I want one.’ Now, it is not everyday that a spoilt motoring journalist gets into buying-a-car mode. But the moment I saw the new Maruti Suzuki Swift, I wanted one in my parking lot. Actually, I had not even seen the entire car – my first glimpse was the rear left flank of a Garnet Orange car with the boomerang tail lamp – and I was sold. So what makes the Swift, arguably the most important new car launch for this year, oh-so-desirable and stir the money-spending hormone glands of people like me? Well, I was just going to find that out.
Look at me
The desirability factor starts from the way an automobile looks and that is one area in which the new Suzuki excels. Suzuki could have easily built yet another brilliant small car and clothed it with regulation, boxy bodywork like, say, the Wagon R. Instead they got inspiration from the right places such as Italy, France and England, and came up with a Japanese equivalent of a Mini, with the design eccentricity of Renault and the glamour of small Fiats. The new age design had to meet new safety regulations, but Suzuki, for a change, didn’t let that come in the way of creativity. The end result is a car that pays homage to some of the very best small cars ever produced. The front end features vertically stacked headlamps and a raised bonnet line that meets new pedestrian safety norms in Europe. Well-defined, muscular wheel arches, a waistline that runs the length of the car, chunky C-pillars that suggest strength and the beautiful floating-roof (an effect created by black-taping the pillars) all make the car as state-of-the-art as it gets. Add to that a wide footprint, fat rubber, a neat stance and you get the picture. This is one of those small cars that even those who can afford much bigger cars will appreciate. Seriously, it is difficult to find a flaw in the design of the Swift – I personally would have liked a base version in white with black bumpers, but then it could well be just me. And yes, the five-spoke alloys look much better than the seven-spoked ones. Round one to Suzuki.
Inside dope
The Swift meant for India is built to a price and it reflects in the interior. Despite following the overall international theme (Suzuki calls the Swift their first World Car), you can see where the bean counters won over designers. Still, the instrument console is clean and well textured, the three-spoke steering really sporty and there is adequate room for five passengers and their elbows. The top-end ZXi version should have been given adjustable steering, electric rear-view mirrors and a quality jukebox along with the automatic climatiser which it gets. Rear seats offer decent legroom but could have been better padded. And pray Suzuki, why cringe on headrests for base models? Isn’t that a basic safety feature? Ditto with the external rear view mirrors – the base model gets just one! Come on!
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