Maruti Swift Vs Hyundai Grand i10 Nios - Space And Practicality Compared

Let’s see which one of these hatchbacks has the practicality to become your first car

These two hatchbacks have been battling each other for over a decade now. While the Swift debuted back in 2005, the Grand i10 was bought in two years after that. Since then, both the hatchbacks have been through generation upgrades but they both continue to rival for the exact same reason - Can it be your family’s first car? Let’s find that out in the space and practicality review:

Looks

I believe this is a clear cut answer. Maruti Swift definitely looks much more handsome than the two, and in fact, is the sportiest looking hatchback for its price range. The Grand i10 Nios rather flaunts its modern and stylish looks. 

In terms of visual elements, both the hatches sport big grilles, LED DRLs, 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, and LED tail lamps. The Swift additionally packs LED headlamps, while the Nios gets some extra bling with the chrome door handles. 

Park both of them besides each other and the Nios definitely looks bigger. However, on paper, it is smaller than the Swift but its roundish appearance and roof rails gives it the bigger hatch look. This might appeal more to the mature and aged buyers, while the Swift would cater the tastebuds of enthusiasts and young buyers. 

Boot Space

The Maruti Swift has a more practical boot space, as it can fit bigger suitcases than the Grand i10 Nios. Our regular boot space testing equipment consists of three different-sized suitcases and two duffle bags. The Swift was able to fit the largest and smallest suitcase along with two duffle bags, but we had to swap the largest one for the medium suitcase in case of the Nios. 

The i10’s back seat is more reclined, which slightly reduces the loading space and pushes the suitcases more towards the boot lid. The larger floor board of the Swift also helps in liberating more usable space. 

Maruti offers 60:40 split seat for the Swift, which is another advantage and makes it a more practical option for loading additional luggage. 

Interior 

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios’ cabin is more premium and stylish to look at. The interior has a more expensive car experience and the 3D dashboard pattern gives it an upmarket feel. It’s light-coloured dual-tone interior shade also makes the cabin look airy. The touch points and quality of materials feel better in the Nios. 

The all-black theme of the Swift, however, feels sporty. The switches and plastics could have had a better quality here, which on the Nios feel more polished. I personally do like certain elements like the rotary AC knobs, flat-bottom steering wheel, and analogue cluster with red accents styling of the Swift, which give it that slightly quirky vibe. 

Features

The Nios and Swift are adequately equipped with features, enough for your daily usage. Hyundai cars are far better than most of their rivals, when it’s about the quality of the touchscreen system. Even in the case of the Grand i10 Nios, its 8-inch display is smoother and more easy to operate. 

However, there’s a good ergonomic quality of the Swift, as we see its touchscreen system slightly tilted towards the driver. Ideally, you shouldn’t take your eyes off the road and play with the infotainment, but its tilted nature will be better for the driver. 

Also Read: Maruti Dzire Reaches 25 Lakh Sales Mark In 15 Years

Both of them get feel good features like automatic AC, cruise control, and a push button start-stop along with the convenience of a height adjustable driver’s seat. 

Being a Hyundai, the Grand i10 Nios is simply a more feature-rich offering here. You get additional niceties like a wireless phone charger, ambient foot lighting, and a cooled glove box. The presence of rear AC vents and rear USB charger will elevate the experience for the rear seat passengers. 

Cabin Practicality

Both the hatchbacks cover the basics of cabin practicality - storage spaces in the centre console, bottle holders on all four doors, and a phone docking space. The Nios’ cabin, however, is more practical with an additional storage compartment over the glove box and a bigger phone docking space. 

Both of them get two cupholders in the front, but the Nios can still manage to fit 1-litre bottles in those spaces. The Swift’s cupholders are placed ahead of the gear lever and are limited in depth, which restricts you to only place takeaway coffees from Starbucks or Mcdonalds.  

Also Read: Drive Home A Hyundai Car With Benefits Of Up To Rs 2 lakh This September

In case of cabin practicality, fit and finish, and features, the Grand i10 Nios is definitely a better option. 

Rear Seat Experience

The Grand i10 Nios establishes itself as an all-rounder with better rear seat experience. The seats are more comfortable and reclined, which helps passengers in being relaxed on long journeys. 

The seat base is bigger on the Nios and with more knee room, headroom, and leg room, six foot passengers would be more comfortable here. The larger windows offer better visibility and overall, you feel that the cabin is airy to be seated in. 

The Swift’s extra width helps it being a better place for three people abreast. Not significantly, but by a minor difference. That said, both the hatchbacks are better off as being four-seaters because three people would feel cramped. 

Talking about rear seat practicality, Swift gets smaller 500ml holders for the rear passengers, whereas the Nios gets narrow 1-litre holders. Instead of rear AC vents, the Maruti hatch gets a small bottle/cupholder, missing out even on a 12V socket. For extra comfort of rear passengers, the Nios gets rear AC vents, which would be very helpful if three people are cramped at the back. 

Safety

Both the hatchbacks have secured weak ratings in the global NCAP crash tests. The latest version of the Swift has been tested as per the updated NCAP protocols, where it received 1 star rating for adult and child occupants’ protection. 

The pre-facelift version of the Nios was crash tested as per the earlier NCAP protocols, scoring two stars. The current version gets six airbags (four airbags standard), which would further improve the safety of the facelift by a margin. 

In terms of safety features, the hatchbacks get hill hold assist, electronic stability program, rear parking camera, and ISOFIX child seat mounts. The Nios is the clear winner here with more airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, and vehicle stability management. The addition of a tyre pressure monitor is very helpful for long distance journeys. 

Ride And Comfort

The firmer suspension setup of the Maruti Swift helps in its sportier nature. While it transfers some discomfort of the potholes and undulations inside the cabin, it feels more planted and composed at higher speeds. 

Show the Swift some curves and turns and you’ll realise, it’s a hoot to drive. The driving characteristics are sporty enough to awaken the enthusiast inside you. The steering feedback is also on-point as you feel very confident while tackling high speed turns. I personally would pick the Swift purely for its driving dynamics. 

And then we have the Nios, which has a family-friendly softer suspension. It feels comfortable over bad surfaces and potholes at lower speeds. However, if the speed is higher, the Nios will force you to slow down. You will feel more uncomfortable here and there’s a louder thud sound as well. 

The light steering wheel of the Nios is perfect for the driving in the city. It also weighs up as you start reaching the triple digit speeds, but the feedback still isn’t good enough for spritted driving. So, while going on curves and high speed turns, it doesn’t feel as spirited and confident as the Swift. 

Engine And Performance

The Maruti Swift is a better car to drive, when it comes to sheer performance. Both are smooth and easy to drive around the city and pack enough punch for quick overtakes at lower speeds. But when it comes to highway driving, the Swift feels quicker to reach triple digit speeds. High speed overtakes are also much easier with the Maruti hatchback. 

Engine refinement is brilliant in both the hatchbacks, but at higher RPMS, the Nios starts sounding harsher. The throaty engine note of the Swift adds to its sportiness.

For the convenience of a driver, both the hatchbacks can be opted with an AMT transmission as well. Mileage-oriented buyers can also look out for their CNG variants.  

Verdict

The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and Maruti Swift, both are good enough to be your first family cars. But, the Nios proves to be a better all-rounder than the Swift. Firstly, It undercuts its rival by Rs 50,000, making it a more affordable but premium offering. On top, it offers a better cabin experience, more practical storage spaces, and features. For a family, it is better than the Swift. But, if you are a keen driver and want sporty performance, handling and looks from your daily driver, then the Swift is a no brainer.

Read More on : Maruti Swift AMT