The current-gen Suzuki Swift has been a steady performer for the Japanese automaker in several key markets including India. It’s done well mainly because of its efficient engines and good equipment levels but now with the competition moving forward, Suzuki has had to reinvent the Swift with an all-new generation model. Here’s all you need to know about the latter.
In terms of design, Suzuki has made a number of changes for the new Swift. While it still retains its cockpit-like glasshouse, the car now carries plenty of modern-age design cues. Bits like the Audi-esque grille, diamond-cut style alloys and the prominent recesses around the fog lamps are all new. We would like to add that the car shown here is the JDM-spec Swift and that European and India-spec vehicles will have slightly different design elements.
Inside, the improved equipment list includes a new instrument cluster with Baleno-like active graphics, paddle shifters for automatic variants, touchscreen audio system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, reverse camera, keyless entry and a few other essentials. In terms of safety equipment, the new Swift gets up to six airbags, ESP and ABS and even radar-based functions including autonomous braking, land departure warning and adaptive cruise control.
The Swift can be had with either a 1-litre Boosterjet turbocharged three-cylinder engine or a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder motor. The former makes 100bhp/150 Nm whereas the NA motor develops 89bhp/118 Nm. Besides these, the new Swift can also be had as a hybrid. Suzuki, in fact, has paired the 1.2-litre motor with a DC electric motor that’s linked to a lithium-ion battery pack. Under normal driving conditions, this hybrid drivetrain assists the petrol motor when accelerating and braking.
In Japan, the new Swift is available in up to six variants – XL, XG, RSt, Hybrid RS, RS and Hybrid ML. The Euro-spec model, meanwhile, will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Expect Maruti Suzuki to bring this new, much improved model to India by the second half of 2017.
