Hi all,
I do understand that this is not the appropriate place to write my review; however, I really wish to share this with everyone - be it India or abroad.
I took a test ride of the 1.5 liter Suzuki Swift here in the Netherlands & I must say that I was certainly pleased with the performance of the car. There are three engines available here(plus the different trims+ 3 door & 5 door), which are - 1.3 liter 91 bhp, 1.5 liter 100 bhp & the 1.6 liter sport 123 bhp.
The 1.6 liter would’ve been so sweet but it only comes in 3 doors(except for Japan & New Zealand & maybe Australia) and that had to be struck off the list.
Anyhow, let me walk you through the features as my wife & I encountered them.
1) Keyless entry and keyless start - I’m not sure whether or not this feature is available in India, but the concept is that there is just a remote and all you need is the remote in your pocket / bag & as long as you’re within an 80 cm radius of the driver-side door(didn’t test the passenger door) or the boot, you can press a small button on the door handle once to unlock the driver’s door and twice to unlock all doors. Then, get in & just twist the knob(where you generally put the key) to start the car - simple as that. In case things don’t work electrically, you still do have the option of using the key(concealed in the remote) as well.
2) The boot is spacious enough to hold a fat medium sized suitcase - I’ll write the dimensions(of the suitcase) when I reach home.so you have a fair idea in case you haven’t seen the car yet.
3) The rear seats fold 60-40 and they can even be flipped forward for some’extra’ storage.
4) I’m about 5 feet 11 inches tall. I could easily get in the drivers’ seat & find a suitable driving position for myself. Now, keeping the seat where it was, I sat at the back to see how other passengers(roughly my height) would feel. I’d say that it was’comfortable’. I would’ve loved some more lumbar support but I guess I’m just being a bit spoilt. There’s enough room for 2 adults(my size - not fat but also not too thin) along with an 8 year old kid.
Now since there’s hardly going to be anyone in the car besides my wife & I and even if there is, they’re hardly going to be taller than I am. For my wife, mum, dad, etc, the rear seats are more than comfortable(it’s a lucky guess - the wife tried it though) and in case there’s a taller passenger like my bro then the front seats are good & the rear are’okay’.
5) The steering wheel has the audio controls on it. The model I tested didn’t have the leather steering wheel but I’m going to have the present one swapped with a leather one - much better feel. The steering adjusts for rake but not reach.It doesn’t matter.
6) In a nutshell, the interiors of the Swift here are the same as the interiors of the SX4(in India & here as well) - the only difference being that the SX4 here is almost like a 4x4 & it’s not a sedan.(By the way, I did try the SX4 too - 1.6 liter engine, but it was a bit noisy for my liking and also heavier than what the engine could pull).
7) Exterior-wise, well.metallic paint, fog lamps, alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers & wing mirrors & a small spoiler – standard.
8) Interior-wise, air-conditioning(no climate control, though I can opt for one) CD player(have an option of a 6 CD in-dash changer) and electric front windows. Then the digital display, just below the windscreen, that displays the time, the temperature and the fuel consumption - all in a row. There’s an airy good feel in the cabin and when the wife agrees to that, then it certainly IS right.
Oh, yes, the driver & passenger seats adjust for height as well. The seats are almost like bucket seats and they do not let the passenger move - whatsoever.
9) I started the car, switched the airco on, put it in gear and took it out of the parking lot. It was very easy to manoeuvre & moved smoothly. Once on the main road, the car, well, didn’t pull forward like I expected it to. I soon realised my mistake - the airco was on & it’s normal for a car this size to have just a little decrease in performance while in the first gear.
I just tested the pick-up without the airco for a little while only and then I switched it back on. The general feel & driveability of the car was superb.smooth & solid. I took the car off the main road & onto a back-road where there was hardly any traffic. I went till the end of the road(roughly a kilometer) with the airco on & then turned around. Waited a few seconds to check that there was no one around, switched the airco off & floored it.I made sure I didn’t end up in a wheelspin & the car just shot.it reached my expectations & even more when the rpm went over 3500 - that’s when the VVT kicks in you feel the car literally pushing you in your seat.
10) The previous point was on a normal city road.we then went on the motorway & drove for around an hour. I wanted to hear the cabin noise(just like we did on the SX4) and it was dampened very effectively. I could easily speak with my wife in a normal tone & if we had any rear passengers, we’d be able to hear them easily too(this was when the car was doing 100 - 110 kph).
The car felt stable, the steering appropriately hard & the drive.smooth. On our way back, the wife, being very comfortable, slept.& this gave me chance to go in the overtaking lane & see how fast I could really go. Unfortunately, there were too many cars around & I feared there could’ve been an unmarked police car as well, but still, I managed to take it to 150 kph easily & the car was’rock solid’; there was no swaying and there was no jumpiness. I held the steering wheel with just my index fingers and my thumbs and it felt that the thick tyres were stuck on the tarmac, which, in turn, had glued the steering where it was.
11) Reached the dealer, parked the car & ordered it - with the leather steering wheel, arm-rest & sport pedals.
On a side note, the small boot doesn’t worry me, because how often does one use the boot? If I need more storage, I’d opt for a bigger car; there’s always room at the rear seats & when they can be flipped forward, why not use them?
The A-pillars could hinder manoeuvrability, but it can’easily be overcome’ by’moving & looking’ and being fully cautious, rather than being lazy & just sitting with ones’ back stuck to the seat – that’s not proper driving.