The 1.5 liter, 100 bhp model II. Review on Maruti Suzuki Swift

I took delivery of my Swift about 20 days ago and I couldn't really be happier about the car.

I've said most in my earlier review when I took one of these for a test ride:

https://mouthshut.com/review/Maruti_Suzuki_Swift-126496-1.html

On the fuel consumption part, driving on the motorway, with the airco switched on 50% of the time, I'd get 17.5 kmpl. This also includes driving sensibly in the range of 80 - 100 kmph and sometimes going off to 120 kmph for short bursts.

Having the airco on 100% of the time & keeping the same driving style, I get 16 kmpl.

For the city drive, it's around 14 kmpl.this includes stop-start traffic in some patches & running traffic in others. The airco is switched on about 50% of the time. However, even if the airco is on ALL the while, I wouldn't get less than 13 or even 13.5 kmpl.

Now for the ride part - the suspension is a bit stiff, which is good for the car when it comes to turning at slightly higher speeds. The downside to this is that if you're driving a tad fast on a bad road, the ride becomes harsh.

I have a tendency to ride slow on bad roads(taking into account the traffic ofcourse) and then normally otherwise; I don't like hearing the thuds and the bangs.

Anyhow, since most of my driving involves the motorway in some part or the other, having the arm rest adds to the comfort as well. Sure it doesn't give you much access to the hand-brake, but if you're driving on the motorway, it's not needed(as such). Changing the gears with the arm rest down feels ever so slightly awkward but you get the hang of it. Okay.when the arm rest us up and you're driving in the city, your elbow will most certainly hijack the edge of the passenger seat, more so with the use of the handbrake - because the arm rest occupies all the space between the front two seats and the driver can't move his/her elbow in this area - to change gears or operate the hand brake.

This is just for informational purposes.I don't mind driving this way at all, cos my elbow has never bothered the passenger; it's always rubbed against the passenger seats' edge. To some, this might be a pain and they might not like having the arm rest at all.

There's enough room at the back but since I've never sat there myself while someone else is driving, I can't say how comfortable the seats would be for longer journeys; I'm guessing that they should be okay. The rear head restraints do bother you when you're sitting & they're not up(I'm about 5 feet 11") as they touch the upper back & tend to move you forward a bit. The only solution to this is to raise them to your head level(or just remove them, which, in this country, is not the right thing to do).

So far I've done around 2000 kms on it and have noticed that the gear change has become slightly smoother but I haven't pushed the car too much yet. Sure I've taken it to 150 on the motorway but that was for about 20 seconds; what I mean is that I have yet to floor it from stand-still and see how quick it is. From the engine response I get, I'm quite satisfied that this car will certainly deliver. On saying that, this is what I expect from a 1.5 litre engine.I wish this car were as quick as the 2.0 litre Honda Civic hatchback I test rode three years ago:((It was dangerously quick for its' own good).

The aircondtioning is nothing much to talk about. My wife and I are the only ones in the car and the fan speed is always set to 1. It doesn't get that hot here anyway and even when the temperature soars, the airconditioner does its' job very well. 10 points for that.

Visibility-wise, I haven't had any troubles. I tend to'move' when I have to look out for something and not just sit with my back stuck to the seat, so I can see all I want to see.

Yes, the interiors could've been of a bit higher quality and that's my only gripe. The 6-speaker audio system is quite adequate; the cd player can play MP3s as well & the audio controls on the steering make things easier but I still don't favour controls on the steering that have to be operated by the thumb. My other car has a little stick jutting out from the steering column and I can use the tips of my fingers to do whatever I want with the audio system. Even though looks-wise the steering controls look good.practicality-wise, I'd give them a pass.

Oh yes, forgot to mention. the horn is just childish. Okay, they're not used much here but what the hell.a solid one would've been a nice touch.

The car looks cute - and so does the Mini - but I didn't buy this car'cos it looked like the Mini. this car has its' own character and when you see it for a while, you realise that it's only vaguely similar to the Mini. If I wanted a Mini, I'd have bought one; simple.

I had started with filling normal petrol in the car but on my third refill, somehow very strangely, my wife asked me to fill the'better quality' one. I just stood there looking at her & wondering.& she repeated her words; I thought, 'why not?' Now I don't have any results with using the high octane fuel, cos I had mixed it with the'about' 20% normal fuel already in the tank, so it would take quite a while for the system to be cleared up and for the efficiency / performance to show.

I can't think of anything else to write as yet but if I do come up with something, I'll post it straight away.

For the pictures, I'll get around that in a day or two, just keep checking.

These opinions are mine only and you will most certainly see me being quite'picky' about certain things, but I'm sure there'll be others like me out there:)