Demands for Swift Dzire diesel...

Everyone knows about the growing demand for Swift dzire diesel and months long (6 months?) waiting period. But now it has gone to next level. People are ready to pay as much as one lakh to get the car which is ready to deliver for others. Sounds insane right? I'm sure the delears are making much money with this.. Adding the one lakh, the car price goes to as close to 8 lakhs!!

Yes. The fiat 1.3 turbojet engine is a stunner.. But this price is too much. I'm sure the new Tata indica vista will give a good fight for Swift. I always like Maruti cars and their flawless service. But creating artificial demands and sky high hypes is just not acceptable in any standards. Some dealers claim 25 kmpl in city! No way... With the extra boot weight, AC on, typical city traffic it's hard to get more than 17-18.

In fact I once test drove the Swift VDi and very much impressed with its performance. It never felt like a diesel. But still I will go for the petrol for its superb free revving nature. So, Don't get carried away with the diesel hypes...

Think,decide and choose :-)

Swift VXi or Fabia 1.2 ??

I am just going to compare two cars. Both are petrol hatchbacks. One is the top seller and the other has just made it pricing right. One is Japanese and other is a Czech chic. Any guess? They are the Suzuki Swift VXi and the Skoda Fabia 1.2. Swift Vxi has a/c, power windows, power steering, tacho, digital trip, optional ABS. Whereas Fabia has a/c, power steering, 2 air bags (wow!) and no ABS. Swift has no air bags as standard in Vxi and Fabia surprisingly misses the power windows (oh no!). Vxi on-road in Bangalore is 5.1 and Fabia is 5.5. So, which one is the best? It's a tough call.

Swift's superb 1.3 petrol engine chunks out 88 bhp whereas Fabia's 1.2 delivers a feeble 70 bhp. Full marks to Swift in performance front. Though Swift has good transmission, Fabia is really good, straight from VW family. On the build quality and interiors, Fabia wins hands on. Swift suffers from rattling doors and tinny bumpers. So on is the interior of Swift. Now on to the meaty section: Mileage. Swift delivers 12 in city and Fabia scores little over 10 kpl. Can we now decide which is good? Still not!

If you want badge value, superior build, classy interiors, safety (airbags!)... Go for the Fantastic Fabia!

On the other hand, if one likes superb performance, reliable service, cheap spares, resale value, better mileage... Go for the Super Swift!!

Which Diesel hatchback?

Now that the fuel prices have gone a skywalk, most people opt for a hatchback preferably diesel. So which one is the best in India? Gone are the days when ambassadors and fiat padminis ruled the entire car segment. Now the market is flooded with almost all the world leading car makers and the hatchback segment is the most happening. We have maruti-suzuki, fiat, hyundai, chevrolet, skoda and tata. Honda, VW, Toyota, Nissan, Renault are on their way.

Though the market has aplenty of hatchbacks, I see Suzuki Swift, Skoda Fabia, Hyundai Getz and the Tata Indica are the best available diesel hatchbacks. Though I'm yet to drive a fabia and getz, I am sure they won't disappoint. Of all the four, Indica is the cheapest and the Fabia is the most expensive. Getz too is bit expensive and Swift is excellently priced. Though expensive, Fabia has no compromise for the build quality and interiors. It is the segment leader in both categories. Typical Skoda build quality and the fabulous interiors give the Fabia a D segment car look and feel. But it disappoints with its performance and the steep pricing. The onroad price for the top end diesel is a staggering 8 lakhs! Getz now comes with the Accent 1.5 CRDi engine which makes it the strongest performer here. Still gives a reasonable mileage. But the pricing and the less impressive looks are its downfalls. It has good space, excellent build quality and nice interiors though not as good as Fabia. Then comes the cheapest and the most affordable diesel hatchback, the Indica. Local maker Tata still has to come a long way in build quality, transmission and interiors. The plastic looks and feels cheaper. The gear shifts are rubbery and inaccurate. But the road presence, mileage and space are impressive.

So, finally coming to the class leading Suzuki Swift. Though this model is around for years, still it looks attractive. Now fitted with Fiat's world class diesel engine, the Swift is a runaway success again! Delivery period of over 4 to 6 months proves the demand for this car. People keep thronging to the maruti showrooms! Superb looks, awesome mileage, world class Fiat engine, petrol like performance makes Suzuki Swift unbeatable in this segment. Though the space, bulid quality, interiors are not up to the segment standard, the sales chart seems unaffected..

Me too planning to get one soon..... :-))

UK cars!

Now I am in UK, and it's a must to blog about UK cars ;-) Though I still didn't get a chance to drive a car here, I like the way they drive their cars in UK. I have been here for 2 weeks now and never heard honking so far. Even the taxi drivers stick to this.. Amazing! I just think about honkers in Bangalore. Some guys will keep honking even there is no vehicle in front of him! He has accustomed to it :-)

Apart from this strange(!) behaviour, the Brits follow the usual road manners we Indian never do: Stick to lanes, speed limits, etc. In fact, this seems really boring for a typical Indian like me ;-) What's a drive without honking, overtaking in wrong side, overspeeding, jumping the signals, etc ?? Jokes apart, I'm dreaming when we Indians can acquire this habit... Sticking to road manners not only is safe for drivers, but for the pedestrians too.

Unlike US (which I'm yet to go), UK people like to own small cars ranging between 1.0 to 2.0 litres. I see 1.2 and 1.4 are hot favourites. The top sellers in this hatchback segment are Vauxhall (GM), Ford, VW, Toyota, Peugeot, Honda, Renault and Mazda. Astra being the flagship model for Vauxhall, Ford has Focus and VW has Polo & Golf. But I personally feel, the Honda Civic hatchback Type R simply steals the show..

Fabia in India!

At last, VW has finally decided to launch Skoda Fabia in India. The first model to get unveiled is the top end diesel version and the latest to the fleet is the petrol version. Just a single trim is available in both the fuel formats. Both has 1.4 litre engine, with diesel chunks out a healthy 64 bhp, and the petrol bumps a meaty 85 bhp. Will Fabia pose a threat to the segment leader shift? A wait for 2-3 months will tell the story. But I strongly believe that Skoda can't match Maruti's price. Cheaper versions of Fabia, might be 1.2 litre engines, are expected later this year.

I'm quite disappointed to see a top of the line petrol version costing over 7 lakhs on-road. Surely untouchable rate for me ;-) If Skoda releases 1.2 litre petrol version for under 6 lakhs, in fact with all the goodies like airbag, it will sure have less horses under the hood. Imm, let me wait for Honda Jazz before I finalize my next car as Swift ;-)

Honda vs Toyota Hatchbacks