Anticipating a sharp drop in prices thanks to the 1 lac Tata car, I hastily
sold my 4 yr old M800 . What next? The petrol Swift Vxi which
I zeroed in on after deciding that the U VA was insipid and underpowered and
the Getz, though quite a good option lacked chutzpah.
First, about the
dealer. Garuda Autocraft on Lalbagh rd, Bangalore who used to be Chevrolet dealers
couple of months back. I did feel a certain amount of apprehension as no one I
knew had dealt with them in their current avatar. However, all fears were
laid to rest. Across the 1 week booking to delivery period, I got the impression
that their sales dept are efficient and professional. Overall, a great
experience. Almost too good to be true, so being the cynic that I am, I started
to look for something negative and almost immediately found it. I realised that
they had given me non MGA mud flaps and mats. They were absolute crap picked up
from some’accessories’ shop in the byelanes of JC road. Called up the sales guy
who was polite but refused to believe me. Anyway, to cut a long story short,
they ended up with egg on their faces and I got my Maruti genuine accessories,
refused their crappy sun film and since I had them by the ba**s anyway, squeezed
till they gave me a rear parcel tray.
Also they held on to the excess money
I had paid during booking for an extra week after delivery. This struck me as
being ridiculous but overlooked it since they were nice about it. Overall, I
would definitely recommend Garuda, but always keep a close watch because they
are likely to resort to cheap tricks and try to weasel their way out as far as
free accessories are concerned. This is the first dealer I have seen who gives you non genuine accessories.
9/10 to the sales guys and 2/10 to the moron
who take care of the accessories .
So what about the car, you ask. Well, some people
told me that city mileage for the Swift is 8-9 kmpl and called me a fool for
buying the petrol version. To them I say pfffftthhh. I got 11.5 kmpl with the AC
on during the first 300 km on the odo. I expect this will only get better after
a couple of free services. Those who get a low kmpl figure do so because they
rev the damn engine and race between lights. Keep it in the 2000 - 3500 rpm
range during city drives and you will be fine.
Inside space is good, however,
my basis for comparison is my old M800 so I may not be the best judge. Seats are
comfortable but the middle passenger on the rear sits on a hump. Perhaps you can
put your mother in law there. Boot space is not much to write home about and a
split rear seat would be greatly appreciated. If you are going on a road trip,
pack the basics and leave the 3 piece suit and the playstation at home. If
you mount speakers in the boot, courier your luggage ahead of you.
Quality of
plastics is terrible and the the car had a plasticky smell for the first few
days which made me nauseous and clung to my clothes. However, a good wipe with a
damp cloth and a bar of camphor in the luggage bay set that right.
I suppose some corners have to be cut for MUL to be able to sell the Vxi for
under 5 lac on road.
Instrumentation is good. Although some people dislike
the black dials, I find them quite comfortable to read. Power window switches
and light and wiper stalks are good and have a
solid feel.
And now the
engine. Absolutely brilliant. I could feel it settle in upto 800 km after which
I got the 1st service done. After that there was only one thing to do. A 400 km
road trip during which I gradually started to rev it to about 4k rpm. Flies like
a jet and handles like one too. Brakes are reassuring. The overall impression I
got was that this car is capable of a lot more.
So whats bad about this car?
Reversing is a bh because of the high waistline and the porthole sized rear
window. Inside rear view mirror is too small and does not manage to cover the
extents of the rear window. Combine the bulging rear wheel arches with this and
you have a recipe for some very close calls while reversing into tight
spots.
2nd gear has a slight power lag which can easily be worked around, but
you need to know how.
I am sure there are other flaws which I will
eventually discover, but this is the Swift so all will be forgotten and forgiven
as soon as I hit the open road.