I Chose A Maruti Swift Over The 4-Cylinder Baleno Deliberately! I Am Smiling

“The Swift is bleh!” “The Swift is no longer Swift!” “Choose a Baleno over the Swift if you want a happy car”. Huh! 😳

Maruti Suzuki’s new three-cylinder Z12 engine has drawn a lot more noise than what it actually makes! Ever since the fourth-generation Swift hit the showroom floors, enthusiasts have been lamenting the loss of Maruti’s iconic four-cylinder K12 petrol engine – a peppy little engine that used to justify the car’s name. The entire auto industry criticised Maruti’s new engine for being lethargic, prioritising fuel efficiency over sprightly performance. “Spend a little more and buy the Baleno with the 1.2 K-series engine,” they said.

The consumer base, however, had a different opinion. The new Swift set the sales charts on fire upon its debut and stayed among the top sellers in the following months. Did people love better fuel efficiency over performance? Or, was the Swift ‘over-criticised’?

To find out, I went ahead and bought a new Swift. Yay! (Although I bought the Swift purely due to my urgent need for a new car and not because I was eager to do this story. I ain’t got that much disposable income lying around folks! I am a law-abiding citizen paying taxes to Nirmala Sitharaman timely.) 😬

With hundreds of kilometres under the belt, I wanted to clear the air around the Swift and its new controversial three-cylinder engine. 

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What's the matter with the new 4th Gen Swift?

The 1.2-litre three-cylinder Z12 engine from Maruti Suzuki has been engineered to extract as much efficiency as possible. Paired with economy-centric tuning and a lazier power delivery curve with more torque at lower revs, this engine gently hauls the Swift towards triple-digit speeds. This kind of engine behaviour was previously critically accepted for economy hatchbacks like the WagonR and Celerio. The new Swift now falls into the same category. 😐

Getting accustomed to a relaxed engine from a peppy 1.2-litre four-cylinder K-series engine requires time and effort (especially for me coming from the energetic BS4-spec engined Maruti Suzuki Ritz). But there's a silver lining here. 

A few hundred kilometres have now gone on the odometer and the Swift clarifies what it wants to be – a comfortable and relaxed urban cruiser. A compact highway cruiser too! 😌

With the engine idling at 500 RPM, the Swift’s engine is sipping petrol instead of gulping down gallons. Once the clutch is disengaged, the three-cylinder engine delivers a lot more torque in the lower revs (under 1,200 RPM) and the car gradually gathers momentum. Step on the accelerator and the engine is usually happy to push the car. As the MID indicates the precise revs to shift gears, this fourth-generation Swift calmly climbs the speedometer and before you realise it, the vehicle is touching close to 90-100 kph.

In layman's English, this means that the Swift’s new three-cylinder engine makes the car more relaxed and effortless. Within the urban traffic and chaos, this sort of engine character makes the daily commutes a lot more comfortable and stress-free, even on a manual gearbox. 

A byproduct of this relaxed nature is good fuel efficiency. Despite my car still in the engine's break-in period, the Swift's MID has been consistently showing upwards of 17 kmpl when the right foot is being cautious. 

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Does that mean the Swift is boring?

If you aren’t chasing good fuel economy figures, the Swift’s Z12 three-cylinder engine and its slick five-speed manual gearbox let you shift at higher revs and gather momentum faster. Coupled with a stable chassis, a nicely-damped suspension, confidence-inspiring steering and a snug driver’s seat, the Swift lets you throw it around corners and achieve higher speeds with ease and comfort, guaranteeing smiles.

Before you start pointing fingers, the older 3rd Gen Swift certainly feels more sprightly and eager in comparison. But the fourth-gen Swift delivers a plush and refined ‘big car feel’ that the older generation lacks. 

To eradicate any personal doubts, I test-drove a new Baleno too (the manual variant) and the overall difference in the driving experience felt marginally better. Although my family loved the backseat experience, the Swift’s overall proposition won me over. The low-slung exterior design, the young and ergonomic interiors and the compact dimensions made the Swift a better bet over the 'out-of-proportion' Baleno.

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Should you buy a Swift over the Baleno?

Ideally, you should buy a car that serves your demands and wallet the best. As my father says, there’s no need to get a Baleno if your wallet can only afford an Alto on the daily run. 

Objectively though, the Baleno is a better car and if you can afford it, look no further. The Swift, however, is a nicer family car that’s more refined to drive on a daily basis than its former self. Its three-cylinder Z12 engine delivers power and torque in a relaxed manner but houses enough grunt for those interested in spirited driving. 

So yeah! The new Swift is not bleh! It’s simply a good all-round car. Try it out before you make a decision. Don't let anyone on YouTube mislead you.

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