In this post, I shall list the major pros and cons of the new 2024 Maruti Swift. The largest carmaker in the country had recently launched the new Swift in its fourth generation avatar. Swift has been on sale in India since 2005. Even after almost 2 decades of its existence, the demand is still at an all-time high. That is a testament to the popularity the hatchback commands. People love it for its looks, driving dynamics, high mileage and low ownership costs on account of being a Maruti Suzuki product. This time around, it gets a new engine, more standard safety features and incredible mileage. Let us compare the strengths and weaknesses of the new Swift here.
Top Pros of New 2024 Maruti Swift
Mileage
It goes without saying that one of the top-selling products from Maruti Suzuki will have incredible mileage figures. As a matter of fact, most car buyers opt for Maruti cars for this very reason. We must understand that India is a price-conscious market. People value expenses over just about everything else. Maruti knows this and designs its products accordingly. The new 1.2-litre 3-cylinder Z12E petrol engine offers attractive mileage figures of 24.8 kmpl with the manual and 25.75 kmpl with the AMT gearbox. You won’t find any other vehicle in this segment offering this kind of fuel efficiency. In fact, being a light vehicle, even the real-life mileage figure in city traffic is high.
Styling
The new fourth-generation Maruti Swift bears a new-age appearance. This includes the new headlamp cluster with integrated LED DRLs, LED taillamps with a smokey effect, attractive alloy wheel design, sharp creases on the side profile and a fresh overall stance. Even though the silhouette remains almost identical to the outgoing model, these elements make the new Swift a stunner to look at.
Driving Dynamics
Swift has always been a great handler. That remains intact even in the latest iteration. The stance of the hatchback along with its light weight contributes significantly toward making it extremely agile. That is one aspect that enthusiastic drivers will appreciate about the new Swift. Its relatively compact dimensions (in comparison to something like the Baleno) allow owners to take it into crowded places without the fear of lack of judgment. The seating position is great which allows adequate visibility outside.
Standard Safety Equipment
It is a well-known fact that Maruti Suzuki cars have not done well on the crash safety ratings traditionally. These cars are generally very light which enables high mileage to begin with. However, Indian car buyers have become safety-conscious in recent times. Therefore, safety equipment and crash test ratings play a crucial role in potential buyers leaning towards one particular vehicle. This time around, Maruti is offering 6 airbags as standard across the range for Swift. Hence, even the base trim gets that benefit. This will definitely make the latest Swift safer than ever.
Top Cons of New 2024 Maruti Swift
Sluggish Performance
The new engine is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder mill which makes less power and torque than the outgoing model. It is seen in real-life situations that the performance of the Swift is somewhat lacking due to this new engine. Now, Maruti Suzuki has focused on high mileage. But that has resulted in a slight compromise in terms of pickup or high-speed highway runs. But it is not too bad and only the true driving enthusiasts will notice it majorly. Still, it is something worth pointing out.
Cabin Space
In comparison to vehicles like the Baleno, Hyundai i20 and Tata Altroz (because the prices of these overlap a lot), the cabin space in a Swift is definitely less. In fact, the overall dimensions of the Swift are smaller than the aforementioned cars. That even translates to interior space for the passengers and the boot compartment. Hence, one could consider this as a negative point because there are bigger and better options available at this price point.
All-Black Interior
While all-black interiors are considered sporty and are preferred by a whole bunch of young buyers, they are not for everyone. On top of that, the quality of plastics used in the cabin is quite low. Hence, even a minor scratch ends up leaving a strong mark. That requires a lot of care. Also, black interiors could create a feeling of claustrophobia for some passengers. That is why people who want a light and airy feel opt for light-coloured cabins like beige or grey.
Build Quality
A major talking point of the new Swift is its build quality. While the safety equipment is aplenty, it doesn’t necessarily translate to build quality. In fact, to make the new Swift highly fuel efficient, the hatchback is now very light. Hence, it is understandable to recognize that the build quality might have been compromised to achieve that weight. Again, we would like to refrain from saying anything concrete before the official crash test ratings are out, but knowing that the vehicle is so light raises some alarm bells. In any case, these were the top pros and cons of the new 2024 Maruti Swift.
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