Maruti Swift Review: Sporty Feel In A Compact Package

Does the sportiness of the hatchback make up for what it misses out on?

What do you look for in a compact SUV? Good looks? Stylish design? Sportiness? Good performance? There are a lot of cars in India that can offer you a combination of some of these aspects, but only one fits the description perfectly – Maruti Swift.

But before you go and put your name in the order books, you should know what the Swift offers and what it doesn’t. So let’s find out all the details of this compact hatchback in this detailed road test review.

Sporty Looks

The Swift has a timeless design, which is the reason why Maruti hasn’t changed it much over the years. The hatchback gets its sporty looks from the LED DRLs, chrome elements on the massive grille and the dual-tone paint, especially this red and black one, which enhances the sportiness even more.

From the side, you can easily judge how compact the Swift is and its side profile has an overall simple look with 14-inch dual-tone alloy wheels. Overall, the proportions of the Swift feel just right.

Enough Boot Space

The Swift offers you a boot space of 268 litres, which doesn’t seem like a lot but for a car of this proportion, it is enough. You can fit three hard bags and there will still be space left to place a small bag on the side. For more luggage, the rear seats in the top-spec variants have a 60:40 split, which you can use to stuff more bags. But due to the high boot lip, keeping heavy bags will require some extra effort.

Simple Interior

While the exterior of the Swift offers sportiness, the cabin offers simplicity. As soon as you enter the Swift, you are greeted with an all-black cabin with some dark gray elements on the dashboard and doors. This cabin, compared to its rival Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, looks a little dull and does not offer the airiness a bright cabin would. Even the quality of the materials used in the Swift is average and there is nothing that stands out.

But the Swift does have comfortable seats which offer the passengers good space as well. You do get good headroom and underthigh support in the front seats, but due to the compact form factor of the Swift, the legroom is a little less.

Cabin Storage

For its price and size, the Swift offers a good amount of storage. All four doors have bottle holders and the front ones have some space on the sides to keep some extra small stuff like a magazine. The centre console gets two cup holders and a tray to keep your phone or the car keys. The seat back pockets are spacious and the glovebox has adequate space as well. So overall, the Swift performs well in terms of storage and practicality.

Modern Features

Now, for a car of this price range, you don’t expect a lot of features, and this is where the Swift surprised us. There is a 7-inch touchscreen information display with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that runs smoothly and is pretty easy to use. There is also a semi-digital driver’s display, cruise control and automatic climate control which make the features list look more modern.

But there are some places where it could have been better. While the touchscreen is smooth and easy to use, the user interface feels pretty outdated and the hatchback should have also offered features like rear AC vents, a wireless phone charger, and a cooled glovebox.

Rear Cabin Space

Moving on to the rear seats, you’ll notice the comfort level change. The seat cushioning is the same but headroom and underthigh support could have been better. You’ll have decent knee room and legroom, but you sit somewhat upright, which some people do not like. Also, the visibility is not very good due to the small windows, high-mounted door handles, and large front headrests.

While the front cabin is equipped with a decent set of features, the rear isn’t. Apart from not having rear AC vents, the Swift also misses out on a centre armrest and charging ports.

How Safe Is The Swift?

Well, this is a tough question to answer. On the one hand, it offers all the basic features you need like dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold assist and a rear parking camera.

But on the other hand, the Swift only scored 1 star at the Global NCAP crash tests. For a car that sells close to 15,000 units every month, the expectations regarding safety were set much higher. So to answer the question, the Swift tries to offer you the safety you want, and yet fails to do so when tested rigorously.

We can hope that Maruti will make the facelifted Swift much safer than the current one, as this car is part of a lot of Indian families.

Sporty Performance

There are no compromises in the Swift when it comes to performance. It's not just sporty from the outside, it drives that way too. It gets the same 1.2-litre petrol engine as the Baleno which is well refined and performs well whether it's in the city or the highway. The overtakes feel effortless and while this engine is not as free-revving as before due to the BS6 norms, it is still ahead of its competitors.

With this engine, you get two powertrain options: a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT. We drove the AMT and that’s what we recommend for city commutes. The gear shifts are quick and pretty smooth as well. While taking overtakes, the gears downshift on time and you do not feel the need to put the car in manual mode, but you can do that if you are in a sporty mood.

Ride and Handling

The Swift remains stable while driving inside the city and the same can be said for highways when you drive at higher speeds. But due to a sporty suspension setup, you will have to be a little careful while driving on bad roads, as you’ll feel the bumps and movements inside the cabin, and will need to slow down. Also, there is a slight side-to-side movement of the cabin, which can get a little irritating on bad roads.

But when it comes to handling, the Swift is very fun to drive. The car’s grip, feedback from the steering wheel, and the quick response of the engine makes the Swift’s drive experience feel very sporty. So if you are looking for a driver’s car on a budget, the Swift is the one for you.

Verdict

The Maruti Swift, in its compact form factor, offers a lot. Great performance, sporty looks, a fun-to-drive experience and a good set of features. There are some places where it could have been better like ride comfort, rear seat experience and obviously safety, but if you are young and are looking for a fun-to-drive hatchback, then the Swift can easily take its place in your garage.