. Am a big fan of the swift and it would take a lot to change my opinion.
Image courtesy: autoexperience.tv