‘Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car’. For most of the Indians, that car is a Maruti Suzuki. And from those cars also, one of the most famous ones is the Maruti Suzuki Swift. Suzuki Swift has been around since 1983 but it came to our shores a bit too late. Then also, like the other Marutis, Swift gained SWIFT popularity. Going by the saying, ‘Be Limitless’, Swift is among one of the favourite cars for the ones who like modified ones. Without any further due, let’s rewind and have a look at history.
2005 – Limitless Hatchback Launched
We need to appreciate one thing from Maruti, they know the way to their customer’s hearts. What’s better than revealing the cars at showrooms? Reveal it in an Amitabh Bachchan starrer movie. Yes! the car was revealed in the movie, ‘Bunty Aur Bubly’.
The first generation Swift was powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine that was capable of producing 87hp of power and a peak torque of 113Nm. The engine was mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.
At the features front, Swift was a feature-packed car at the best possible price. It was equipped with dual airbags, ABS brakes, air-conditioning, remote central locking, power windows, 6-speaker CD stereo, steering-mounted switches and much more.
2007 – Swift gets a new oil burner
Maruti Suzuki used to source diesel engine from Peugeot. This time, Maruti decided to equip Swift with a new diesel engine. It was a 1.3-litre turbocharged diesel engine which used to churn out 74hp of power and a torque of 190Nm. With this engine as an option. Swift made it to the list of most successful models for Maruti Suzuki. People were loving the hatch.
2010 – Facelift arrives
Cars can survive this frugal market if they get proper facelifts from time to time. Maruti knows this mantra very well. A facelift to the Swift was given in 2010. The major change was under the hood. BS4 norms were implied in India. So the 1.3-litre petrol engine was replaced by a 1.2-litre K-series engine equipped with VVT technology. Though the engine was 2hp less powerful, it made sure that the car is fuel-efficient. The diesel engine was carried forward from the previous one.
For the cosmetic updates, the car had a revamped bumper and clear-lens taillights this time which added sophistication to the limitless hatch. Swift was also given electric ORVMs in this facelift.
2011 – Its time for something new
It was time for a new generation of Swift to arrive. The newly upgraded hatch had a longer wheelbase, 50mm longer to be precise. The engine options were carried forward from the previous gen. But there was much more elegance to this one. It had a new bolder front grille, sleeker headlamps, curvy bumper, redesigned taillamps, new chrome cladding and a new bumper too.
2014 – More fuel-efficient Swift
The second generation was given a facelift. The most important upgrade was the increase in fuel efficiency. The petrol engine was capable of covering 20.4kms per litre whereas the diesel engine was able to cover 25.2kms per litre.
Swift got a revamped front bumper, silver cladding for fog lamps, new honeycomb grille, new alloy wheels for top variants and new wheel caps for the lower variants.
2018 – The whole new generation of Swift
It was completely transformed into a whole new hatch. The car was built on the HEARTECT platform of Maruti Suzuki, which means it was lighter than the previous gens. The overhaul gave the Swift a totally new front with a wider and bolder grille, LED DRLs and headlamps, curvy yet elegant bonnet, newly designed side profiles, C-shaped tail lights at the rear, and so on.
Inside, the car was most premium than ever. It had a flat bottom steering now. A new infotainment system, which supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay, was added to the dash.
For the safety front, it has ABS with EBD, ISOFIX mounts for child seats and dual airbags as the standard features across the variants of the Swift.
Fun read: 10 Forgotten Maruti Suzuki Cars In India: From SX4 To Stingray
A silent death: Diesel Engine Discontinued
With the implementation of new emission norms, named BS6, Maruti Suzuki decided to axe down diesel engines across all its offerings. Swift was also one of them. The diesel engine was silently removed from the option. The 1.2-litre K12B petrol engine capable of producing 82hp of power and 113Nm of torque is the only option you get now with the BS6-compliant Swift.
Maruti Suzuki Swift has been one of the best selling models from the company and the future seems to be no different for the hatchback. 15 years of presence and 3 generations, Swift surely is one of the most-sought after hatchback in India and there is no end to the growing popularity, at least not in the near future.
Have a look: Maruti Suzuki WagonR: History Of India’s Most Loved Hatchback
