Swift ZDi (June 2012) - Torque Blue.
1,750km on the odo
Yet to really rev the engine - waiting for my first Highway drive... sometime soon.
Quick overview.
>What I like about my car...
- My Torque Blue ZDi looks awesome from any side!
- The AC cools very well
- Interior panels - not premium quality but very good - love the color - dark panels and the Silver touches.
- The smooth ride as one gets faster !
- The power of the Diesel engine - nothing beats the seat pressing against your back telling you to GET MOVING!!
![Smile](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.png)
- The low cost of fuel (for now atleast!)
- The Music system is pretty good - had plans to get one fixed - plan scrapped after listening to the OEM ICE.
> Check out a few of the snaps! The customary visit to the have the car blessed was not missed!
>What I don't like...
- 2 months into my Swift ZDi ownership I am noticing some signs of possible rattles that might come up later. The door - if its slammed shut (like some people do!) there is a distinct "2nd noise" which I feel is the door panel. The front console - Instrument panel, ICE, A/c Panel, Glove compartment et al - over bad roads there is a distinct "mildly squeaky - plastic rubbing against plastic" noise. For now its not exactly rattling.
- From a Gear up-shift perspective: The 2nd Gear seems to "end" and 3rd Gear "starts" at a slightly awkward speed. I wish the 2nd took the car to a slightly higher speed at a slightly lower RPM. But once onto 3rd Gear - the fun starts - No looking back.
- Headlights - just OK - will surely need an upgrade.
- The car ROLLs!! The back suspension has a tough time keeping the car upright (only at very low speeds) Am wondering if anyone has tried something with a better anti-roll bar or something like that.
- The Driver's window open/close switch - "One touch" to open; NOT "One touch" to close! WHY?!!
Why the "Swift Decision"?
Some history first : Pedal powered scale model car with battery operated horn, head lamps & blinkers [Zero to 2 kmph in 3 seconds flat! ]; BSA Admiral (cycle
![Smile](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.png)
) - TVS-50 [... no offence to TVS or TVS-50 owners - but the top speed of this contraption in comparision to others on the road including pedestrians, forced me to repeatedly put my feet on the road thinking I have stopped OR am going backwards... ] - RX100 - Kinetic Honda - RX135 - Matiz - Honda City - Honda Civic - Alto - and finally Swift ZDi!! [ ...and the Honda City refuses to leave!]
I traded in my Alto for the new Swift. Loved the Alto – the basic LXi – had just one problem – wasn’t exactly what I wanted when on a highway/long distance ride for the obvious reasons.
Options considered – i20 & Swift Petrol.
i20 : Everything looked great. Classy interiors. Happy owners (had some very happy colleagues). Great feedback on highway “behavior”. Test drove my friend’s i20. Loved it.
Next – Called up Maruti – scheduled a TD. Swift ZXi. After owning a Honda City (the 2004 model) it takes some convincing about the engine being smooth; and the Swift ZXi was pretty smooth. The ride – the test Car surely had overinflated tyres – the ride was not one I enjoyed. Was almost bouncing around on the tarmac!
Then out of the blue the Petrol prices shot up (May2012) and I reluctantly decided that I’ll try the diesel – never my favorite. This time I mentioned to the sales rep about the rock hard tyres "last time"; the Swift ZDi arrived with a ride that felt very different from the ZXi. Then…. 15 mins of highway…. A few kicks of the turbo… ; Torque Blue Swift ZDi Booked! The dealer said they have a Torque Blue ZDi that can be delivered within 2 months.
I got the dealer to have Genius Seat covers / upholstery put in, a steering cover, Teflon coat for the body.
The ZDi arrived with MRF tyres. I exchanged the 5 for Yokohama C Drives. [exch Rs.2.5k per MRF; New C Drive Rs.4.8k @ BLR New BEL Rd. – I got a Yokohama Swiss Knife as gift for the purchase ]
I mostly drive in the City (BLR) - 60% Bumper to Bumper, stop & go; 40% cruising at 60kmph (average). Drive about 20Km per day on weekdays + 150km over the weekends.
Mileage calculated by the car has been more or less in line with what I calculated. Fuel efficiency in this driving pattern has been 16km/Litre. A/C ON all the time.
Bought the Swift purely based on the below 5 criteria.
- Technical brilliance of the Diesel engine.
- Handling on the highway.
- Maruti service coverage throughout the country.
- Economy - diesel vs petrol
- Team BHP Reviews!
Interestingly the Swift was low on my "Looks" scale; I like it now ... kinda grows with time !
Fit and finish - I'd give it 8/10. As I mentioned earlier - I've seen better interior fitment. But the interior design and layout are very good. Some have written about the driver's left knee banging on the centre console. A little adjustment of the seat height, reach and steering angle sorted this for me. Yes it was a little odd, the way the knee area could be a little cramped compared to some other cars. Tall drivers might want to check. I must be about 5'10"... 5'11".
The exterior is very well put together - I am not too sure about the thickness of the sheet metal though.
Leg space was not a problem till now. Folks at the back seemed to have some knee room to spare.
The rear view mirror is of little use, other than focussing the headlamps of vehicles behind you, on your eyes at night! If I need to reverse I turn my head and reverse, just am not able to trust that 15% of the total view!
I bought the car prepared for a tiny boot; but the boot was not all that small. It is not a sedan so I'm OK.
Maruti engineers inexplicably decided to design a boot that does not open out fully. You have to lift up and then out of the boot. Not the best design.
Behind the Wheel:
- My first Diesel motor as I mentioned – the post 1st gear lag took a couple of weeks to get over ! The diesel engine is very refined and NVH levels are managed well. The excellent performance once the car gets moving makes it all worth it !
- The seating position is good. The front/back , up/down driver seat movements combined with the steering tilt options make it easy to find your favorite seating / driving position.
Found myself shuffling between 2nd & 3rd gears in the city. The 35kmph zone gets me confused.. too fast for 2nd, too slow for 3rd (3rd knocks).
But on open stretch - its a dream - never out of breath, awesome handling, just waiting for your command ! The turbo ROCKS!
Gear shift is reasonably smooth, slight play in the gates, but very good overall.
- The Tyre pressure when I received the car was 50 PSI! Glad I was not floating around like a balloon! As mentioned now I have C Drives. Not really noticed much tyre noise; ride is a good. I have found that 31psi in the Front & 29psi at the Rear works for me. Given the crazy calibration at some Gas Stations I prefer being on the higher side than lower.
- Tinted Films – I wish !! [On that topic – what?! So the ones who got it removed, are we the morons? And I still see some 40% of the cars going around in jet black tints! This is crazy!]
Running In:
- What running in??? New technology Diesel engine; No running in required!
- But still – I am a little crazy, so … Revs were under 2.2K till 1000kms (first service) I intend keeping the revs under 2.5k till 2000kms.
First Service:
- 30 days – 985 km –
- The Oil was NOT changed - as per guidelines - I am told. [I pulled out the Engine Oil dip stick to see what I can see – frankly, oil looked clear, I wish I knew a little more on how clear the oil is meant to be.]
- Had some light rattling with the rear parcel tray - partially rectified - I guess I will have to DIY some packing in the right places...
- Checked the engine bay - was clean - but there was a thin film (of Diesel used for cleaning, I am told) all over - was told it will evaporate.
- Wanted 90/100W head lamps - they had some local relay - so did not go for it - I am told the Bosch relay kit is good.
- The service technician spoke about some cases where the headlamp cover - the clear plastic cover has melted due to the 90/100.... Any experience here?
- I go to Mandovi Motors (Vijayanagar, Bangalore) – Very Happy with their service.
… That was a Swift update ! Look forward to your views / inputs...
Drive Safe!