Maruti 2011 New Swift ZXi review

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It's finally here - the new Swift - the most anticipated small car of the year. It has been six years since the Swift was launched to thunderous response and even now, when everybody knows there’s a new car waiting in the wings, it ranks among the best sellers - commanding a waiting period too.

Looks the same doesn't it?
Make no mistake - this is an all-new car. Not one exterior panel is carried over from the current car so it’s unfortunate that the average buyer will think this is a mere facelift. The old Swift was a radical departure for Suzuki but with the new car Suzuki have gone back to their conservative ways, after all, as the adage goes, don't fix it if it ain't broken.
Look closely, as a discerning enthusiast would, and you will notice detail improvements that make a stylish car even more so. The headlamps are larger and pulled further back into the front wings, the bonnet is longer (leaving space for a bigger engine!), the tail lamps are pulled further into the rear fenders and the number plate is now positioned above the bumper. Small changes but they bring the Swift bang up to date and in the metal, this remains a very attractive car. The Swift now runs on 15-inch wheels (so modders can slap on 16's or even 17's!) and the only sore point is the gap between the wheel arch and tyre, a consequence of the increased ride height for India.

More space inside?
Yes! Wheelbase is up by 40mm, length by 90mm and 20mm has been added to interior space. This doesn't make the Swift the most spacious car in its class but rear seat space is now adequate, a welcome improvement from the cramped confines of yore. The boot though isn't very big and the loading lip is higher making it difficult to thrown heavy bags in.
The bigger news is the all-new interiors that are a huge step up. The dashboard design is all new and very modern. Quality of materials and fit and finish are very good. There's a new steering wheel, new stereo with USB and Aux (with surprisingly good bass), new multifunction display with a fuel economy readout, new climate control interface, the already commodious seats are even wider and comfier - this is a great cabin to be in, period.

Same old engines?
Yes and no. The 1.2-litre K-Series engine now gets variable valve timing on the intake side to boost power to 87PS (at 6000rpm) and torque to 114Nm (at 4000rpm). Claimed performance is 12.6seconds from 0 to 100kmph though in our testing we couldn't better 12.93seconds - which nevertheless makes it one of the quickest hatchbacks in the country. Of more importance is the fuel efficiency that has improved by 4 per cent to 18.6kmpl from 17.9kmpl (ARAI claimed figures). This engine was always the class of its field and now it is even more eager to rev while refinement too has gone up a notch (with in-cabin noise down by 3decibels).
The acclaimed 1.3-litre DDiS diesel gets tweaks to the mapping to bump up its fuel efficiency by 6 per cent to 22.9kmpl from 21.7kmpl. For highway cruising this engine is actually better than the petrol as the grunt allows you to pull overtaking moves without having to shift down the gears.

PRICING
	Here are the ex-Delhi prices Swift Petrol LXi            Rs 4.22 lakh VXi            Rs 4.76 lakh ZXi            Rs 5.53 lakh Swift Diesel LDi            Rs 5.17 lakh VDi            Rs 5.61 lakh ZDi            Rs 6.38 lakh Mileage(city) Petrol                   18.6kmpl Diesel                   23.0kmpl  Our rating(5) Appearance: 4 Comfort:4 Features:4.5