Maruti Suzuki is known for the grand display every time at the Auto Expo and 2012 is going to be no diffferent. The country’s largest car maker has planned to unveils the Ertiga MPV and showcase some interesting vehicles. The compact SUV Concept, which will give us a glimpse of the future Jimny or Gypsy replacement will be the highlight at the Maruti Suzuki stall. But what is most interesting, yet eye catching is the 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport, which too will find a place in hall number 14.

The Suzuki Swift Sport is powered by a 1.6-liter, M16A petrol motor which produces 134 hp of power and 160 Nm of torque. A 3-door model, the Swift Sport has a 6-speed manual gearbox and is a front-wheel drive vehicle. But the Swift Sport is not about outright acceleration or top speed as this sportier version of the popular Swift also has stiffer suspension and low profile tyres for added agility. Maruti Suzuki will also showcase the hybrid version of the new Swift at the Expo, but don’t expect it to be launched anytime soon.

The launch of the new generation Swift garnered a massive response from the consumers all over India. The response was so high that the bookings went all the way upto about 1 lakh! However, the company was caught up unfortunately in a labour unrest at its production facility at Manesar in Haryana causing a substantial delay in the delivery of cars. If you are one of those 1 lakh customers waiting for your delivery of the new Swift, it may take up to 5 months before you can own it. After putting the labour unrest to an end last month, Maruti is looking forward to clear it by March- April next year. At present, the first line installed in Manesar has a production capacity of 1200 units across 2 shifts. When the second line comes up, the company will be able to produce 2100 units per day.

“We expect to make around 18,000-20,000 Swift units a month as soon as the second line at Manesar becomes fully operational by January. It should take four-five months to clear the backlog. By January, the second line will have no bottlenecks, so I would expect capacity to go up to 800-900 units a day, depending on the demand,” Mr. M M Singh, Managing Executive Officer, Production, Maruti Suzuki, said.

He also added that the company is need of more manpower with the right skills to handle the new machines. For this, the company is hiring people from all across while shifting workers across other lines. The company is also shifting its production back to its plant in Manesar from Gurgaon. Earlier, the company had shifted its production from Manesar to Gurgaon in the event of the unrest. Apart from its own problems of steady production and manpower, the company faces a lingering constraint from suppliers for a ramp-up of component supply, while diesel engines are also in shortage (making for 80% of demand).

When Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift way back in 2005, it immediately conquered the hatchback segment. However it was only in 2007 with the launch of the diesel version, that the waiting period on the Swift became a regular course. Recently when Maruti Suzuki launched the new Swift, the company had already receiving 40000 bookings even before announcing the prices. Soon the strike commenced at the company’s Manesar facility and waiting period started to escalate on the new Swift. With close to 1.08 lakh bookings, the new Swift takes more time to be delivered than a be-spoke Rolls Royce Phantom.

Now waiting close to eight months for a car in this day of hyper competition is just insane. No wonder dealers are facing cancellation of bookings to the tune of 2-4%. The customers are opting for the Volkswagen Polo or the Toyota Etios Liva instead. Some customers who are loyal to the Maruti brand have opted for the Ritz instead. In the past 1-2 months, Maruti Suzuki has delivered zero Swifts to many dealers. Have you booked the Swift? If yes, when are you expecting delivery of your car?

We all know that the new Maruti Suzuki Swift is currently the most wanted car in the country. Right from its launch which happened on August 17 till date, the Swift has received over 1.08 lakh bookings and the demand seems never ending. On the part of the dealers side the waiting for the diesel is expected to be six months and the waiting for petrol is anywhere between three to five months but it goes without saying that the waiting periods are extended beyond measure in the actual sense.

With many frustrated buyers who have been waiting for their Swift like one waits for a shooting star, Maruti Suzuki is very confident that the workers strike which has affected the production and slowed down the deliveries will not affect their sales during the festive season. Currently the Manesar plant produces around 700 units daily, the company is aiming to produce around 17,000 – 18,000 units a month which are around 5,000 – 6,000 units more than the production per month for the previous generation Swift. What we wonder is there is hardly any new Swift seen on the roads so where is all the demand-supply equation fitting in?

The strike at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant in Haryana is yet to be resolved, however the company has managed to take production of the Swift to 700 units a day. The new Swift is being produced at both the Manesar and Gurgaon plant of Maruti Suzuki. The increase in production has been done by hiring new workers. If the company is able to maintain the same level of output, it could produce close to 17,500 units of the Swift every month. Currently in its 27th day, the workers strike at India’s largest car maker has caused severe losses as well as cancellation of bookings for the company.

“Maruti Suzuki today produced 700 Swift cars from Manesar and Gurgaon plants, combined. At this level of daily production, the company can now produce over 17,500 units of Swifts in a month. Focussed efforts to augment manpower strength at Manesar plants and starting production of Swift model at Gurgaon plant also have helped the company to reach this level of monthly production for the model,” Maruti Suzuki said in a statement.

Swift lovers in India got a first real upgrade on the Swift just recently after half a decade The old car was started to look dated in front of the new competitors which were based on a more futuristic design concept. On the international front Swift has showcased the Swift S Concept last time at Geneva and at Frankfurt this year Suzuki has showcased the Swift Sport finally. Fans all over the world were early waiting for the production version of the Swift S Concept and here it is finally. Smaller than the original Swift, this one comes in a two door version and packs 134 horsepower’s along with 160 Nm of torque, the M16A petrol engine is matted to a 6 speed manual gearbox and the car is a front wheel drive.

Since it’s a Sport version the suspensions are stiffer and there is an aggressive stance to the car. The Sport Swift wears 17 inch low profile tyres fixed with some neat wheels. In the inside you will find sporty seats with high quality fit and finish also the five-dial meter cluster that combines easy legibility with an uncluttered look. Speaking about safety this car is 5 star rated for Euro NCAP and has seven airbags as standard. Also there is EPS, EBD, ABS. Suzuki plans to launch the new Swift Sport in a growing number of countries, beginning this October, with sales launch in the UK from early next year. We hope Suzuki plans the Sports Swift for India, Even though it is petrol there are enough Swift fans in India who will willingly buy this car.

Maruti Suzuki has suspended the bookings of the Swift temporary as the car maker is left clueless amidst strikes at its Manesar facility. India’s largest carmaker has already received 90000 bookings for the new Swift, which was launched just 20 days ago. However due to the strike, the company has not manufactured more than 1000 units in the past one week (ideally should have produced 8400 cars), leading to waiting period escalating to new heights. Thus, Maruti Suzuki has asked dealers to stop taking bookings of the new Swift till the strike is resolved and production commences. The new Maruti Suzuki Swift is said to be commanding a whooping 8 months waiting period. Although demand for new cars has slowed down, but the Swift is one such car which is unaffected by market conditions.

“Despite the intense curiosity for the new Swift and the car surpassing consumer expectations, we cannot take any more bookings. Deliveries in the current bank of bookings will go on till next April and even beyond,” a Delhi based Maruti dealer said.

Car tested: Maruti Suzuki Swift VDi (ABS)

Kms Done: 1,00,000

Mileage - 14.27 kmpl

Fuel Consumed – 7007.70 ltrs

Fuel Cost - Rs 2,87,316/-

Major Repair - Synchroniser Ring changed three times due to defective part

When we started way back in 2007, a good support vehicle was the need of the hour. The job of a support vehicle is essentially to carry cameras and equipment throughout the shoots for our test drive reviews. Knowing very well that it would be ticking the odometer more often than expected, we needed a vehicle which will give good mileage and will be relatively inexpensive to maintain. At that time, not many hatchbacks gave the option of a diesel engine, and when Maruti launched the Swift in diesel trim, it was instantly our choice.

The Swift diesel was launched in Jan 2007, and our booking of the Swift read VDi Abs (the top version available). The dealer had promised a delivery time of approximately 2 months. It was a month of waiting when we received a call from the sales guy, coaxing us to convert to a non ABS version, his defense was that ABS is not really required for Indian conditions and there may be more waiting for the ABS version than promised. This just goes to show how ignorant we, as Indians, are about much needed safety features. Besides ABS, this top end variant did not offer rear wiper and defogger, which prove to be helpful in rainy conditions.

The first step after delivery was to get rid of the rubbish 165 spec Jk tyres. With 75 bhp on tap and coupled with low end torque, many accidents were reported as most were not used to the frugal power of the 1.3 ltr multijet engine. These stock tyres offer poor grip and thus are accident prone. At that time, the international version of the Swift was sporting 195/60/15 rubber and we upgraded to the same. Among the list of upgrades was synthetic engine oil (Mobil 1 5W/40) and pioneer head unit with jbl speakers along with V cool, 99 percent heat rejection film .

All Swift’s manufactured in the month of May 2007 had an issue of defective synchronizer ring. For the sake of those who are unaware what that may be, a synchronizer ring is a ring with teeth, where the gears slot, similar to the ring around which the chain is attached in a bicycle. Maruti does not believe in recalling cars with inherent manufacturing defects, and one day when the 2nd and 3rd gear refused to slot, we rushed to the dealer immediately. Imagine driving in first gear and then directly shifting into fourth. The odometer read only 10000 km.

After through inspection, it was found that the syncronizer ring corresponding to the 2nd and 3rd gear had expanded and had to be replaced. Irony was that it took a full week to get hold of the part and since the gearbox is attached to the engine, the entire engine unit had to be demounted which took another 5 days. The same problem happened again, not once but twice at 30000 and 50000 km respectively. We were told its the same defective part which caused trouble this time around. We were deeply disappointed to know that Maruti had not done much to rectify the issue, let alone recall the cars. The positive part was Maruti’s excellent dealership experience and extended warranty which saved us more than a few thousands. The dealer even offered us a loaner car (Wagon R) till the time our vehicle was up and running.

Besides this major issue, our experience was hassle free. When the swift was launched in 2005, rattling was common in almost all the cars. Maruti had certainly stepped up the insulation but it was still not perfect. The major area was the boot. On opening the plastic panel, we found a loose clip inside which indeed was the culprit. A foam padding between the metal and plastic ensured that ratting was gone for good. Damping was also done in all the four doors.

Driving the top of the line variant, we missed the rear wiper and defogger. Driving in heavy rain on the expressway with absolutely zero visibility in the rear view mirrors can be risky job, especially with rich brats driving their dads latest sports car at suicidal speeds. Then you think about the safety features, another vital one is missing. Airbags are like insurance, you always want to have them but hope you never get to use them. Shame on Maruti for omitting these vital features on the top of the line variant. Even the low fuel warning light was sacrificed in the name of cost cutting. They have probably learned from their mistake and now offer the Zdi variant in the new Swift, which is practically loaded.

At 75009 km, we did away with our Michelin Energy XM tyres. Even after running so much, we could have easily squeezed another 10000 odd km but decided not to in the interest of safety. It was then the Michelin Primacy LC tyres which got ready to burn some rubber.

Engine note got louder as the kilometers ticked. At 90000 km, the engine was making a funny creaky sound, which nobody, including the service centre could diagnose. Since there was no drop in performance, we ignored it completely. The ride quality was average throughout and though the suspension softened over the period of time, it was far from ideal. Service schedule was followed with suspension overhaul done at 60K km. Surprisingly, not once was the clutch replaced. Usually the clutch burns out at 35k km but this one lasted beyond anybody’s comprehension.

Rear seat is probably the least comfortable in the segment. Long drives in the rear bench can get your back sore and the small window area adds a claustrophobic feel. It best to occupy the front seats as far as the Swift is concerned. On long runs, the boot space fell short too, we struggled to fit our luggage into the boot on many occasions.

Maruti sales are driven by the fact that servicing costs are really cheap. This is certainly a misnomer. Maruti service is cheap when it comes to their entry level cars such as the Alto and the Wagon R. Come to the Swift and its not as cheap as people sound it to be. On an average a paid service costs about 6 – 7 thousand rupees, which does not include anything other than routine servicing charges which include labour, parts (oil etc) and applicable taxes. The Swift diesel in marginally more expensive to maintain than its petrol counterpart, but the fuel savings it offers, its well worth it if your daily running is on the higher side.

The 1.3 Multijet engine proved to be a gem of an engine, and probably the only reason Fiat is surviving today. Great performance and great efficiency never go together but this engine finds the sweet spot between the two. The best mileage we got was 21.3 kmpl on a long highway run and the worst was about 11.2 kmpl in clogged city traffic. Since our driving was 60:40, city and highway respectively and considering its takes us a good 2 hrs to cover a distance of 30 km (in city), it means the engine has run at idle far more than the odometer suggests.

Maruti service deserves a special mention. The dealership (Automotive Manufatcurers, Navi Mumbai) ensured that the car was delivered quickly after servicing (barring the synchroniser ring issue, where the delay was due to non availability of parts). Servicing criterion’s such as explanation on type of job to be done, costing, washing etc was done with utmost professionalism.

With age on its side we decided to retire our favorite support vehicle, now since the Swift has gone, we need a replacement car. We have already decided on it. You would want to guess which car would be replacing our dear Swift!!

Whats Kool

* Engine Performace
* Fuel Efficiency
* Maruti Service

Whats NOT Kool

* Built Quality issues
* Absence of Rear Wiper, Defogger & Airbags
* Small Boot Space
* Rear Legroom

A few images of our Swift playing Support Car

1. Ford Figo and Maruti Swift Comparo

2. With the Chevrolet Beat

3. Playing supporting role in the Volkswagen Polo vs Fiat Grande Punto Shootout

4. Battle of the Multijets

If you happen to go on the low bandwidth site of the new Maruti Swift, you get to play a game. The game has a Maruti Swift which has to be driven by you over rocks and the likes. We don’t know what Maruti Suzuki thinks but this is one of the silliest things you would expect on any car makers website. We mean common, why would anyone want to jump a hatchback like its some SUV. Anyways, if you think you have time on your hands, you can go play here. But don’t blame us, cause we warned you before about this stupid game is best left avoided.

The low bandwidth website of the new Maruti Swift has another game (on the same page) where you can play football (thanks ThisPointer for the tip). There are no goals to be made.

2012 Jazz vs Swift - Click above for picture gallery

Maruti Suzuki launched the all new Swift recently and Honda has followed with the launch of the Jazz facelift. The battle of the Japanese rivals has just commenced as Honda has undercut the price of the top end Swift ZXi by Rs. 3000/-. Now the Jazz can only rival the Swift petrol as there is no diesel Jazz yet. The Swift LXi and VXi are priced much cheaper than the base Jazz so we will just compare the Jazz S to the Swift ZXi to help buyers decide which car they should opt for.

Styling - When it comes to design and styling, the Honda Jazz is the winner. Both the cars have the same width (1690 mm) but the Jazz is slightly longer (by 50 mm) at 3900mm and taller (by 5 mm) at 1535 mm. All the variants of the Jazz come with 15-inch wheels, while only the top end ZXi variant of the Swift gets 15-inch wheels. We can’t really pass a judgement on looks as it is completely subjective. But the design of the new Swift is an evolution of the old model, which has certainly not gone down well with many people. Thus, the Swift easily looses out on the Who is the looker parameter and we prefer the Jazz when it comes to looks, as it looks relatively fresh and big (thanks to the small hood and generous glass area).

Interiors - The dashboard of both the cars looks premium but the Jazz features beige interiors, something which we Indians love. The Swift’s interiors have been vastly improved, taking heavy cues from its elder sibling, the Kizashi. However its the Jazz which beats the Swift outright when it comes to practicality and space. The Jazz not only has more space and cubby holes but also boasts of flexible seating (magic seats). The rear seat can be folded in multiple ways in the Jazz, whereas in the Swift, you can only fold it completely down (no split folding here). The legroom at the rear is much higher in the Jazz and the passenger seldom feels he is sitting in a hatchback. In the near Swift, rear seat space has been improved but the small glass area makes the rear passengers claustrophobic. The boot space of the Swift is just 206 liters, whereas the Jazz offers a 384 liter boot, making the Jazz the perfect hatchback for weekend gateways.

Features - When two cars cost almost the same, one expects the features to be similar. Both the Swift ZXi and Jazz S boast of dual airbags along with ABS and EBD. Both cars have received 5-star rating by EuroNCAP and are equally safe. The Jazz and Swift also have steering mounted audio controls, audio system with USB/AUX compatibility, rear wiper and defogger. However the Swift boasts of more features than the Jazz (the Jazz S is the base variant while the Swift ZXi is the top variant, so isn’t that obvious). The Jazz S lacks front fog lamps, alloy wheels and driver seat height adjuster which the Swift ZXi comes with as standard. However the feature different is not vast and one cannot decide on either car based on the feature list alone.

Ride, Handling & Braking - The Swift ZXi is 65 kgs lighter than the Jazz S. The ground clearance of the Swift is more at 170 mm compared to the Jazz’s 160 mm. However none of the cars scrape speedbreakers. The ride of the Swift has been vastly improved and is a match for the Jazz. However the Jazz can’t match the razor sharp handling of the new Swift. Mind you, the Jazz isn’t a bad handler, the Swift is just so good. High speed stability and braking of the Swift is slightly better than the Jazz. But overall it is difficult to choose these cars based on their ride, braking and high speed stability. If you are looking at handling, than the Swift definitely emerges out ahead of the Jazz. But slap on some good rubber on the Jazz and it will handle much better, but still not as sharp as the Swift.

Performance - The Swift is powered by a 1.2-liter K-Series motor, which gets VVT and produces 87 PS of power and 114 Nm of torque. The Jazz on the other hand uses a 1.2-liter motor too but gets Honda’s famed i-VTEC technology, producing 90 PS of power and 110 Nm of torque. The power and torque are almost similar but both engines are very different. If one says that the K12 motor is revv happy, then he needs to witness Honda’s VTEC. The Jazz loves to be revved and urgency is apparent above 5000 RPM. The Swift on the other has good low end grunt along with decent mid and top range. The Jazz is very tall geared while the Swift is relatively short geared. The Swift is faster of the two hitting a ton in 12.8 seconds, while the Jazz takes 13.5 seconds. Both cars will do 170 kmph with ease. Both cars have a light clutch and smooth gearbox.

Swift vs Jazz Pricing

Jazz S – Rs. 5.50 lakhs, Swift ZXi – Rs. 5.53 lakhs (ex-showroom, New Delhi)
Jazz S – Rs. 6.01 lakhs, Swift ZXi – Rs. 6.04 lakhs (on-road, New Delhi)
Jazz S – Rs. 5.75 lakhs, Swift ZXi – Rs. 5.78 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai)
Jazz S – Rs. 6.41 lakhs, Swift ZXi – Rs. 6.45 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai)
Jazz Select – Rs. 6.70 lakhs, Jazz X – Rs. 7.06 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai)

Fuel Efficiency - The Swift petrol delivers an ARAI certified mileage of 18.6 kmpl, while the Jazz delivers an ARAI certified mileage of 16.7 kmpl. The Swift is marginally more fuel efficient but these figures will differ in the real world. However the Swift will still consume less fuel than the Jazz, albeit marginally.

Conclusion - Deciding between both the cars is very easy. If one wants style, space, brand image, quality then it is the Jazz which is the car for them. On the other hand, there is not much (not even the price) going for the new Swift petrol which easily gets beaten by the new Jazz. There is no reason one would opt for the Swift ZXi when the Jazz S comes for almost the same price. The Jazz offers so much more and is a premium hatchback in the true sense. Not only is the Jazz more spacious of the two but is more practical too and can actually replace a sedan for many buyers. No wonder is is then, that out of the 50000 bookings Maruti Suzuki has received for the new Swift, only 10000 are those for the petrol model. Now with Honda undercutting the Swift, expect alot of cancelled bookings of the petrol Swift. When was the last time you heard a Honda being available cheaper than a Maruti. Well almost never. But now when it is, there is absolutely no reason to opt for a Swift ZXi over the Jazz S. Now only if Honda launch a diesel Jazz!