Great car with lots of great features but lacks attention to detail.

I have bought my ZXi in may 2008. Done 3500 kms and am very happy to have bought it.

My criteria for deciding was- self driving, max 1500 kms per month mainly on highways. Driving pleasure and comfort, practicality and reliability.

This is a fun car to drive- though a bit unwieldy in city driving as you  cannot figure out how big it is from the inside. Take it on the highway and you will be singing! A real pleasure to drive.

I have been getting very impressive mileage on highway driving- 15 kms/ litre with AC on and touching speeds upwards of 110 kms/hr, but of course only 2 of us in the car and minimal luggage.

It is extremely comfortable inside- the suspension is absolutely superb. The potholes and bumps on the road seem to disappear. The downside is that tackling curves can be quite an experience. Another downside- The height adjustment feature on the driver's seat is not well designed. Try driving 200 kms with the seat on high position-........ Shall we say that this is not a car for short persons!

Steering is quite positive though a little hard to control (one needs to be involved all the time with the steering wheel) inspite of power steering. I wonder if Maruti Suzuki have drawn up specs for wheel alignment based on the VXi which has smaller tyres and forgotten the ZXi. The recommended tyre pressures are different for the  record.

Side and rear visibility are an issue more so for new drivers. Inspite of having learnt driving on Ambassadors and Fiats, I find reversing and parking a bit of a pain in the Swift.

Initially I had a lot of trouble with the car in city traffic as it used to stall at low speeds. Have got used to it over time. Low end torque is pretty bad- one needs to use the gears frequently to get the most out of the Swift. The gearshift, by the way, could be a lot better- even the Santro scores better on this aspect.

On the highways there is the small problem with the gear ratios. The engine power really kicks in after 3000 rpm which is fine for the 1st 2nd and 3rd gears. Acceleration is simply superb! You need to be a racer to do 3000+ rpm in 4th as you will be doing 100-110 kmph!

Before choosing the Swift I looked at other cars too.  Ford and Chevrolet knocked themselves out (service issues). Tata and Fiat were not in my plan of things.As for the Korean cars the Verna was too high priced, and in any case the ride quality is suspect for all Korean models. (I had a Santro and still have a Matiz).

Apart from the car there are a lot of positives for the Swift- after sales service from the dealer and Maruti Suzuki is simply superb.
Not only Singh is Kinng but customer too! Service points are very conveniently located and personnel very friendly and obliging.

In short this is very much a driver's car with many features and some shortcomings- but very good value for money





Excellent suspension, Smooth and powerful engine, Great fun to drive.Very uncomfortable driver's seat especially if you raise the height. Bad visibility.