It has been a long wait ever since its global debut and so let’s just get to the new 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift. Swift has a huge legacy it carries and has been one of the most successful cars for the company ever since its inception. So here I am sitting on some cliff of Lonavala in front of the new Maruti Suzuki Swift and adoring the new look and design the company has given it and is very much in-line to the global Maruti Suzuki Swift. The upper hatchback segment or otherwise known as the A2 segment in India was created by the Maruti Suzuki Swift way back in 2005 and now after 12 years, the segment has grown with over 11 models with Swift still being a leader by a wide margin.
2018 New Maruti Suzuki Swift Design:
The design of the new Maruti Suzuki Swift has undergone a complete transformation and the car now looks much younger, bold and almost attracts instantly. It is significantly different from the outgoing model and despite the name ‘Swift’ being 12 years old, it’s still going to attract young and many first time buyers which has been with the case with Swift ever since its inception.
The face of the new Swift has grown itself with the manual version of the top-variants getting a distinct headlamp cluster with DRLs and projector headlamps, much sharper front grille and fog lamps on either side completing the new face of the 2018 Swift. The layout of the bonnet is neat with no shut lines and the same pattern is carried on to the side of the car with. The rear door of the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift gets a neat and clean finished look with an aggressive line running along the side of the car. The rear door handle position has moved up on to the window of the car and will take time for one to get used to that. The quality of the plastic door handle could have had been better.
The rear features C-Shaped tail lights and a new bootlid that looks sharper. The rear bumper is where the new Swift will remind you of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno. The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift is now built on the Suzuki’s new Heartect platform on which its elder hatch sibling Maruti Suzuki Baleno is also based on. The use of this platform has resulted in a change to the overall dimensions of the all-new Maruti Suzuki Swift. The car’s length has been reduced by 10 mm to 3850 mm whereas the width of Swift is increased by 40 mm to 1695 mm. The height of the car remains the same at 1530 and the wheelbase has gone up by 20mm.
2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift Interiors:
The interiors of all-new Maruti Suzuki Swift too has seen some major upgrades and everything inside the cabin is all new. There is a sense of premiumness and the use of good quality plastic is evident. The extra width on the car has resulted in a much more spacious cabin. I miss those nice pull-out cup-holders on the side of front seats from the old seats though. The top-end variants feature start-stop push button and the company has also given some sporty elements by giving a red outline to circular dials of instrument cluster with the needle also complimenting the red colour outside. The flat-bottom steering wheel is a driver’s delight and features audio and phone controls on it. The new seats provide enough back support on long drives and the second-row seating too has seen an increase in shoulder room. The car does not have rear A/C vents but the company claims that the air-conditioning system is now enhanced and offers quicker cooling.
Breaking the monotony of the all-black interiors is the glossy metallic insert on top of the instrument cluster with hints of the same being on the steering wheel. Overall the dashboard is neatly laid out and gets the same infotainment system that we have seen on other Maruti Suzuki cars like Baleno, Dzire and Vitara Brezza. The screen supports Apple Car Play, Android Auto, and Mirror Link and also gets in-built navigation.
However, the touchscreen infotainment and premium interiors are available only on the top-end ZXI+ and ZDI+ variants of Maruti Suzuki Swift and the AMT variants miss out these options and the fancy exteriors completely.
2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift Engine & Gearbox:
2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift retains the most important element of Swift and remains the most fun car to drive in the segment. Both 1.2L petrol and 1.3 diesel engine are nicely refined and tuned to give out a nice sporty feel while driving. We had the chance to drive the petrol manual and diesel AMT variants and both the cars impressed us with its performance. When compared to the older Swift the all-new Swift has lost its overall weight by 85 kilograms, thanks to the new platform which has tremendously helped to improve the handling of the car. The new Maruti Suzuki Swift proved to be extremely smooth on the twisty roads of Lonavala. The petrol engine sheds a maximum power of 83 hp and the diesel engine block’s max power is 75 hp.
The AMT gearbox too has been well tuned and surprised us with its delivery. However, we wouldn’t completely say that it was very responsive. It took times to downshift on inclines and requires more throttle and extra rev to get the punch going.
Maruti Suzuki claims a mileage of 28.4 kmpl on the diesel engine and 22 kmpl on the 1.2L petrol. Both petrol and diesel engines are mated to the 5-Speed manual gearbox and get the option of Auto-gear shift (AGS) transmission. On the safety front, the new Swift gets dual-airbags, ABS with EBD as a standard safety feature in all the variants. The manual cars wi
th touchscreen infotainment get a wide angle reverse parking camera.
2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift India launch and prices:
The new generation Maruti Suzuki Swift will make its India debut at the 2018 Auto Expo scheduled in February and is certainly going to be the show stopper. Expect the company to prices of the new Swift to be about Rs 40,000 more than the outgoing Swift.
2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift Verdict:
The all-new Maruti Suzuki Swift takes up the Swift brand to a whole new level. We all knew it would be better but after having driven the Swift it’s almost certain that the company has given it all to make the Swift bigger, better and probably the best car in the segment. The new Maruti Suzuki Swift has a peppy engine and is certainly the most fun car to drive that I have driven after a long time. The bookings for the Maruti Suzuki Swift have already begun and expect a huge chunk of existing Swift customers to upgrade to this new one. Expect long waiting periods on the car and more buyers opting for petrol and AMT variants.
Not just the trailer, the whole all-new 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift is a hit movie and is going to break all previous records of Maruti Suzuki’s box-office collection.
