Maruti Suzuki Swift Long Term: 4000 km With The Swift ZXI Plus AMT

Maruti’s cutest hatchback, especially in this red, is now part of our long term garage and we love it!

Km when received :1500

Date Received: 01/08/2024

The latest generation Swift has been in the CarDekho garage since August last year. Since then we’ve put it through a lot. Comparisons, road tests and then finally when we had completed all our editorial content with it, it was introduced into the CarDekho garage as a longer term test car. And since then it’s covered plenty of miles in the hands of a number of our staff and while we have a lot more planned for this feisty little red car, here’s a few questions we have answered already having lived with it for the last five months.

Is it still a Swift?

We do agree that there is a lot that’s changed to the Swift formula, but it is still very much a Swift. In that it’s compact, well equipped, dependable and still fun from behind the wheel. And despite its performance around our test corner proving it to be less capable, in the real world it is still good fun on a twisty road. Also this red colour, cutesy size and design make it one of the most fun looking cars in our long term garage.

There’s also been no greater test of its compact form and traffic carving abilities than the congested streets of Mumbai and Pune. For meetings and launch events in Mumbai that require driving from Pune to Mumbai and back, hitting both the morning and evening rush hour sessions in Mumbai, the Swift’s have been the keys of choice. And this is despite there being other more spacious, comfortable and premium options in our garage too. The little Swift with the AMT is stress free in traffic, finds all the gaps and once out on the expressway cruises nicely. Even packed with three other colleagues and a day's worth of backpacks. Shifting into manual mode for the ghat section even gives you better control over the gearbox and the shifts are quick too. 

The icing on top is that this 300km round trip is easily accomplished within a Rs 2,000 top up of the fuel tank. And that brings us to the second question…

Is it more efficient?

We do still miss the smooth and responsive 1.2-litre 4-cylinder engine but the strengths that the new 3-cylinder bring to the table do shine forth especially when it comes time to stretch a tank of fuel. Our fuel efficiency tests for the city and highway were 15.84kmpl and 22.13kmpl respectively and while these figures are not far off the test figures of the outgoing petrol AMT equipped engine, it still makes the Swift one of the most efficient cars in our office. And in the city, it’s regularly delivering a consistent 15+ kilometers per liter of fuel no matter whose heavy right feet have been pushing on the accelerator. And for our trips to Mumbai and back, fully loaded, spending at least a couple of hours in rush hour traffic, it has delivered over 15kmpl consistently.

Is it Swifter?

Again our test numbers dictate that the new swift is actually over a second slower in the sprint to 100kmph and around a second slower in the quarter mile as well. But in the real world the Swift still feels more than quick enough. Quick enough for overtakes, quick enough for keeping up with traffic and definitely powerful enough to cruise down the expressway at the speed limit, fully loaded as well. Even on weekend drives the grunt from the three cylinder motor and the (relatively) quick shifts from the AMT in manual mode have kept driving experiences fun affairs

We do wish it was quicker for sure. The added oomph and torque of the 1.0-turbo petrol engine from the Fronx would really have hit a sweet spot with the Swift. A GT version or special would certainly be a nice addition to the Swift lineup. Sadly, Maruti loves the numbers game. So the answer to this question is a negative, but it is ‘Swift’ enough for most.

What Don’t We Like?

The AMT in automatic mode leaves a bit to be desired for in terms of refinement. Shifts are quite jerky even if they are rather quick. I appreciate the quick shifting ability when in manual mode. However, if you intend on buying the Swift AMT for the convenience of the automatic shifts, you may want to test drive the car thoroughly in traffic first.

All the Content we’ve created with our long term Swift so far

CarDekho

Maruti Suzuki Swift Detailed Review: City Friendly & Family Oriented 

Time Flies: Maruti Swift’s Evolution | 1st Generation vs 4th Generation

Maruti Swift vs Hyundai Exter: The Best Rs 10 Lakh Car is…?

ZigWheels

Maruti Swift: Old vs New | An Enthusiast's Awakening