2024 Maruti Suzuki Swift vs Hyundai Exter Review: Should You Pick The Hatchback Or Go For The Micro SUV?

While these two cars aren’t in the same segment, they fall in the same price bracket, making for a tempting cross segment comparison

The 2024 Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Exter are the latest two cars we’ll be comparing in our latest review. They aren’t direct rivals as one is a hatchback and another is a micro SUV. But both these cars fall in an identical price bracket, which makes for a tempting cross segment comparison. 

Also Read: Hyundai Exter MT vs Tata Punch MT: Which One Is Quicker?

For similar money, should you go for the hatchback or does the Exter with its SUV-like body style make more sense? That’s what we are going to tell you in this report. 

Looks 

Design is always a personal choice. But according to this author, we prefer the design of the Swift between the two. The Mini Cooper-like grille and the swept back LED headlights gives it a sporty look. Even the new 15-inch 10-spoke dual-tone alloys that gel along with the car’s sporty character. The rear-end has been updated with new clear lens LED tail lamps and a tweaked bumper as well. 

On the other hand, there is nothing major to fault with the Exter’s design, except for the fact that the rear wheels at 15-inches look a tad under tired. Addition of 16-inch alloys would have given it a better and balanced look. But apart from that, we do like the front-end design with the DRLs in the ‘H’ motif and the rectangular projector headlights. The addition of body cladding at the sides and roof rails give the car a rugged vibe, while the tail lamps, like the DRLs, have a ‘H’ signature. Nice attention to detail, indeed! 

As for colour options, both cars get a wide range of options with both neutral and bright hues. But once again, the Exter takes the lead here by offering a special Knight Edition with blacked out elements that make it look stealthier. Here’s a look at the detailed colour options of both cars:

^Available with optional dual-tone

*Limited to Knight Edition 

Interior 

The Swift’s dashboard design looks sporty with its all-black theme with contrasting silver highlights, flat bottom steering wheels and sharper lines across the dash. The Exter, on the other hand, has a more elegant approach to its design with more rounded design elements. No fault can be found in terms of ergonomics, where all the controls in both of them are placed where you need them to be. Additionally, the Swift’s centre console is slightly tilted towards the driver, accentuating the driver focussed feeling. 

The dashboard on both cars are finished in hard plastics. While we cannot fault the quality and fit of the materials, the texture finish on the Exter is better, making it feel more premium. Even the climate control buttons and knobs feel better damped in the Hyundai. That said, the Swift gets soft touch finish on the elbow rest on the door pads, making it a bit more comfortable. 

Features Onboard 

Both the models get all the features you would need to keep yourself satisfied. And to see how they stack up against each other, you can check out this table below:

• While the Swift comes with all the features you would need on a daily basis, it misses on some niceties. These include a sunroof, tyre pressure monitoring system and a dash camera. 

Also Read: Our Instagram Followers Are Most Excited About This Thing In the 2024 Maruti Dzire

In terms of touchscreen infotainment systems - the Swift gets a slightly larger 9-inch unit as opposed to the Exter’s 8-inch unit. The touchscreen on both cars is easy to use with bright legible displays that are responsive with good graphics. One small advantage in the Exter is that you have physical buttons and knobs in the infotainment for important functions, which makes it a bit easier to use the system on the move. However, In the Swift, you get the added convenience of wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Cabin Practicality 

In this department, both cars get front and rear door pockets that can accommodate 1-litre bottles, but the front pockets on the Swift are slightly larger to hold more knick knacks. The lower centre console on both cars have cup holders, but here the Exter has the provision to house 1-litre bottle whereas in the Swift, you can place 500 ml bottles. 

The glove box on both cars are of a decent size, but the Exter gets a brownie point by offering cooled functionality to keep your drinks cold. It also gets a small cubby hole above the glove compartment to store small knick knacks or your smartphone. These small extra bits give the Exter the upper edge in this department. 

Cabin Space

Starting with the Swift, ingress and egress is a bit difficult due to its lower height. But once inside, it’s nice and comfortable. The driver’s seat and steering wheel have a healthy range of adjustment, so finding your perfect driving position is easy. The seat cushioning is on the softer side and thanks to that, it can accommodate wide frames easily. But bear in mind that the softer seats aren’t the most ideal for longer drives. 

Where the Exter doesn’t really shine in terms of comfort is the front seat experience. The seats are a bit narrow and anyone with a wide frame might find it a bit snug and uncomfortable. Also, the fixed head rests means there is less support for your neck, which can become a bit concerning as it offers lesser whiplash protection. That said, underthigh support is more than adequate and like the Swift, the Exter offers a healthy range of travel adjustment for the seats and steering wheel.

As for the rear seats in the Swift, this author is 5.8 feet tall and behind his own driving position has adequate legroom and footroom. Two six footers can sit back to back, but it will be a bit of a squeeze as legroom isn’t generous. The rear seat offers good lateral support for your back, but the base is short and as a result, underthigh support is on the shorter side. The seat back angle is also a tad on the upright side, which doesn’t make the sitting position as relaxing as the Exter. 

If you’re someone who frequently uses the back seats, the Exter is the one you should be eyeing at. The taller height and larger door opening area means getting in and out is much easier than the Swift. The seat back angle is more reclined and you feel more relaxed sitting here. It also has more knee room, courtesy of the scooped out front seat back pockets and the large glass area means it feels nice and airy. You also can’t fault the bench as it offers good underthigh support and back support. 

Boot 

The Hyundai Exter has a 391-litres of boot space as opposed to the Swift’s 265-litre capacity. Both cars can occupy a big suitcase, cabin trolley and two soft bags. But it must be noted that the Swift’s boot is slightly less wide than the Exter’s and you need to pack your luggage into smaller bags to make the most of the space on offer. It also has the taller loading lip and that can be an issue when loading / unloading heavy luggage. 

On the other hand, the Exter has a wider boot and can accommodate a bit more luggage. It also has a shorter load lip, making it easier to load heavy items. Do note that if you opt for the CNG variants of both cars, the Exter CNG is the more practical option as it gets a twin-cylinder layout, freeing up more boot space. 

Engine 

Before we talk about drive impressions, here’s a detailed look at the specifications of both the cars on test here:

Both cars develop nearly identical power figures. But the main difference between both cars is that the Swift gets a three-cylinder engine while the Exter gets a larger four-cylinder unit.

Let’s start with the newbie here - the Swift. The engine, thanks to its responsive low-end and punchy mid range, has more than enough power to drive in town. You can also keep up with fast flowing traffic without putting much strain on the engine.

Out on the open road, the Swift has enough power for cruising between 80 kmph to 120 kmph. But anything after that and the engine starts to lose steam as it doesn’t have a top end punch. Also, the AMT gearbox, while offering smooth shifts when driving at part throttle, takes a moment to shift down when you need an urgent move on. So overtakes will need some planning. But when it does shift down after the momentary pause, it serves you two gears, putting you in the meat of the power band. 

The Hyundai Exter’s engine is also refined and offers just about enough power to drive around in town. You lack oomph to keep up with fast flowing traffic and overtakes too can be a handful if need to be executed in tight spaces.  

It’s also out on the open road where you really wish the Exter would have offered a bit more. The Exter takes time to build speeds. That said, for anyone who likes to drive in a relaxed manner, the Exter will do the job fine. Its light clutch and gear shift action means you won’t have much to complain about while driving in bumper to bumper traffic. 

But it’s clear that the Swift, despite having a cylinder less, is the more exciting and the pick out of the two in this department.

Ride and Handling

If you want a car that has a comfortable ride quality without compromise on handling, it’s the Swift that does it better. Bumps and potholes are dealt well with good cushioning and the Swift feels like you’re driving a more premium car. The ride quality stays flat and the Swift doesn’t toss you around when driving over bad roads, giving occupants a comfortable ride. 

The best bit is this comfortable ride quality doesn’t come at the expense of handling. Stability on highway speeds is commendable and the driver feels confident even at triple digit speeds.

The Exter feels more comfortable over good roads. However, over bad roads, you feel the impact more as compared to the Swift. The Exter tosses you around when driving over a bad patch of road and one needs to drive over it a tad carefully to not make your occupants feel uncomfortable. 

Out on open roads, once again straight line stability in the Exter is good. But it just doesn’t feel as confidence inspiring as the Swift at higher speeds. The body lean is much more prominent in the Exter and you need to take corners at much slower speeds. So if you’re someone who prefers to be in the driver’s seat and have fun, the Swift is the car you need to consider. 

Price And Verdict

If you’re someone who uses the car alone for most of the time, loves to drive and occasionally your family members hop in to use the vehicle, we would recommend the Swift. It feels more effortless to use it in town and out on the open road, it is fun to drive. While it might not be as spacious as the Exter, it still has more than enough space for four occupants and won’t leave your family members complaining. The features list on board is satisfactory as well, but a sunroof would have been a welcome addition.  

However, if you are looking for a family car or a chauffeur driven car, in this case, the Exter is the one you should consider bringing home. The rear seats are more spacious and the interior feels much more airy than the Swift. Adding to the package is the more practical cabin and boot space. Yes, it doesn’t feel as exciting to drive as the Swift and the ride quality ain’t comfortable, but its practicality quotient and additional features such as a sunroof will definitely win your family’s hearts.

Read More on : Exter AMT