Indian car : Feedback over Maruti Swift

[Vishnu Rao]

Guys,

Has anyone tried this vehicle? Any inputs would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[Amit Babu]

Swift is a good car....but Santro beats it!!!
I did do lot of comparing before I settled for Santro.

[Mani Ram]

I own a Santro (not the eRLX) and my friend owns a Swift. I drive his car a lot, almost as much as I drive mine.

First of all, it is not fair to compare a Swift with a Santro. Santro is a wonderful car no doubt, but they belong to different segments. Swift is bigger and is powerful than Santro. Ofcourse, if you are thinking just about the cost/value ratio, then Santro is better, but otherwise...Getz is the alternative for Swift, not Santro.

Coming to the original question
Swift is a nice car. Great looks, good to drive, comfortable, a proven engine and ofcourse a very attractive sticker price.

So, what are the things I think as the issues with Swift?
i) Boot space is low
ii) The sloped dashboard
iii) The interiors look cheap
iv) Rear legspace is less
v) Sitting at the backseat is like sitting inside a cave (thanks to the massive C-pillar & sloping windows)
vi) The gear shaft is typical Maruti - not smooth.

My friend's car runs 12 kms / litre - with AC switched on. Not great, but still okay in Bangalore traffic.

As you can see, the issues are minor but many of them are subjective. If you are okay with them...go and grab one.

Hope that helps.

[Pradeep bhatt]

v) Sitting at the backseat is like sitting inside a cave (thanks to the massive C-pillar & sloping windows)

Good for short people?

[ramki jayaraman]

hi to all,

the best car in the world is Ambassador.

don't waste time in comparing stupid things....

[Srinivasa Raghavan]

How much does this car costs ?
Can anyone suggest a good car with budget Rs. 3 lacs

[Mani Ram]

Originally posted by Srinivasa Raghavan:
How much does this car costs ?
Can anyone suggest a good car with budget Rs. 3 lacs

In Bangalore, the basic model of Swift (LXi) costs around Rs 4,00,000. VXi cost some 20-25K extra. The highend model (ZXi) is prized somewhere near Rs 5,00,000 (ex-showroom)

For Rs 3 Lacs, I can think only of Alto. Or you can try some used cars. Santro, Wagon R are some good options.

[Arjunkumar Shastry]

I think Tata has reduced the prices of its many cars.Ad says 'save upto Rs 50000'.

[Ashok Mash]

Get a Toyota if you want something sensible, of a Honda if you actually enjoy driving! Octavia and Hyundai are other cheaper options.

[Mani Ram]

Originally posted by Ashok Mash:
Get a Toyota if you want something sensible

Whether a vehicle is sensible or not, depends on a lot of factors. For example, Mercedes Benz S Class & BMW 7 Series are wonderful cars, but as a buyer they don't make any sense to me, especially in India.

For someone who is interested in a Swift, Toyota & Honda provides no alternate. The cheapest offering from Toyota in India is the base model of Innova (a total crap model by the way), which still costs more than 6.5 L. Corolla (10L - 11.5L), Camry (18L) and Land Cruiser Prado (38L) are also out of the scope right away. Same story with Honda - City (7L - 8L), Accord (14L - 17L) & CRV (15L).

Suggesting a Toyota or a Honda to someone who is looking for a Swift is like suggesting to use a Bazooka to swat a fly, IMHO.

[Ashok Mash]

Hmm, fair point!

And thanks for the figures, because if I had choice between a Maruti at 5L and a Honda at 7L, I don�t think Maruti stands a chance; for the reasons we all know!

[Vishnu Rao]

Originally posted by Ashok Mash:
Hmm, fair point!

And thanks for the figures, because if I had choice between a Maruti at 5L and a Honda at 7L, I don�t think Maruti stands a chance; for the reasons we all know!

Why you feel so? Swift is B+ segment car whereas as 7L Honda city is C segment car. Comparison is probably not fair.

At 5L you will probably get the highend model of Swift (Zxi) whereas at 7L you would be getting the low(est)-end model of Honda.

Moreover, mileage difference would surely be there with Swift having an upper end. Maintainence cost for any Maruti product would surely be low and resale value would also be better.
[Obviously, if you can afford Honda you shouldn't be thinking much about these points]