I got delivery of my Swift VXi from Mandovi Motors, JP Nagar branch 2 weeks back. I chose Mandovi after checking with most of the dealers in South Bangalore, reason being, they promised delivery within 10 days of my booking. Other dealers gave me a waiting time of 3 months(!) which I found surprising, may be because, I was in the US for the past few years, and there is no such thing as a waiting time for a Car in US, at least for the Honda Accords/Civics or the Toyota Corollas/Camrys which we Desis look for when in the US(I owned a Honda Civic in the US).
In India, this is my first car, I am not sure how my review can help buyers, but I just wanted to share my joy with everyone here. my review will be that of a layman’s only, so bear with me folks.
It is too early to comment on the mileage I am getting, but I understand from other reviews that Swift gives a reasonable mileage in city and highways. So, may be I will update my review after a few months of driving.
I like the looks of the car and also, it is compact to drive in city traffic and in narrow blore roads. I was initially eyeing an SX4/Dzire, but then thought they could wait, this is only my first car, and will try Swift before going for a Sedan, maybe a year or two down the line. I did look at the i10 model, but somehow, the i10 look was very bland compared to the Swift and the i10 headlights are not an eye catcher, in my opinion.
The car drives smooth, no engine noise or anything I could notice. The a/c unit works well, cools the car in no time. well, I did notice that after an hour of A/c running, there is some smell from the a/c unit, I am not sure whether it is because of the outside air or because anything wrong with the unit, experts, pls comment.
3 people are able to sit comfortably in the rear seat, 3 of my relatives, 2 of medium build, and 1 tall guy above 6Ft, did not complain after an hour long trip to Bannerghetta National Park, so one of my worries about seating 5 people in my car seems resolved.
I got a Sony music system added with front and rear speakers for around Rs 12, 000, since VXi does not have a built-in music system. It has the AUX and USB inputs, so, long drives will be fun with Music.
I somehow liked the body color door handle and mirror of VDi model and so got the door handle and mirror of my VXi painted silver rather than black, and I like this looks, well, it is a personal preference anyways. I did not like the black beading that protects the door, offered as an accessory and highly recommended, so I did not put it. It somehow spoils the looks, again, in my opinion.
The luggage space is small and cannot hold big suitcases. This was a shocker to me and my wife, after being in ths US, and used to big trunk spaces. But again, if you need more luggage space, then obviously you will need to buy a sedan. I was slightly tilted towards Dzire because of this reason, since Dzire VXi is not that pricey compared to swift, however, Dzire looks was not that appealing to me. In my opinion, it is Swift fitted with an SX4 trunk. Dzire owners, dont get mad at my remarks:).
Overall, I am happy with my purchase and proud to be a Swift Owner. Thanks for reading.