Maruti Suzuki Swift: New Vs Old – What’s Changed?

The third-generation Swift is a radical departure from its predecessor and features changes inside and out

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift is set to launch at the upcoming Auto Expo next month. Official bookings of the hatch are already underway for an upfront payment of Rs 11,000. The new Swift appears to be more upmarket, spacious and richer in features. Let’s find out what all has changed compared to the outgoing model.

Design

The new Swift takes the sporty look of the decade-old Swift a notch higher. The front fascia looks more mature now, with a redesigned headlamp unit sporting projector headlamps and LED daytime running lights as opposed to the multi-reflector ones earlier. The turn indicators in the headlamps unit are pushed towards the grille in the new Swift instead of the away placement earlier. The fog lamp housing continues to be circular though the chrome garnishing has been skipped now. It gets a large hexagonal grille with vertical slats in place of the honeycomb mesh seen in its predecessor. Finally, the redesigned bumper completes the frontal changes in the Maruti hatch.

Moving on to the sides, the rear door handle is now placed on the partially blackened C-pillar (similar to the Chevrolet Beat). Also, it gets new precision-cut dual-tone alloy wheels.

The rear profile of the Swift has also gone under the knife and is now completely overhauled. It gets LEDs in a redesigned tail lamp unit, wider boot lid and a new bumper.

Dimensions

Dimensions	Old Maruti Swift	Maruti Swift 2018	Difference
Length	3850mm	3840mm	-10mm
Width	1695mm	1735mm	+40mm
Height	1530mm	1530mm	Unchanged
Wheelbase	2430mm	2450mm	+20mm
Ground Clearance	170mm	163mm	-7mm
Boot space	210 litres	268 litres	+58 litres

The new Swift is 40mm wider and has a 20mm longer wheelbase, which translates into increased room inside the cabin. Like the Dzire, ground clearance has been reduced by 7mm, though that shouldn’t be a cause for concern regarding scraping the underbelly. The boot space has been slightly bumped up to 268 litres and the loading lip has also been lowered, which should make loading/unloading luggage easier.

The new Swift will be available in six colours - Midnight Blue, Solid Fire Red, Pearl Arctic White, Silky Silver and Magma Grey, and an all-new Prime Lucent Orange shade.

Interior

As mentioned before, the increased dimensions of the new Swift has resulted in a roomier cabin. Maruti says that it has addressed the issue of limited legroom at the rear in the previous version, in addition to increased shoulder and knee room for rear passengers, in the new Swift. The new dual-tone dashboard layout imbibes a premium feel to the cabin. Aircon vents in the centre are now round in shape and the AC controls too get new rotary dials. The plane-jane instrument cluster makes way for racing car-inspired dials. Surprisingly, the open storage space above the glovebox has been given a miss in the new Swift.

Features

As in the Dzire, the new Swift gets a flat-bottom leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto climate control, and passive keyless entry system with push-button engine start-stop. It gets Suzuki’s 7-inch SmartPlay infotainment system which supports both Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto along with MirrorLink connectivity. The system also offers built-in navigation with Aux-in, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. The new Swift also gets rear parking sensors with the infotainment unit doubling up as the display for the rear-view camera.

Continuing the good work of standardising essential safety features in its recent cars, Maruti Suzuki has equipped all variants of the new Swift with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, front seat-belts with pretensioners and force limiter, Isofix with child seat anchorages, seatbelt reminder and engine immobiliser.

Related: New Maruti Suzuki Swift Details Out, Bookings Open

Engines

The 2018 Swift continues to draw power from the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engines of the previous generation. The petrol motor pumps out 83PS/113Nm while the diesel one develops 75PS/190Nm. Unlike its predecessor, the new Swift gets a 5-speed AMT (automated manual transmission) with both the engines aside from the 5-speed manual gearbox. However, the automatic is offered only with the V and Z variants initially. With the same engines as the present Swift, its claimed mileage is also expected to remain the same: 20.4kmpl and 25.2kmpl from the petrol and diesel motors respectively.

The new Swift is based on the lighter Heartect platform, which also underpins the Dzire and the Baleno. This has helped the Swift achieve significant weight reduction, with the petrol variant now lighter by 85kg while the diesel avatar has lost 75kg. While the Swift has always been known to be a peppy performer, the lighter weight promises to make it a even more fun to drive car.  

Prices

The new Swift is likely to be priced at a slight premium of Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 over its current version, which is priced at Rs 4.80 lakh – 7.47 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Stay tuned to CarDekho for more updates on the new Swift during Auto Expo 2018.

Recommended: Auto Expo 2018: Maruti Suzuki’s Expected Lineup

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