Maruti Swifts: Sibling rivalry

Is the new Swift DZire’s small boot worth upgrading for? DNA pits the Swifts against one another

Body
The new Swift is certainly a car to contend with, with features befitting a higher price range, great driving dynamics and good build quality. A sedan based on that same chassis sharing the same philosophy should definitely be a hit, right? Well, the new DZire is well on its way to becoming a commercial success, but is it really worth it? In an effort to come in under that magical 4-metre length limit to gain excise benefits, the DZire  has a much compromised boot. Should you just stick to the more practical hatchback or go for the sedan? We set things straight for you.

Looks
In the looks department, there definitely is a clear winner. The Swift, with its clean proportions and good details definitely trumps the DZire. The compact look, with the wheels at the absolute corner of the body, helps give the Swift a very dynamic posture.  It’s sporty and it wants you to know that. The DZire, on the other hand, has a very odd profile, the long bonnet and short boot doesn’t do it any favours in the looks department. The old DZire wasn’t much of a looker, with that stepped rear-end, but this one takes that to a whole new level.

Now, there is one distinct advantage to the DZire, however, and that is the fact that it is a sedan. Thanks to that boot design and length restriction, the DZire is actually well within reach of the masses. This means that for a small price over the Swift, you can lay claim to the fact that you drive a sedan, which, in our country, instantly bumps up your status in society.

Interior
On the inside, baring the colour schemes, the Swift and DZire are virtually indistinguishable if you felt your way around the interiors. The Swift gets all-black interiors with aluminium accents while the DZire swaps in a more airy looking dual-tone jobbie. The beige-and-black interior with wood accents on the DZire do a lot to brighten up the interiors. It’s the same place, but it looks very different in terms of space perceptions. The trend continues onto the steering wheel as well, with the Swift getting a black on with aluminium accents while the DZire gets a beige one with aluminium accents.

At the rear, the changes are more significant. Starting with the rear door, the DZire differentiates itself from its hatchback sibling. The door ends with a more gradual slope which leads into the boot-lid of the DZire and this added length on the outside means that there’s more room for the seat to reside in. The rear seat-back of the DZire is placed at an angle unlike the Swift’s nearly-upright seating. That, combined with the fact that there’s a centre arm-rest integrated into the back-seat of the DZire means that, without doubt, the winner for rear-seat comfort is the DZire.

Now, coming to storage space, the Swift is a hatchback, so by nature, it’s bound to be more practical than the DZire, but the high loading deck messes with that a little, but if you fold down the rear seats, you can fit pretty much anything you want in there. The DZire , on the other hand, comes with a proper boot, a small one, but a boot nevertheless. Your cargo will be safe and out of sight of anyone, but it limits the amount of things you can carry.

Performance
Coming to the performance aspects, they both come with a choice of the same two engines, a 1.2-litre petrol mill which produces about 84 bhp of peak power and a 1.3-litre turbo diesel engine making 75 bhp. The numbers tell only half the tale though. The petrol version, though more powerful, makes its power towards the higher end of the revv-range while the diesel  variant delivers its punch in the mid-range. On a day-to-day basis, the diesel is definitely the punchier one to drive because you have all the power available to you when you want to fill that gap in traffic.

There isn’t much difference in performance, really. The Swift is a lightweight to begin with and the DZire doesn’t add too much weight to it. These are two evenly matched cars, with maybe a slight edge going towards the hatchback version.

Ride and handling
How the two cars are positioned becomes evident in this category. The Swift is the sporty hatchback and that shows through in how composed the car is when it takes on corners and how much information the steering transfers through to your fingertips. On the downside, this means that the ride quality is a little on the hard side. People seated at the back, especially, will experience a bouncy ride.

The Maruti engineers didn’t just tack on a boot to the Swift, they also put in all kinds of efforts to make sure it was a sedan. This shows through in one area more than others, the rear-seat ride comfort. It’s very un-Maruti-like and that, in this context, is actually a good thiang. Bumps are well cushioned and undulations are dealt with great composure. With a plush ride comes a dulled down handling package. The steering feedback seems dumbed down and there seems to be a bit more body roll too.

Guess you can’t have a plush ride and good dynamics, huh?

Verdict
It’s clear, then, that while on paper, these two seem so close to each other that they may be eating into each other’s sales numbers, out in the real world, the two couldn’t be more different. The Swift is clearly aimed at the family man who isn’t quite ready to give up all his fun just yet, there will be a smile on his face every time he goes through a great bit of tarmac because he has a capable companion to tread it with. Now, the DZire , that’s aimed at someone else entirely, someone who will cherish the great rear-seat comfort and plush ride a lot more than sharp steering responses and feedback.

Specsheet
Maruti Suzuki Swift
Price: Rs4.44-6.76 lakh
(ex-showroom, Delhi)
Kitna deti hai? 15.3 kmpl (diesel), 13.5 kmpl (petrol)
Fuel tank: 42 litres
Fuel tank good for:  643 km (diesel), 567 km (petrol)
Engine (petrol): 1197cc inline four cylinder
Power: 86 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 114 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Engine (Diesel): 1248cc inline four cylinder with turbocharger
Power: 74 bhp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 190 Nm @ 2000 rpm
Suspension: (front) MacPherson Strut, (rear) Torsion beam
Good for a family of five: Yes
Dimensions in feet:  Length/Width/Height: 12.62 x 5.55 x 5.10

Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire
Price: Rs4.88-7.22 lakh
(ex-showroom, Delhi)
Kitna deti hai? 15 kmpl (diesel),
12.6 kmpl (petrol)
Fuel tank: 42 litres
Fuel tank good for:
630 km (diesel), 529 km (petrol)
Engine (petrol): 1197cc inline four cylinder
Power: 86 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 114 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Engine (diesel): 1248cc inline four cylinder with turbocharger
Power: 74 bhp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 190 Nm @ 2000 rpm
Suspension: (front) MacPherson Strut, (rear) Torsion beam
Good for a family of five: Yes
Dimensions in feet:
Length/Width/Height:
13.10 x 5.55 x 5.10