When the first Swift was launched back in 2005 it quickly rose to fame as one of the best hatchbacks in the coun­try. Thanks to its masculine and ral­ly-ready styling, it created a strong fan following and sold like hot cakes. The second generation was received with a bit less enthusiasm but it pulled its weight just fine. Fast for­ward to 2018 and we have the third generation of the Swift, with sleeker looks and modern interior and bet­ter safety features. How does it fare? Read on to find out.

 

Exterior

 

The front of the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Swift looks a lot like the Dzire, albeit this one’s sportier. The all-black grille adds to the sportiness of the vehicle, which is different from the chrome-heavy one on the Dzire. On the side you see the floating roof that adds to the car’s sporty look.

 

The rear door handle has been moved up in the C-pillar and receives a black treatment that masks the handle and it will take some getting used to. While the Dzire is sleek, the Swift has chunkier bodywork at the back to make the car look nice and wide. As far as dimension goes, the new 2018 Swift is 40 mm wide, has a 20 mm longer wheelbase and is 10 mm shorter than the older version.

 

Interior

 

The changes in dimension are evident on the inside: there’s bet­ter headroom, knee room and leg­room compared to the previous Swift. Disappointingly though, Suzuki has skipped on the rear AC; but to compensate, that little push of the wheelbase is easily felt at the rear cabin. You do not feel cramped anymore. Apart from this, you get 58 liters more cargo space in the boot.

 

There is a sense of space that you get from the design of the dash. The instrument cluster is properly fin­ished and the dials have a red tint, which looks nice. The touchscreen in the central console is the same unit we have seen on Maruti Suzuki’s S-Cross, Ignis and the Baleno so it is smart, functional and gives you Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. On the down side, the touchscreen is only available on the ZXi+ vari­ant (which is not yet available in the Nepali market). The flat-bottom steering wheel is great; it fits into the hands and again adds to the vehi­cle’s sportiness. The overall quality and the layout of the interior give the car a modern touch.

 

Safety

 

On the safety front, dual airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, and Isofix child seat with restraints on the rear bench come as standard across all variants. Apart from this you get a security alarm system, pinch guard power window for the driver, seat belts with pre-tensioners and force limiters and pedestrian protection compliance, and many more features. Additional sense of safety is provided by the new Heartec platform this car is based on; the rigid body stays flat through the corners with minimal bodyroll, which adds confidence on every turn or even straight road.

 

Performance

 

Under the hood, the Swift car­ries over its tried-and-tested 1.2-liter petrol. This is the same engine used on the previous-generation Swifts. There’s no difference in power out­put either—the petrol makes 84 BHp and 114Nm. The engine is now qui­eter and retains the same fun to drive tag, and feels well-tuned and refined on the road. The power is enough to tackle the city roads with quick power surges within the first three gears; overtaking thus comes quick and naturally. It’s nice and responsive with the manual gear­box, which improves the perfor­mance. The new Heartect platform is the main focus here though. This platform has given the new Swift a superior ride as well as better han­dling and balance.

 

Verdict

 

The third generation Suzuki Swift is everything you would ever want from a family hatchback: it looks good, feels comfortable and is more fun to drive than it has ever been. The interior is plush and well-equipped, and there is a host of standard safety features across all variants, which, like we said, adds to your confidence while on the road. And given the lucrative pricing from CG, the new Swift is definitely a steal.