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While no changes have been made to either suspension or steering to account for the lighter-by-three kg engine, the Swift feels just as lively as before and if I may say, even better to tackle corners with. It seems more agile and with the revised rear suspension setup from its minor facelift in 2008, it feels more settled and seems to have better straight line stability. The Dzire always felt pretty stable in a straight line and that hasn’t changed one bit. Both cars are good fun to drive on the whole and reward enthusiastic drivers in a manner that very few cars do in India.
So, does the new engine leave its mark? Yes, especially with overall improved driveability and fuel efficiency making it even more practical than before while retaining the cars’ original traits that have made both such a success in our country. Maruti Suzuki lost a good opportunity by not giving the Swift a major facelift to go with the new engine — heck, the car’s almost five years old!
Also, Maruti hasn’t passed on the excise duty benefits that the Swift now falls under on account of increased input costs — yes, it’s a pretty useful catch-all phrase. Besides, they would like the Swift to retain its premium over the Ritz. On the other hand, the Dzire has seen a marginal increase in price on account of the same. As for the K12M, well it still has a few more engine bays to go into, isn’t it Maruti?
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