Stylish exterior is unmistakably “Swift”, although opinions can be polarizing.
BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
2024 Maruti Suzuki Swift
What you’ll like:
- Stylish exterior is unmistakably “Swift”, although opinions can be polarizing
- Smart-looking interior with a good-looking dashboard and fine ergonomics
- Manual transmission with short throws is very slick and a joy to use. Absolutely brilliant MT!
- Great drivability and light controls, along with a small footprint make it a joy in the city
- Sporty engine sound is addictive. It’s the best sounding 3-cylinder I’ve driven
- Choice of sporty MT and convenient AMT – take your pick
- 3-cylinder engine is fuel-efficient; ARAI rating of 25.75 km/l for the AMT (MT is 24.80 km/l)
- Enjoyable handling & good high speed composure with a precise steering
- Long list of features including automatic LED projector headlamps, LED DRLs, LED foglamps, cruise control, 9-inch touchscreen HU paired with an Arkamys sound system, rear A/C vents, wireless charging, footwell lighting, connected car features etc
- Safety features such as 6 airbags, 3-point seatbelts for all, ESP, hill-hold assist, ABS+EBD, ISOFIX child seat mounts etc.
- Maruti’s widespread service network, excellent after-sales support & fuss-free ownership experiences
What you won’t:
- 1.2L petrol is not fast & exciting enough for enthusiasts. Not as refined as the outgoing 4-cylinder, nor as powerful (power has actually dropped to just 81 BHP)
- Priced very close to the more premium & spacious Baleno
- Mediocre plastic quality (interiors) is typical Maruti grade; very ordinary
- AMT can get jerky & slow. Some competitors offered smoother ATs (e.g. Altroz DCT, Hyundai’s AMT, i20’s IVT)
- No CNG or diesel option like some rivals
- Low speed ride is jiggly due to suspension tune & 15-inch wheels
- Black interiors and smallish glass area can make one claustrophobic, particularly at the back
- Rear seat’s under-thigh support is mediocre for taller passengers
- Some misses (auto-dimming IRVM, TPMS, sunroof, driving modes, smaller spare tyre on the Z trims…)
- L & V variants get horribly skinny 165 mm tyres. Please upgrade
- 163 mm ground clearance raises our eyebrows, although Maruti hatchbacks aren’t known to scrape speed breakers
Hyundai Grand i10 Nios
Tata Tiago
What you’ll like:
- Great styling. A very chic-looking hatchback at a value-for-money price!
- Tata has put in a lot of effort on quality and it shows. No signs of cost cutting at all
- Solid build & construction, unlike most of its flimsy competitors
- High quality, well-designed interiors. Lots of storage and a useful 242 liter boot too
- Suspension offers excellent ride comfort with neutral handling
- City friendly nature: light controls, agreeable ergonomics & good driveability (both engines)
- Amazing 8-speaker Harman entertainment system. Sounds top class
- Feature list with 2 driving modes, parking sensors + display, cooled glovebox, full MID & more
What you won’t:
- Mediocre 3-cylinder engines. Petrol, especially, is unimpressive
- Low refinement levels. NVH package has many holes
- Rear headroom is tight. Also, a rare Tata hatchback that cannot seat 5 (best for 4)
- Concerns over long-term reliability, more so of the freshly developed engines
- Tata’s after-sales experience remains a gamble. Service quality is far from that of Maruti & Hyundai
Hyundai i20
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Toyota Glanza
Tata Altroz
What you’ll like:
- Looks absolutely stunning! Solid build too
- Nice interior with good quality parts & adequate space
- Accommodating 345-litre boot is among the biggest of the segment
- Competent turbo-diesel engine. Good driveability, punchy & fuel-efficient
- Mature on-road behaviour, including at highway speeds
- 5-star NCAP safety rating! Safety package includes dual airbags, CSC, break reminder etc.
- Enjoyable Harman 6-speaker ICE. One of the better systems in this segment
- Impressive kit (auto headlamps & wipers, cruise control, ambient lighting, adjustable armrest…)
- Factory-fitted customisation packs available
What you won’t:
- Under-powered, lame & noisy 3-cylinder 1.2L petrol engine
- Suspension has a firm edge at low speeds (16″ rim variants). Bad roads will bother you
- Diesel variant carries an insane premium! Works out to almost Rs. 2 lakhs on the road
- Service visit every 6 months / 7,500 km (1 year / 10,000 km is the norm today)
- Some missing features (auto-dimming IRVM, thinner spare tyre on top trims, split-folding rear seat…)
- No automatic variant in a market that loves its ATs
- Tata’s after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
- Concerns over niggles in a freshly-baked Tata product
Maruti Suzuki Ignis
What you’ll like:
- Unique, funky design – exterior & interior stand out in a crowd. Customisation options available
- Smart packaging! Good legroom & headroom in such a small car. Useable 260-liter boot too
- Peppy petrol & efficient diesel. What’s more, the AMT automatic is available with both engines
- Dual airbags, ABS with EBD and ISOFIX child seat anchors are standard across all variants
- Maruti’s widespread service network, excellent after-sales support & fuss-free ownership experiences
- Features such as LED projector headlamps + DRLs, reversing camera, Apple & Android ICE, navigation, electrically-foldable ORVMs etc.
What you won’t:
- Simply overpriced, not a VFM Maruti. Top trim is especially pricey
- You can buy more accomplished cars for the same (Grand i10) or a little more (Baleno) money
- Weird rear end styling. Overall, the unconventional looks will polarize opinions
- AMT, although improved, still can’t match conventional ATs on smoothness or speed
- Narrow cabin width. Rear seat is better for 2 adults than 3
- 32-liter fuel tank is too small for this segment. Even the humble Alto gets a larger tank
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