Windsong Limited Edition VDI

Exterior The Sticker Job for the Windsong Limited Edition (WLE) on the sides is good. The Racing stripes do not give it a racer look as it was intended to. It does not even suit the design of the car. I removed them after the accident.  

The car bumpers are terrible - Good for nothing. My Earlier Car "Chevy Spark" bumpers are 100% better in taking impact. Many Auto drivers and two wheelers rammed into Spark nothing happened. One Auto fellow rammed into the swift bumper. The bumper became shapeless. I miss the quality of the Spark in the Swift.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) The Features list in the WLE is good "Not the Best".

Music system: there is not much of bass effect in the speakers. Bluetooth connectivity for calling is good. However, not like the Zest/Bolt which can read out SMS. 

Seat covers: Many People liked the seat covers for the design theme (Black with a touch of Yellow). However, the steering wheel cover seems to be stitched improperly.

Reverse sensors: I don’t know why maruti did not give the Reverse Camera?

Windows: when you drive with the windows half-way down they make sound like "Stone Cold Steve Austin -Shattered Glass music" Spark never had that problem. I drove the spark for 1,04,000+ kms.

There is some kind of noise that comes out of the co-driver door. Not able to figure out from where.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

Engine: Tried and Tested Fiat Multijet 1.3 L (1248cc) engine. No change there. One should appreciate FIAT for making such a perfect engine. If Maruti follows all guidelines that FIAT instructs them, that will be better (more on that later).

Fuel Economy: 21+ KMPL in Hyderabad traffic conditions (Includes - approx. 60% Highway like Conditions and 40% City Traffic conditions). 

Gearbox: Slick Gearbox. Precise Gearshift. But the Gearnob turns some 2-3 degrees approx. like a globe on a desk. I got to get that checked. However, I feel it is better than "Chevy Spark"

Ride Quality & Handling I feel the ride quality is better than the Spark. R14 steel rims do a pretty good job. I removed the Wheelcaps.

Handling: Precise. It goes where I want it to go.

Final Words Ahh! Where do I start? This one will be lengthy, please give it a patient reading. I will start with the Showroom all the way to the functioning of the car till date which crossed 6500 Kms.

The Showroom (RKS Saboo - Somajiguda) filled 45 Psi air in the tyres, something I could not believe. The first day Auto driver rammed into the back bumper at the left rear side and it crushed. I had to go to the local mechanic, heat it up and bring out the bumper to get it into shape. The brakes were not falling as expected. I thought because of ABS the car was behaving like that. Third day, I met with another accident. Xylo in front and Qualis at the back. Front and back bumper damaged completely - unrecognizable. After the repair work at Varun Motors, Nanakramguda. They could not align the back left side of the bumper properly in shape.

I made the air pressure from 45 in cold condition in all five tyres to 38 in front and 34 at the back. The breaks started working excellently.

Time came for the first service at 1000 kms. The service advisor said it will be good if a pollen air filter is fixed. I got that fixed. The car a/c was not effective. I later checked it and the filter was fixed upside down and added to that it was a used dirty filter. The air filter was also replaced as the manufacturing date did not match the date of other parts that were assembled. The mileage was poor. I bought the pollen and air filter separately outside from genuine Maruti authorized parts seller. The car mileage returned and the a/c is very effective now.

The car temperature was fraction over the half way mark on the hotter side. I got the oil filter and oil change done at 5000 Kms though maruti says 10000 kms. After the oil change the engine temperature is about the half way mark, no matter how long I drive it. FIAT gave clear instructions to maruti that only "fully synthetic engine oils should be used in the engine". But the service center put semi synthetic Castrol magnatec oil.

IMP: The grade of oil has changed from 5W40 to 5W30 in the 2015 Swift. The service center manager said he will put only 5w40 though 5w30 is instructed in the manual. I went to corporate office in himayatnagar Stanza building and got approval that 5W30 can be put in the engine.

TIP: Please make sure when oil change, they use 5W30 fully synthetic oil. The brands that are approved by maruti are (Total, Shell, Castrol, and Mobil 1) please buy cans of 3.1 liters and ask them to replace the oil. If the dealership service centers refuse to do it. Then you can go to MASS (maruti authorized service station) they will for sure do it. Please get the oil change done in front of you (never trust a professional mechanic to do the job for you). Engine oil is like blood in the Human body.

TIP: Never fill more air than required in the tyre. Please check that especially if you are picking it up as a brand new car from the showroom.

Areas of improvement As mentioned earlier, maruti has to pick-up and give some quality like the German/American car companies on the exterior and in the interior as well. The overall quality of the fit and finish in the Spark is better than the Swift.

Attention to detail is not given priority in the Swift and it shows.

 

Thank you for reviewing my article about Swift Diesel 2015 model posted in April 2015. I thank all of you for your comments, likes and number of views.

I have completed one year with the car and clocked 40335 Kms on 30/1/2016. The car is running good, but not without problems. I put Mobil 1 5W30 ESP Oil for the car. The car engine runs smooth. It climbs Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills with ease. It is fun to drive. At times, I get confused as to whether I am driving a Petrol or Diesel Car. The silencer is 99.7% free from soot. These are the positives.

Now, let me write about the negatives.

The last review, I did not do any highway drives. But after that I have done many highway drives. The car Internal Rear View Mirror (IRVM) is funnily stuck to the roof of the car. The car IRVM will start to vibrate after 100 Kms speed. One cannot see a clear, but only a Blurred image. This is very frustrating and annoying. Chevrolet Spark never had that problem.

 

My Observation on this mirror issue: Every Car manufacturer in the world sticks the mirror to the front windscreen (including Rolls Royce and Bentley). I don’t know why Maruti has a Cheap Research and Development (R&D) department that do not learn to evolve. Off late, they have started placing the IRVM to the windscreen. I have seen that in Ciaz and Baleno. At least now they learnt and rectified their mistake.

Resale Value, Genuine Spare Parts Availability, Wide Service NetworkBuild Quality, Fit and Finish