The Maruti Suzuki Swift sailed into India and our hearts in 2005 with its fresh, attractive design and vibrant colour choices together with peppy and exciting performance. With both the Swift and Car India celebrating 19 years of existence in India, and the car crossing 3 million (30 lakh) sales, we simply had to dive into the many reasons behind why the Maruti Suzuki Swift enjoys its cult status.
Among the many milestones set by Maruti Suzuki, one of the most prominent has to be the one which began in the summer of 2005. India got a sporty new car which shook up the hatchback segment—the Swift. What made the Swift truly special was that it was an altogether new global model which was brought to our shores immediately after its introduction.
The Swift brought in a fresh design wrapping its generous proportions in a curvy and modern design unlike anything the world had seen before. There was a lot more going on under that body, too, making it efficient, fun and reliable—and a preferred car for everyday use.
The second-generation Swift retained all its desirable and much-loved design cues while bringing in a refreshed appeal.
The third-gen Swift raised the game even further getting a bold design which showed that Maruti Suzuki meant business.
The latest, fourth-generation, epic new Swift has seemingly taken the bar and put it beyond reach for the others with record sales immediately upon arrival proving beyond a doubt that its appeal still beats strong in the hearts of Indian car buyers.
The Maruti Suzuki Swift has already been the most awarded hatchback in India and the only single car model to win the most coveted car awards of all time—the Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) award three times, the very first ICOTY award in 2006, the second-gen in 2012, and the third-gen again in 2019.
What makes the Swift great is what it brings to the real-world table. A red-blooded “hot hatch”, the Maruti Suzuki Swift packs surprising performance enabled by a potent new engine and advanced engineering that sees the lightweight yet strong platform deliver the agility and responsiveness that enthusiasts are looking for. Basically, it goes as fast as it looks!
The new Swift packs everything you need for a thrill, yet, more importantly, it still can be used every day and offers a fine blend of sorted ride quality, excellent fuel efficiency, a high level or safety and immense level of practicality which are all underscored by its essential trait: an undeniable fun-to-drive nature. Its modern, youthful design still evokes its playful side and it still looks like nothing else on Indian roads.
Just as the first Swift quickly became India’s favourite hot hatch, the epic new Swift looks set to capitalize on a market that has been devoid of flavour for quite some time, with a renewed charm and appeal which is sure to bring it greater success rather swiftly. Which it did.
The year 2024 saw the fourth-generation Swift swoop in and immediately make a huge impact, becoming the bestselling car overall as soon as it was launched, racking up nearly 20,000 sales in its very first month! Overall, more than 3,000,000 Swifts are now on Indian roads. The Swift redefines the hatchback segment, building on its cult status and legacy with a dynamic blend of sporty design and cutting-edge technology.
The fact that it is tailored for the youthful and spirited but makes sense for everyone is a quality that is admired for obvious reasons and envied by rivals because it is hard, nay, impossible, to emulate. The epic new Swift exudes an aura of both excitement and innovation.
The very foundation of the Swift, its ‘HEARTECT’ platform, gives it a robust and planted feel, endowing it with excellent agility and encouraging responsiveness. It truly feels swift on its feet and is adept at handling all sorts of road and weather conditions with aplomb. At the heart is the revolutionary new Z-series 1.2-litre engine which combines cutting-edge technology and sustainability, making it the most fuel-efficient hatchback in its class.
The Swift finds the perfect balance of performance and fuel efficiency with the all-new 1.2-litre Z-series engine. This engine is future-ready and engineered to give you a fun and thrilling ride with ample torque to let you easily zip around the city and cruise on the highway. It claims to deliver the best-in-segment fuel efficiency of 25.75 km/l with the convenient automated manual transmission (AMT) and 24.80 km/l with the sporty and engaging manual transmission.
The fourth–generation Swift sets new benchmarks in style and performance, with intuitive handling and a number of changes to the interior. It sports a driver-oriented cockput with attractive classic white-on-black dials with shapely red needles—a joy to behold for any true-blue enthusiast. All this while continuing its tradition of offering exactly what is needed and with controls ergonomically placed and easily located, so there is no second-guessing on the move.
There is also a comprehensive safety package. It comes with six airbags as standard across all variants along with many additional safety features to keep the occupants safe and, in worse scenarios, keep the risk of injury to a minimum and the level of safety high. It also gets electronic stability control for maximum sure-footedness and impeccable body control in difficult situations. Hill Hold Assist also makes life easier on inclines and adds to safety big time keeping stress low and ease of driving high.
The equipment list is exhaustively bolstered with the 9.0-inch SmartPlay Pro+ touchscreen infotainment, automatic climate control, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, wireless charging, and even a choice of an engaging manual transmission or a convenient automated transmission as well. All of these inclusions truly translate to a palpably exciting and enjoyable experience, while appealing to Swifters who seek both thrill and excellent efficiency.
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