My Glistening Grey Maruti Suzuki Swift Reborn ZXi (2015) AKA Grey Beast


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September 2013 - I got my Learners driving license
October 2013 - I got my official Driving license
The car which we had in our family was 2003 model Midnight Black Maruti Suzuki Wagon R LXI (1.1L,16valve)- Gem of an engine always , a ride which caters to passengers.

(I forgot this is an ownership report , not story telling competition ...LOL)
I started driving wagon r , at 35k km on odo as per Oct 2013 , in Oct 2014 it was 50k km - mostly I increased its running . Maybe because I learnt driving in it and also Dad had learnt driving in same earlier , the result of that was a clutch wear at 42k km , next set of issue at 45k km , suspension overhaul , next set of issue was the bulbs one by one were konking off (Indicators , Tail lamps).
Officially (At home) , the discussion came up , "Shall we upgrade our car ", asked Dad.
Mom - "Why, our wagon R is serving the needs quite well?"
Me- "I think the maintenance is also slightly cropping up now , so its better we can move on keeping Wagon r for city use"
Dad and Mom- "No way , maintaining 2 cars is difficult , also both will be having low running"
Dad- "You browse around for car within 10L budget , don't mind on Petrol or Diesel , but make sure it caters to our needs."

This was actually a great responsibility for me ,as I need to collaborate all their tastes.

From Oct 2014 , we started the hunt , me along with my bunch of car enthusiastic friends .

Needs (My view)
1.Enthusiastic driving (What wagon R lacked was handling , I needed atleast a teensy bit of handling , especially braking more)
2.A car for atleast 5 years - say it should have all features even when say after 5 years an entry level car is introduced , my ride should have its base model features in it . So only top variant.
3. From LXI , wagonR , power window itself is a gizmo for me , so pretty much you can expect if cruise control and all other bells and whistles are there.

Needs (Parents View) - They are mature and they shell the money so they know what we want more
1.Ingress and Exgress (My friend had bought Verna 1.6 VTVT during 2014, and as being neighbours , we generally share our rides , thereby although Verna was luxurious in all aspects , the ingress and exgress from it , especially rear seats , it was difficult.
2.Fuel preference - Petrol , as running is low , but if higher spec engine always for FE, better Diesel.
3. Maintenance Cost – The cost of maintenance should be less
4.Ease of availability of Service Centres

Rides which were test driven and considered (All had been extensively test driven , also looked for reviews in various forums online , me ,along with my friends or atleast a friend, which I always thank and count in , as always another person for test driving is good ,because one can note other points when the 2nd person drives)

Options deleted first itself - Renault Scala and Nissan Sunny ( Can't park in my car shed ) , Toyota Etios,Liva - Outdated , and didn't have equipments for the generation , Honda Amaze ( Noisy Diesel , non enthusiastic petrol engine)


Test drive method - One of us will drive for performance , another will drive sedately , both the mileage will be noted in MID(if equipped) , and -2kmpl will be the actual value which we take for accounting. The performing one will note down the braking as well as other handling paramters while the other in the mean time will , check the suspension setup ,and ride comfort in Backseat

Options considered

1.Global Ford Fiesta

Pros- The trend variant(option below top variant), came in our budget , is VFM , offered even Cruise controls .EPS (weighs beautifully) Braking ,ergonomics ,everything was perfect.
Cons- Top variant wasn't in our budget , lack of petrol engine , and the model was expected to be discontinued due to poor sales in India , thereby concerns over after sales and resale later on.

2.Ford Ecosport
Didn't want to leave from Ford that easily , so test drove Ecosport 1.5P,1.5D,Ecoboost.
Pros- Perfect as compact SUV
Cons- Budget doesn't permit for top variant both in Petrol and Diesel.

3.Ford Classic (Ford Fiesta classic)
Test drove only diesel, as have driven the petrol of my relative , which has poor FE and not as punchy as rivals.

Pros- One word , perfect as a segment between compact sedan and sedan. Hydraulic Steering well calliberated , both for city as well as weighs great in highways. King in handling and taking corners.
Cons- Going to be discontinued , and more concerns as 1.4 Duratorq TDCi motor , also is discontinued.

4. Hyundai Elite I20
It was the model just launched then. test drove both 1.2Kappa petrol and 1.4 CRDi . Petrol was neglected as Hyundai's petrol are known for performance , and are fuel guzzlers (Justified with Verna )
Pros - 1.4L CRDi engine , it just pushes one into seat just like 1.6CRDi (Verna) with its turbo . Luxurious Hatchback.Hyundai knows how to attract crowd and mass market with segment first features like Rear A/c , etc.Superb braking .

Cons- Poor in Handling , especially steering feedback (Lifeless), doesn't inspire in Corners. Over priced then (9L for top end diesel)

One ride which parents fell for was this Elite I20 , but they had told Petrol as latter was too pricey .

Must appreciate Hyundai - You guys know how to attract crowd, all brands should learn that.

When morning newspaper brings a twist in tale

An ad of Swift Reborn was seen by dad and he insisted , why we don't check that .

Swift Reborn (ZXI)
The Firebrick red showroom model ,swept Dad in first glance , he loved the driving position (Atleast his opinion) .I had been at another place and I was asked to join them in showroom so I went there along with my friend.

Pros- Have packed it well with essentials , the two engines 1.2VVT,1.3DDIs , both have their own character . DDIs has the punchy low end torque for city , while 1.2 VVT has the additional power band in RPM , thereby compensates in highway . High confusion Diesel or Petrol ?
Opinion was asked with our mechanic - He told it easily , "For your running , its better with VVT , the DDIS , has its own Maintenance cost , also the VVT is better in terms of ample performance and FE."
Also Petrol had better Brakes (Many reviews are there answering and justifying same )- Technically , Maruti say , its the petrol has better engine braking , thereby making it feel having superior brakes (Experts can comment on it )
Handling meets segment standards (I loved it , didn't expect such miracle from Maruti)


Cons- Rear legroom , Rear bootspace (Answered by Dad - For our use there's sufficient Boot , also we will travelling mostly in 3 so rear legroom is adequate )

The ride was finalised . Extended warranty was added (2 years standard , 2 years Extended)

Exchange - Maruti to Maruti always they appreciate and my 2003 wagon R had fetched a decent 1.5L ( They specially acknowledged the Michelin XM2 Tyres and Pioneer Stereo which had MP3,Fm , Playback, Pioneer speakers ) Exchange bonus was 10k .

Finally delivery was on Jan 16 2015
Vehicle arrived on Jan 16 Morning in container , did PDI , 3M package of Paint Protection as well as underbody (5k, 3 additional coats of PP and 2 additional coats of Underbody), Mud Flaps , Vinyl Flooring was done , the second two being free, were done.
The vehicle was manufactured in Nov 2014 as per VIN.
Delivery was smooth. On road - 7.1L

Next day itself it had driven 200km (To my native place )

Overall experience (I will compile service records as well as my share of happiness and sadness in later posts) along with pics (Which I need to sort up).

Now , I know the question from readers - Why such a late review /report ?

1.Better late than never.
2. Felt there are only lesser swift owners (My reborn model) in forum , so thought of using this thread as a platform for same.
3. Its almost 4 years since its delivery , so I think its high time I should write one.

One ride which I would have definitely considered if it had been launched 6 months earlier would be Ford Figo Diesel (Which suited exactly my budget).

To thank - Mr. FordFiesta1.6 (He was insisting to do a report maybe from 2017), Mr.Suryaputhra ( Expert in Maruti Technical), Mr. Vishnuvichu and Mr,Deville_56( Haven't met though from Trivandrum , but his experiences with different shops and auto related stores , has helped me maintaining my ride ) , Akash bro (Akash1886) ( only person from Forum creators ,with whom I have interacted with a lot )
Mr.BHVM ,Mr.Mayankdixit, Mr.Allhyundaicars ,Mr.Vijay_968, and many others- whose ownership reports I constantly follow , and thereby get to know most of the Maintenance jobs in long run which is needed.

All other TAI members whoever i have left out , a little input from all of you has always shaped me along with my ride better.

To the mods and page managers - I know the report is quite different than the usual ones , if at all there is any issue , kindly let me know , and to my best of the knowledge i will edit and sort out the same .
 
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Nice decision to buy swift Sir.
Drive lakhs of happy and safe miles in it.
Waiting for pics sirji !!!
Btw very well written review sir and try to process the pics at 200kmph sir!! And post them here.
 
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Nairrk

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I think, it is too late to congratulate now, after 4 years of ownership.[roll] But still a nice review and hope pictures are on the way?

One minor doubt - Swift Reborn - what was the difference in this model than the usual Swift ?
 
Thread Starter #5
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I think, it is too late to congratulate now, after 4 years of ownership.[roll] But still a nice review and hope pictures are on the way?

One minor doubt - Swift Reborn - what was the difference in this model than the usual Swift ?
Ya I will put some more pics by tomorrow sir , bit held with work thats why .

Swift reborn was the name given to facelift model introduced in Oct 2014

Difference from 2012-2014 model swift -
Exterior - The fog housing has a fake DRL like plastic housing, the front grill pattern is slightly different in this one , Alloy design also different
Interior - Bluetooth enabled audio system , with provision for phone calls (Buttons provided on steering wheel for same) , Smart key with Start stop button ,Electrically foldable ORVM (Earlier only adjustable)
Performance - In petrol engine , they increased the torque and reduced power by 2bhp , thereby increasing mileage to 20.1KMPL
In diesel also they have tuned it in a way such that the power band is more spread (Theoritically no difference in figures though)
 
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Thread Starter #6
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swift best.jpg


As I got more used with the ride , I also improved my snap skills atleast , once in a newmoon , such snaps are obtained.
Thanks to Lightroom, Snapseed.
This is one of the best snaps for my grey beast .

Taken in late 2017 , almost all modifications in exterior are visible here.
1. Sparco Bumper Lip
2. A religious sacred thread from one of the temples tied in the bumper grill housing
3. LED DRL (Lights on snaps will be posted soon)

Other modifications snaps will be posted as updates soon .

I always prefer clean mods , as the ride is driven both by myself as well as my dad , so slight bit of sportiness without compromising its original looks.

Touchwood , the ride is doing fine without any major injuries .
 
Thread Starter #8
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Thank you Mr.Silver Eyes for sensing how I care for my ride .

Just adding the cost of ownership so far excluding the fuel costs - From Jan 2015 - Jan2019 , it comes around 23854 .
Cost of wheel alignment,balancing,rotation and Punctures , excl Nitrogen fillups - From Jan 2015-Jan2019 , it comes around 8350

Sites such as Cardekho etc , says for Petrol Swift the cost of maintenance (Excl Wheel jobs , dent repairs come around ) - 18500

Accident History

1.Rear Bumper dented when a lady driving 2 wheeler crashed onto it , the family had politely agreed for the cost incurred , and as part of goodwill , the Mudflap charge was deducted , which came within 500 , they had paid the dent and paint expense (Can be seen in Image , the cost of same)

2.Running Board Dent (My mistake , while negotiating a U turn , a fellow biker in left side was too close , so I had cornered a bit into right side , thereby taking a hit while taking U turn)

Insurance costs , if one wants I can breakup same later on .

service 1.jpg
service2.jpg
tyre.jpg
 
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Exchange - Maruti to Maruti always they appreciate and my 2003 wagon R had fetched a decent 1.5L ( They specially acknowledged the Michelin XM2 Tyres and Pioneer Stereo which had MP3,Fm , Playback, Pioneer speakers ) Exchange bonus was 10k .


Vehicle arrived on Jan 16 Morning in container , did PDI , 3M package of Paint Protection as well as underbody (5k, 3 additional coats of PP and 2 additional coats of Underbody), Mud Flaps , Vinyl Flooring was done , the second two being free, were done.
What is this 3M paint protection costed you 5K ? How much did they charge for underbody coating, it comes with 5yr warranty ?

I like this color for Swift. BTW what is the odo reading.
 
Thread Starter #10
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It was 3M paint sealent and underbody protection , 3 coats paint sealent and 2 coats underbody ..in 1 years time.

2k for paint sealent and 3k for underbody , I think .


Now its 31.2k to be precise
 
Thread Starter #11
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January 15 ,
So today my ride turns officially 4 years .

Like any other owner , I am also proud to say that , my ride hasn't disappointed me during this course of journey with him .

Just pointing out my likes and my dislikes after 4 years

What I like:
Exterior : The overall design , its pretty much a Hatchback in commanding looks (A swift is always a swift , the road presence it has , I think not much hatchbacks enjoy that privilege). The Tyres , especially 185/65/R15 , its adequately fills the wheel well as well as performance wise its optimum for both handling as well as comfort. The swept back headlamps also add another touch of its own uniqueness. The honeycomb grill was a trend during 2014-2015.

Interior - The dashlayout inspired from Kizashi , stock stereos had decent performance for anybody , but for an audiophile like me , I wanted a subwoffer for that extra bass (More on audio upgrades as later post) . The touches of cup holder near passenger side A/c vent and all , thats creative uniqueness. The 3 spoke steering wheel, with audio and telephone controls adds a character to it (Though it was brought to all models of Suzuki till 2017) and also the switches for ORVM, power windows also was used in all models .(One advantage being , no issues of sourcing spare if it has issues). Personally I love Black interior as its easy to maintain.

Ergonomics - The seats are crisp for a driver , especially with Height adjustment also in my model . The buttons , the A/c controls , all are placed adapted for a driver .

Engine - 1.2 VVT K series engine (Kudos to the team of engineers who designed it ) - Main pros being , it adapts to both performance as well as mileage. Also the fuel economy is great , highest i have got is 23kmpl (60-70kmph , highway ) , least 12kmpl(Extreme bumper to bumper traffic) - all with A/c on , in automode -23deg.

Handling - The ride is very much adapted for taking corners , due to its well calibrated steering , (Also the 185/R15 tyres add its own character ), The stiff suspension setup , is good for filtering road vertical movements to certain extend. Braking in ZXi is great although in ZDi its poor (its different)- I have mentioned the difference as quoted by Maruti Service advisor in above post .

Other points - Overall VFM during late 2014 and early 2015, enough features by then segment standards , Maruti's service network - dissatisfied with centre A , opt to B . Customer feedback is always their priority. For the price we pay , the spares have its associated quality (neither too durable nor too less).

What I don't like -

1. Exterior- The sheet metal used is not that great as of segment standards (More pathetic now as chassis also weak in present Maruti and Nexa models). Boot space is less by segment standards , a 4 person luggage ,will be difficult . Higher loading lip in boot
2.Interior - Rattlings due to our road conditions. Continuous use in rough roads , even though gentle in driving , can cause rattles (To certain extent , by replacing clips and during each service asking them to tighten seat bolts , and lube the seat reach adjustment lever , have been reducing the noises). Leather seats must be given , although fabric bolstering is crisp for driving enthusiasts , not for passengers . Claustrophobic rear , tall ones in back , they are gonna suffer

3. Ergonomics - The lack of dead pedal. Also the left leg position won't be comfortable for many (Incl me) , as it strains after 3 hours of long drive , with passengers in back . And If I adjust seat to back , the rear passenger will feel discomfort- Poor rear legroom .

4. Engine - 1.2 K series 2012-2013 version - 85bhp , reduction to 83 BHP in my model , and increase of torque , though has advantage in fuel economy , the lag is seen when taking it beyond 120kmph . The former model easily can attain 140kmph , say in 3.5k -4.5k rpm , mine attains 140 , in 4k-5k rpm (both in 5th gear)

5.Handling - Till 120kmph vehicle is well under control , beyond 120kmph , the vehicle is out of control , the steering is loses its spirit after that .Braking is Ok only till 100kmph , beyond that its risky , and you need to be so cautious enough to tame it at right time. The vehicle loses its aerodynamic stability also beyond 100kmph , as it slightly starts to float (Maybe due to its lower build quality ) .

6.Suspension - The suspension is tuned to enthusiastic standards , though I feel 165 R14 tyres are tuned better to this suspension (Team BHP also acknowledges ) , for 185 R15 , the stiffness is more evident , so passengers might not like the slight bounciness when the vehicle encounters a pothole or a rumble strip in 40-50kmph .

7.Other points - Spare wheel for ZXI being 14inch one (Many issues with this aspect , I think there is a thread itself in our forum , if not do comment , I will make one ) .
More the service centres , there's a difference in treatment .

Explaining negative aspect - Suppose service centre A is more equipped , and more experienced , they tend to find out the issue more quickly and diagnosis is made accurately and work is done soon , this expertise isn't there with say another centre , they tend to do a shoddy job , or the time and strain taken by customer is wasted. Say - Throttle body cleaning . Many of us might have got it billed in our service bills , just cross check how many cans (quantity) has been put , if its beyond 2 , you are conned .
Also its not necessary that they have done the work also (I have mentioned in another thread , the scams in service centres )
Here in one centre , they don't do the work but rather bill it , but when I had addressed this to centre B , they politely told no need , until 60kkm atleast or any change in performance ,as the vehicle is serviced and maintained well , noticeable performance increase only when done beyond 60k . And all service technicians don't know the work , a simple spraying on throttle body is not the way (As most do ) , real care needs to be taken .
So what I mean is , the level of training or addressing common issues uniformly should be brought in as an initiative by Maruti Suzuki .

I think if this post is boring , mods please delete this . I just felt of writing an overall review after 3 years .
 
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Modifications done -
1. Audio system -Sony XAV68BT (Steering wheel audio controls compatible , but telephone controls won't ) , Front Focals Speakers , JBL 2 Channel Amp , Rockford Subwoffer Box
2.Armrest (Universal type)
3.DRL- (Now available at lesser price ) - Brand DLAA
4.Seat covers (Custom made ,art leather ,additional foaming and side bolstered )- Dual tone Black and interior grey shade of swift , black dominating .
5.Vinyl Flooring (Offer from Maruti Dealer )
6.Gear Knob Changed to Baleno /Ciaz (Looks premium , the enthusiastic shift was with Stock one , this one though feels more sleek shift ).
7.Horn - Roots Windtone850
8.Puddle lamps (Ordered via aliexpress )
9.Door Scuffs - Non illuminated
10.Door Guard
11.Steering cover stitched type
 
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Your dislike 3, 4, 5 is pretty normal. I think bhp is not too important for hatch. Dead pedal, I thought was meant only for automatics. Handling wise too. Doing 120+ is not ideal for hatch. Though I have seen some crazy drivers. I own Honda Brio and by reading your post it seems to have similar characteristics.
 
Thread Starter #14
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Dead pedal is a serious ommision in all Maruti Vehicles , even Hyundai Santro had it earlier (xing) .Dead pedal is a simple thing which adds to a drivers comfort . 120kmph in Hatch , I also won't agree sir , I normally coast in 80-100's . It was during the first long drive , I tried to test its potential.
 
Thread Starter #15
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Running board dent on October 10 2018

Dent occured as a result of divider - I was taking a U turn while , a biker was too close on my left side , so I had a closed the right end , but the rear running board had suffered (Perfectly my mistake ) - First dent from my side .

Taken to outside dent shop then itself . The dent was pulled , and stretched back , then with minimum putty work , repainted , a point to be noted is the running board chipped finish was redone beautifully .

Note- The scratch in door had occured earlier (Maybe within a year of delivery) , as it had just taken the first coat of paint , and it isn't a major dent , didn't repaint this , as only option is to repaint the entire side .

IMG_20181015_092936.jpg
IMG_20181017_181324.jpg
 
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