Swift is claimed to be the first international car by Suzuki. The launch was also slowly built onto car enthusiasts through news releases, reviews by car magazines, etc. And the Swift doesnt disappoint!
The Swift is one of the most refined cars in its category, be it in the build, the handling, the suspension or the pure joy of the drive. Built purely for the city ride, the car just grows on you to become an obsession. The colors are amazing, most of them suiting the body of the car (viewed a few of them at teh showroom and the others at the website). The headlights are very unique in their design. The weight of the vehicle (over a ton in kerb weight) helps enhance stability and the suspension truly provides for a great quality drive on Indian roads.
A lot of features coming for the first time - the Automatic climatizer, electic tailgate opener (though the lack of a remote tailgate opener - like in Zen - is glaring).
However, the biggest catch is the well thought out pricing strategy followed by Maruti. Placed a taad higher than the LXi and VXi models of Zen and WagonR, it would surely help enhance the segment for Maruti. The ZXi is priced quite high but definitely beats its competitor Getz on the price point. All in all a Win-win situation for Maruti.
Some compromise, though, has been made on the interiors. Space utilization is a little disappointing. Being a 5 door hatchback, one surely expected a double folding back seat. This kind of limits the space one has for carrying a lot of stuff on vacation. The dashboard is a little too plain. The steering wheel lacks the bells and whistles of the international version (they could’ve been included for the high-end ZXi version at least).
My Verdict - a GREAT CITY VEHICLE and a sure WINNER!