If you ever make a list of India’s most popular or most loved cars, post-2005, one moniker is sure to feature in both those lists, the Maruti Suzuki Swift. A revolutionary product on its own, it transformed and constructed the current hatch/premium hatch segment we witness today. Maruti launched the facelifted Swift yesterday and with the rising competition, we compiled our wishlist for the Swift on what it kind of misses out on.
More details
This list has been compiled on the basis of the needs of the current car enthusiast and what the competition offers.
A turbo-petrol engine
Turbo-petrol mills are the talk of the town. Every major player is offering a turbo-petrol engine these days and it would have been better if India’s largest automaker did the same. Speaking of which, Maruti doesn’t have a single turbo-petrol engine across its entire portfolio. With the rising popularity of the same, Maruti should have introduced a turbo-petrol or at least should, in the near future.
More airbags & better safety package
Maruti Suzuki cars are known for many things – affordability, low maintenance, high resale value, widespread service network, easy availability of spares etc. but unfortunately, safety doesn’t feature on the top of that list. Not implying that Maruti cars are unsafe, they still get the mandatory safety package and a few additional bits, it’s just that the safety quotient of some of its competitors supersedes that of the Swift. Some of Swift’s rivals are some of the safest cars in India as of now. In the future, we wish Maruti offers more airbags and a better safety package so that it becomes the real all-rounder, known for a lot of things, including safety.
Rear AC vents
Some major rivals of the Swift offer this simple feature and it is more about the comfort of all the passengers overall, than simply what’s offered by the competition. With a summer like ours and the general difference in temperatures as the day progresses, rear AC vents would really prove to be a very handy feature for the rear passengers, increasing the overall comfort levels of the package as a whole.
A bigger boot
Swift has one of the smallest boot capacities of its segment and again, this is more about comfort and making things easy for the user stuff than simply a comparison with its rivals. The Hyundai i20, Tata Altroz and Ford Figo, all three of them offer a bigger boot and the bigger the boot, the better, especially in a hatch, wherein the body size is relatively smaller. This is not a deal-breaker but can definitely sweeten the deal multifold, if implemented.
Return of the diesel
Diesel-propelled hatches are an absolute treat to drive. Diesel provides that lovely low-end grunt and a heap of torque that really puts a wide smile on your face. The light weight of the hatch combined with the grunt of a diesel absolutely multiplies the fun quotient of driving. Maruti discontinued their diesel engines across their engines after stepping into the BS6 era, while their rivals continued with diesels, and Maruti is reportedly working on bringing it back. Enthusiasts are a sucker for good diesel in an appropriate car and the Swift could be just that. Moreover, it also brings in the other general benefits of diesel and hence is a great offering.
More creature comforts
It won’t be wrong if we say that the Koreans have spoiled us with the creature comforts they bring to the table at the price they are currently being offered at. Sure, the 2020 Hyundai i20 might ask for a premium but at the same time, it justifies its price tag with the features it has on offer. The Maruti Suzuki Swift comes with some noteworthy features but misses out on some premium bits like ventilated seats, wireless charging, air purifier and the likes.