• Published On: 17 March 2017
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What's one of India's highest selling hatchbacks like to drive?

When you first look at it, you can be forgiven for thinking it’s the earlier car, but this car is all-new. It is based on an new set of underpinnings and the car is both longer and wider than its predecessor. It’s 90mm longer, its wheelbase has been increased by 40mm and overall width has increased by 5mm. The increased dimensions have helped improved cabin space and the Swift feels much bigger inside – there’s more knee room for passengers in the rear. However, just like the old Swift, the small windows make the cabin feel a little claustrophobic.

The Swift's interior is quite plush, the new instruments look quite nice and the steering-mounted controls feel good to operate. Quality of materials in the cabin hasn't been improved substantially though and the cars tiny boot remains.

The car is quite sporty to drive thanks to the brilliant 84.3hp 1.2 K-series petrol. It loves to be revved, power delivery is quite lineae and refinement levels are really good. It's quite a frugal motor too, and claims to deliver an ARAI-rated 20.4kpl.

Maruti says that the 75hp 1.3-litre diesel engine has been tuned for better efficiency (a claimed figure of 25.2kpl), which has compromised the motor's flexible nature to some extent. However, this won’t be something most Swift owners will notice.

The Swift rides and handles pretty nicely at highway speeds and it handles bumps in the city well too. The steering is also quite responsive to quick inputs, but can feel a little too light and disconnected from the front wheels.

The new Swift is lighter, longer and more spacious. It delivers improved performance, driver dynamics and better fuel economy. Suzuki has worked on the earlier car’s flaws and he made sure it retained all the really good bits.