I had booked the Swift during the initial hype of late May 2005. I was disappointed that Maruti Udyog provided no clear indication of the delivery schedule. The dealer through whom I had booked - Spectra Auto of Mumbai - was least interested in me, the client, after collecting the booking amount. Spectra would not even bother to respond to my requests for delivery status and at time when I indicated that I will complaint to Maruti about their distinctly unfriendly attitude, the dealer rep said ’’jo karna hai woh karlo’’. I went on to cancel the booking for Swift and purchased the Wagon R which was available off-the-shelf (from another dealer, of course). I am very happy with the Wagon-R (review appears on this site).
I later learned that Maruti Suzuki has provided the engine from Esteem into the Swift. This is surprising since in other markets, the Swift has been launched with a completely new engine. It has also been reported that since the Swift is abiut 20% heavier than the Esteem, using the same engine means less fuel efficiency in the Swift than in the Esteem.
I strongly believe that buyers who want to drive what is truly a great looking car that Swfit is, should wait till Suzuki introduces the new engine in the Swift in India.
Incidentally, one friend who had booked the Swift in early June 2005 is still waiting for his car.