The Z series engine needs to be experienced and not just looked down upon based on the specs on paper.
BHPian Roadmonkey recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
A little background, I'm a proud owner of a 2020 VW Polo 1.0 TSI AT.
We had a 2010 Ritz ZXi that, although the engine was in top notch condition, felt like it needed more attention and care than my father was willing or motivated to provide. With that in mind and the frequent highway trips he would have to undertake, we decided that another aspect to safety is reliability of a car on the highways and the confidence it inspires in the driver.
So an upgrade for the Ritz was planned.
The cars considered;
- Hyundai Venue: Logical upgrade. Upright, pseudo-SUV with hatch like dimensions for convenient city use.
- Tata Punch: The 2024 equivalent of Ritz.
- Tata Nexon: Logical option given the segment I'm shopping in.
- Maruti Brezza: The Maruti level upgrade to the Ritz.
- Fronx: My father loves its derrière and the general appearance.
Hyundai Venue
Parents loved the interiors, the feel and the dimensions.
Took the test drive of 1.2 twice and it felt dead.
The overall feel of the car was good, but the S felt basic after spending so much money, the S(O) would be stretching too far along with budget for alloys.
Tata Punch
- Tata needs to figure out the ergonomics, rear seat belts suffocate you.
- The drive felt okay, the gearbox felt like a downgrade from our almost 15 year old Ritz!
- It felt a little cramped.
- My father hated the drive experience and rejected it immediately.
- That coupled with our need for highway reliability, along with reports on this forum with its wonky start stop system causing limp mode and what not, I was put off by Tata.
- They did not offer us good exchange value for our Ritz
Tata Nexon
- The posts by fellow forum members raising a number of concerns put of me off of it.
- Multiple listings in the used market at significant cuts.
- The driving experience just felt very unrefined in comparison to the cars I've owned.
- High reliability is an important component of *safety* for me, which Tata cars are praised for their safety, I like to factor in the risk of being stranded on the highway. My VW has betrayed me in this aspect before.
Maruti Brezza
- This was never a serious contendor, price considerations among others, the face looks like it was forcefully stretched to look "bigger"
- Given the cities we drive in, the parking arrangements, the size is inconvenient.
- No TD was taken and this was rejected after preliminary consideration.
Fronx
- By now it was almost certain that we would be getting the Fronx Delta Plus. We had owned a 2017 Baleno and the car - I thought - would be familiar.
- And it is, but also, the engine is not. The Baleno was ALIVE, this felt dead.
- During the TD, due to mostly driving an AT these days, made small timing errors in the clutch/gear timing and it was not forgiving.
- The driving experience was just very dull, the only appeal was the exterior.
Given the nature of my job (Banker), during one Car Loan campaign we had visited multiple dealerships and I made a contact at Ludhiana Gulzar Motors Maruti Arena. He informed me about the launch of the new Swift and being a car guy - naturally interested in a launch as big as the Swift - I went to check it out. It felt good, spacious - I have posted a picture from that visit before in this thread.
However, up until that point I had not considered the Swift. We had only considered upright cars but it did not feel as "low" as the Polo. I took my father to check out the new Swift back in our town and he liked it, but more than that, he saw that I loved it.
I also had reservations about the new 3 cylinder engine, but..
it surprised me - pleasantly! It had a sporty thrum I no longer mind courtesy of owning a relatively loud 1.0 TSI. I had just taken the TD of the Fronx with its legendary 1.2 K series engine but the engine in its BS6 avatar is no longer peppy - something it is famous for. I've owned 2 cars with the 1.2, Ritz and the Baleno and both felt alive, the BS6 one does not.
Now about the Z series 1.2, yes the figures are down, yes it is one cylinder less, but Maruti has definitely worked some magic under the hood - whatever power it has, it is more accessible. You do no feel lacking AT ALL while driving it and my experience was reaffirmed by many well respected auto journalists. It feels alive, and that's something you *need* after daily driving a TSI. Yes It's no Polo, yes it's not that fun, but it has something I needed - highway reliability.
The Test Drive brought the Swift into the consideration but having been a top model guy most of my life, I was set on either the ZXi or the ZXi Plus but felt both of them were too expensive for what they offered. This put me in a tight spot. However, with time I made up my mind for VXi and it couldn't been a better decision considering everything else going on in my life. I decided to put nice looking alloys, 16 inchers - the same as my Polo and shod with the same rubber - UC6.
Lo and behold, within a few days, I became a very happy and satisfied owner of the new Swift.
Yes the car has a few shortcomings, but which car didn't? Had there been a magical version of Polo with greater reliability, greater boot space at around ~10L, I would have bought it eyes closed. Yes the car is light, especially the boot, Polo's takes an effort to close while this feels paper thin - however, I know that does not have a great impact on the crash safety of the car. I would, perhaps foolishly, like to believe the car is safer than the previous gen as MSIL got a lot of bad marketing for it and it has definitely affected Swift's market leader place. From often having 3-4 months long waiting after the launch to being readily available, the times sure have changed.
Oh and I definitely love the way it looks!
And the derrière!
I'm writing this review after having driven it for around 500Kms, both in the city and on the highway and it is effortless. I've gotten very comfortable driving it in a very cramped city with tiiiight roads, the car feels very sharp and in control, a miild downgrade over Polo in this department at best and I think I feel that only because of the lighter steering. The steering in the Swift is better than the Fronx/Baleno one and has better self centering. The dimensions are perfect for the city and the car does not feel like it's set "low".
On the highway, while I tried my best keeping it >80kmph being the run it, but I caught myself twice cruising at 90-100kmph effortlessly. So, no, the car does not lose its steam at highway speeds as a result of being a cylinder and a few horses down. No Sir! Not at all.
Conclusion:
The new Swift is familiar, yet better. But most importantly, THE NEW SWIFT IS A LOT OF FUN!
The K series 1.2 BS4 was fun, however the BS6 one is not. The Z series engine needs to be experienced and not just looked down upon based on the specs on paper. It will surprise and delight you with a grin.
Cheers!
Oh! And I completely forgot to mention the gearbox/clutch combo. As I mentioned, the Fronx/Baleno one is not forgiving to timing issues, this OTOH has forgiven a lot of my mistakes.
The clutch & gearbox is a hydraulic unit as opposed to cable transmission. The clutch travel is noticeably shorter than the Baleno, easier on the leg, and the gearbox is heavenly smooth. Slotting into the first is no longer an issue on Marutis!
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