2018 Maruti Swift: Competition check

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Maruti Suzuki’s hot seller, the Swift, has arrived in India in an all new avatar. To begin with, the 2018 Swift is considerably lighter than its predecessor as it is based on the Heartech platform like the Baleno and the Dzire. The new Swift will further strengthen the game for Maruti Suzuki in the hatchback segment. Popular names in the segment like the Hyundai Grand i10 and the Ford Figo, are bound to face stiff competition from the upcoming third generation Swift model in India. Moving slightly higher on the price bit, you also have the Elite i20 and the Volkswagen Polo.

Hyundai Grand i10

Back in 2017, exactly a year ago, Hyundai introduced the Grand i10 facelift in India. The hatchback received a mid-life update in the form of cosmetic upgrades and a bigger diesel engine. The Grand i10 is available in 1.2-litre petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol version generates 81bhp of power 114Nm of torque and can be had with a five-speed manual or four-speed AT. The diesel on the other hand generates 73bhp of power and 190Nm of torque and can be had with a five-speed manual transmission. The hatchback gets variant specific features like LED DRLs, seven-inch touchscreen with Apple Car play and Android Auto support and climate control. Driver airbag is standard while the higher variants get dual front airbags. ABS is restricted to the top-spec Asta trim only.  

Ford Figo

The new generation Ford Figo hatchback has been designed keeping in mind the One Ford philosophy followed by Ford’s global line-up. The Figo is offered with two petrol and one diesel engine option. The 1.2-litre gasoline unit generates 87bhp of power and 112Nm of torque. The 1.5-litre petrol, on the other hand, is the most powerful in the segment with the power figures of 110bhp and 136Nm. The smaller of the two comes with the five-speed manual while the larger capacity engine uses a six-speed dual clutch transmission. The 1.5-litre diesel is also one of the most powerful B-Segment hatchbacks with 99bhp and 215Nm of torque. The vehicle gets a black interior along with a few silver inserts for the dashboard, steering and door trim to give it a dual tone effect. The vehicle gets a hexagonal grille and horizontal chrome slats at the front that gives the car a premium look, along with the sweptback headlamps and black air dam and fog lamp housing. In terms of safety, all the variants get driver-side airbag, while the top two Titanium versions get dual airbags and ABS-EBD.

Hyundai Elite i20

The Hyundai Elite i20 is more of a Baleno competitor and starts at a higher price and appeals to the customers who are looking for a bigger car. Hyundai has introduced the facelift version of the Elite i20 at the ongoing 2018 Auto Expo event in the country. The new model gets C-shaped chrome inserts along with integrated LED DRLs, while projector headlights are limited to the top-spec Asta variant. The automatic climate control module has now been placed in the lower half of the centre console. Hyundai continues to offer the same 1.2-litre petrol, 1.4-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel engines on this i20 facelift. The power output of the petrol engines is rated at 82bhp and 99bhp respectively, while the diesel trim produces 89bhp and 220Nm of peak torque in their current state of tune. The petrol version comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission, while a six-speed manual gearbox is being offered on the diesel models.      

Volkswagen Polo

The Polo from Volkswagen is offered at a starting price tag of Rs 5.42 lakhs, which is quite pricey considering the fact that one can opt for a more feature loaded version of the new Swift for that money. In terms of design, the Polo gets subtle style elements and has a mature character. The Polo is offered with three engine options and three gearbox options. The 1.2-litre three cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine comes mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and develops 74bhp of power at 5400 rpm and 110Nm of torque. The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol, the TSi, powers the Polo GT TSI and develops 103bhp of power at 5000rpm and 175Nm of torque from 1500rpm. The GT TSi gets a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox which drives the front wheels. The diesel engine is the 1.5-litre four cylinder turbo-diesel and is offered in two states of tune – 89bhp for the standard Polo and 103bhp for the Polo GT. Even the torque developed in the GT is 20Nm more than the 230Nm available in the standard state of tune. The diesel is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. As for safety, Volkswagen offers dual front airbags and ABS as standard across all variants.