I have owned Maruti Swift Vxi (ABS) since Jan 2008 and my experience with the vehicle has been really pleasant. I have driven close to 14000 kms in just 9 months.(70% on Mumbai-Pune Expressway) and rest in Pune/Mumbai.
I will not write about the dealership experience here because I am trying to review Swift as a product to the people visiting mouthshut for ’real product’ reviews.
I had test driven almost all the cars in the 4.5 lacs - 6.5 lacs range and to me Swift had the most pleasant driving experience. It was way above Getz’s performance at least.
My father owns an Indica DLS (Diesel) and hence driving Swift after driving an Indica is a total revelation.
**Pros :**
1. **Great Gear box experience** (feels like you are driving a high end car). Try driving WagonR/Santro and you will feel the difference.
2.** Great Mileage!!.** I have been driving on Mumbai-Pune Expressway alongwith some city driving as well. The max mileage was 19 kmpl and the least has been 15 kmpl. The average mileage for me has been **16.5-17 kmpl.(HP Power fuel)
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3. **Great handling and driving experience**. Though you may feel that torque is not that great.However this flat torque helps you in driving at higher gears at lower speeds.
4. **Maruti’s after sales service has been good.** (Though people say it as excellent, I feel all the dealers of other Car makers should come to at least Maruti Standards considering cost of vehicle is high in India as compared to the Western economies).
5. **Great resale value** as its a proven car and has Maruti’s name attached to it.
**Cons:
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1. **Less boot space
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2. **Quality of plastics** is not that great. It could have been better.
3. **Swift’s are plenty on road**. So for people trying to stand out, Swift is not really the best option.
4. **Looks are good but not excellent**. Some colours in Getz and Aveo are awesome (to me at least).
5. **Ride quality is not great in rear**.
6. **Interiors may disappoint** some people considering that option of biege is missing as against Getz. All black inside sometimes doesn’t feel good.
All said and done, its a great vehicle to drive. If you are driving alone to office then this vehicle will give you excellent mileage with higher quality fuel.
Test drive other cars and you will feel the difference between them and Swift. It is miles ahead of some hatchs in India and is better than the 2nd best by quiet a margin.
Also note that all the while I have been driving this vehicle and not really had an experience from a passenger’s perspective.
That’s it from me.
Hopefully this would be helpful for people in deciding which hatch they would like to own.
My experience with this product from Maruti has been really nice and I would recommend people looking for a ’small family car’ to go for this one.
You will not be disappointed.
A 4 star out of 5 for this masterpiece from Maruti!!