A big shout out to Aditya Kulkarni for sharing this detailed ownership review of his Maruti Swift VXi with us. You too can share your user review, travelogue etc. on CarsIndia by submitting it here.
I bought the Maruti Swift in 2012. It was my first car. Since I don’t have high monthly running and am not personally a fan of diesel vehicles, I was pretty sure from the first day that my first new car purchase would be a petrol vehicle. Moreover, since this would be my first car and I didn’t really have deep insights on the best practices of maintaining a four-wheeler, I and my parents decided to play it safe and go for the most tried and trusted brand name in the hatchback market – the Maruti Swift. Here’s my brief ownership review of the Maruti Swift VXi.
Things I love
- A well-packaged & all rounder product
- Youthful styling and image
- All-black interiors look sporty and are easy to maintain
- Powerful engine and sleek gearbox
- A well-trusted brand. No maintenance issues whatsoever
- Superb resale value. Minimum depreciation over time
Things I don’t like
- Just average storage space in the boot, especially for a vehicle of this size & segment
- No exclusivity. Almost every second car on the road is a Swift
- Strictly confined rear legroom
- All black dashboard might feel claustrophobic to a few people
Why did I buy the Maruti Swift?
As mentioned earlier, I wanted to get a Maruti car as my first purchase. The Alto was out of my list as it was a bit too basic for my personality. I looked at the WagonR but it looks like a car for the elderly. Since I wanted to preserve my youngster image, I decided to go for a youthful car. The Swift was the most popular car. I took a test drive for the petrol model and liked it. Hence I finalised a Pearl White Maruti Swift VXi as my first car. I wanted to go for the top end model, but it was out of my budget. Hence settled for the mid-trim.
Maruti Swift VXi – Ownership Experience & User Review
I am satisfied with the overall ownership experience with the car. I have received good service from Maruti. I even ran out of fuel once just outside Mumbai and Maruti on road assistance service helped me in that situation. Everyone knows about the plus points of owning a Swift. Let me tell you the negative points, things that might spoil the ownership experience.First of all, the car has started to show its age. I haven’t driven it rashly or unresponsibly and have maintained it quite well. But, there are rattles and squeaky sounds coming from the passenger side door as well as below the steering column. I have taken the car multiple times to the service centre but the guys haven’t been able to rectify the issue. It has now started to become irritating as the sound comes even while driving on smooth roads.
First of all, the car has started to show its age. I haven’t driven it rashly or unresponsibly and have maintained it quite well. But, there are rattles and squeaky sounds coming from the passenger side door as well as below the steering column. I have taken the car multiple times to the service centre but the guys haven’t been able to rectify the issue. It has now started to become irritating as the sound comes even while driving on smooth roads.The second point I don’t like about my ownership experience is the overcrowded and overbooked service centres.
The second point I don’t like about my ownership experience is the overcrowded and overbooked service centres. All authorised Maruti service centres in Mumbai remain booked across the week. If you wish to take the car without an appointment, god bless you! I give the cat for service in the morning and get it back later in the evening. On the other hand, when I took a friend’s Ford Figo for service, the entire procedure was completed within a couple of hours. That is when I realised how hard has it become to get your Maruti car serviced.
Mileage – Kitna deti hai?
I have driven my Swift for over 62,000 km. In a city like Mumbai, the Swift petrol gives a mileage of 12 km/l in bumper to bumper traffic. However, the fuel economy increases hugely when I take the car on the highways. During a trip to Gujarat in 2015, I managed to extract up to 22 km/l (recorded using tankful-to-tankful method). On an average, the Swift petrol’s highway mileage is around 18-20 km/l.
Maintenance Costs
The Swift is known for its low maintenance costs. Right? Well, practically, it’s not entirely true. Leaving the first three services aside, I have had very mixed experience with the service costs. It all depends on the dealership you take you car to. I took the car to Excel Autovista and they charged my around Rs. 11,000 for a simple service. The price was so much inflated because of unnecessary and costly works like AC cleaning and wheel alignment. They charge 4,500 for wheel alignment and swapping. That’s ridiculous! Then I tried Vitesse Maruti, and have been a happy customer since then. They not only charge realistic amount for the service, they also are courteous enough to take your permission prior to starting some unnecessary work. On an average, I get a service bill of around Rs. 6,000.