autoexpo – Revv Reviews

Audi has just revealed the second generation of the Audi A3 and what can I say, it looks striking! It has grown 40mm longer, 20mm wider and 10mm taller compared to the previous generation. Let’s get a bit more in-depth on the subject.

Design

The very first thing one notices in a new car is the design – both inside-out. The car has gone from being sober to well not-so-sober. It looks like a child who has just hit his prime during puberty, undergoing dramatic changes whilst trying to blend in with his family members. The new A3 has got it just right, blending in with his father (A6) and grand-father (A8) in the Audi family. It has gone from being pushed around by the CLA earlier to bullying the new A-class limousine.

Upfront, the new A3 has a big hexagonal mouth and some fake air vents on the sides. The top model boasts of matrix LED technology and new DRLs (daytime running lights) consisting of 15 LED segments! The side profile is balanced for a short-saloon car. The cuts and lines running throughout the bodywork make it look sporty yet it manages to retain that Audi subtleness. The design theme – ‘sleekness’ continues to the arse of the car and oh bless me god for Audi not putting fake exhaust tips. Personally, I really like the car’s design language.

Interior

Audi has been a sneaky bugger and copied some stuff off some cars. Copying isn’t necessarily cheating if the end product looks something like this. It’s like they took inspiration from some cars. Audi said something about the surfacing on the doors being inspired by the Lamborghini Countach, I actually don’t get what they are trying to claim here but okay. Audi has also claimed that they took inspiration from another Lamborghini (Urus) for the interior. This can actually be seen clearly around the AC vents near the steering wheel. Lastly, the gear selector for the AT transmission is just like that of a Porsche 911.

Similar AC vents (near the steering wheel) to the Urus

It is an up-market car with upmarket interiors. Quality is expected to be exceptional just like all other Audis. The S-line version is expected to get interior ambient lighting, Alcantara and of course S-line badging. The new interior is leaps ahead of the previous generation.

Talking Numbers

The car is to be offered with 2 TFSI and 1 TDI engine options. Power outputs for the following engine options are as follows-

1.0L 3-cyl (Petrol) = 110hp

1.5L 4-cyl (Petrol) = 150hp

2.0L (Diesel) = 116hp

2.0L (Diesel) = 150hp

A diesel would only be offered in Europe. The 1.5L petrol also gets a mild-hybrid system but only for the AT option. This would be capable of providing a short boost of 50Nm.

Oh! I almost forgot to tell you that you can get shifty too as the car would offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox (for the petrol). Can’t confirm the MT for the Indian market though. Also, the A3 has a luggage capacity of 425L (if you are interested in that).

The vehicle’s drag coefficient has also reduced from 0.29cd to 0.25cd (for all you wonder heads, this means that the car has become more slippery through the air). This has been achieved by – the slats in the grille being able to close when the engine doesn’t need cooling (like in the 3-series), special air vents feeding air into the wheel arches to reduce turbulence caused due to the spinning wheels and lastly, Audi has put some flat underfloor cladding to help airflow.

No pricing has been announced officially but you may expect it to be priced around $30,000 for the entry-level car and $43,000 for the top of the line. Prices may go up a bit for the Indian market, thanks to taxes and stuff. The car is expected to hit showrooms in Europe later this year. American and Indian markets would have to wait until 2021 for the car.

Features

Audi has always been known for its clever car tech. The A3 too packs a punch with some cool features like the connected car functionality, a 10.1-inch touchscreen with Apple Car-Play and Android Auto, HUD, a fully digital cockpit, adaptive cruise control, frontal crash prevention, CAR2X (This feature enables your car to analyze the environment around it. E.g. Recognising traffic lights – it can inform you when it is about to go green or red), adaptive dampers, etc.

Simply, the A3 is as modern as anything else rolling on the streets.

Conclusion

The new A3 looks fresh, blends in with the Audi pack and sure does pack a punch with its cool gadgets. It could be a worthy rival to the BMW 2-series Gran Coupé and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class. A strong package overall. Power figures could have been slightly better though. Let’s hope that it doesn’t venture into the 3-series price corner after entering the Indian market because that could turn the tables for Audis’ new product.

Some people have already spied prototypes of the spicier S3 and RS3 versions but could there be a cabriolet version too?

What are your thoughts on this smoky new sedan and would you be interested to buy one over the competition? Let me know in the comments below.

Make sure to follow me on my Instagram @revv_reviews (by clicking here).

I am very well aware of the fact that almost 100 people have already written upon this topic, but I am here to be the best not first. This article would clear virtually all your concerns on the ins-and-outs of the new Swift Sport spotting in India. Happy Reading!

Introduction

“Bbuuzzzz…bbbbzzz..bzz…” – what’s that you ask? That’s how the news of the Swift Sports sighting in India has buzzed around. The Hyundai i30 too has been spotted (but as a test car) and has generated some hype, but the Swift Sport has just stirred up the community like a whisk whisking an egg after it has been cracked open into a bowl. (I really need to start using better similes for describing stuff lol)

We all have loved Maruti for something or the other. Maybe your first car was a Maruti, or you just loved their old N/A (naturally aspirated) engines, whatever may the reason be, we can all agree for a fact that now Maruti is not the cool car guy in the market. There was a time when we had real gems by MS (Maruti Suzuki) going around revving their nuts out on the streets. Gone are those days, but what if they are coming back with a punch.

(I had previously written an article on Maruti Suzuki’s untold story, you can check it out later by clicking here)

‘Punch’ – What comes to your mind when you hear the word? A boxer? or a teenager who has just fought with his mate? Definitely, a teenager comes to mind—an angry, youthful creature with all the power and agility. The Swift Sport is no different. Just don’t expect it to go “burppp..ppp.buur..ppp” like some JDMs.

A Hot Hatch from Japan being unloaded at Delhi Airport. #CarNews #SwiftSport @Maruti_Corp #FastSundays #covid_19 pic.twitter.com/1SfsEg4Yxy
— BW Autoworld (@BWAutoworld) March 22, 2020

Let’s talk numbers, shall we?

The current Swift Sport (Europe version) packs in a Fiat-sourced 1.4L turbo-petrol motor (K14D) producing a combined 140PS of power and 230Nm of torque, mated to a 6-Speed stick shift (MT). The 1.4L Booster Jet motor delivers 129PS of power, while the 48V electric motor delivers 13.6PS and 53Nm. Yes, it is a hybrid, and we are expecting good fuel efficiency under normal driving conditions.

All this translates to a 0-100 kmph time of just 8.1 seconds (claimed) and a top speed of 210 km/h (claimed)!

Speculations

In my opinion and a few others, the car that was spotted wasn’t a test car. Either it was a personal import or a car to be used for development or some internal work. It is highly unlikely that it is a personal import; hence, it is safe to rule out that speculation.

Even if Maruti decides to bring the hot hatch to Indian shores, it has to go through a few hurdles.

Firstly, the mentality of a general buyer isn’t towards performance but pleasure. This was seen as Maruti tried to experiment with the Pseudo-Hot Hatch, the Baleno RS, which has now been discontinued because of the BS6 norms and sales figures. The Baleno RS was neither a mass-market consumer car nor a proper hot-hatch. It produced a mere 100hp from its 1.0L 3-cylinder Booster Jet. That is not even Luke-warm for the segment it was competing in. This incident would surely play a role in determining the Swift Sport’s future announcement in India. This could turn out two ways, either they completely ignore the hot-hatch segment or learn from their mistakes by bringing the Swift Sport to India with all the beans we wanted in the first place.

Secondly, the price factor plays a huge role along with people’s mentality for selling a product. A good product with a bad price tag (like the VW GTI) isn’t generally considered as a consumer magnet. Even though, the VW GTI turns many heads but actually buying one from your own pocket is a no-no situation. On the other hand, a good product with a good price tag sells like hotcakes! The Swift Sport in that matter costs a whooping £18,000 (acc. to Carwow) i.e. ₹17,27,000! And that’s the price w/o including import duties and other miscellaneous costs. It is seriously a not-so-great deal if we consider that the Abarth Punto was available at around ₹10,00,000.

And now to my final point, the Swift Sport uses a Fiat-sourced engine which is the same as that in the Abarth Punto i.e. the 1.4L T-Jet (The T-Jet produces a bit more power in the Abarth though). This engine hasn’t been upgraded to comply with the BS6 norms and has been discontinued. Bringing the Swift Sport would result in reviving the engine but at a cost. Is MS ready to put in those extra bucks and efforts?

Is there any hope at all?

It’s not all cloudy as a few things are going for MS, which might encourage them to launch the Swift Sport in India.

With the exit of the Baleno RS the company no longer has a hot-hatch to purr in its portfolio. This empty position might pave the way for the Swift Sport. Also, almost all the manufacturers have dished their performance cars due to sales figures and BS6 norms. This means that there isn’t going to be a fierce rivalry in the segment if the spicy new Swift is launched at the moment!

Adding to this, the government has allowed OEMs to import 2,500 units a month without homologation.

In 2018, a similar form of hype was generated by rumours surrounding the launch of the Swift Sport and the Jimny in India. The idea was soon trashed as Maruti confirmed that they had no plans to launch either of the two vehicles because there wasn’t enough demand in the market for them.

Jump to the 2020 Auto Expo, and we are surprised to find the Jimny at the show. Maruti Suzuki wanted to analyze the market and see the publics’ reaction to the quirky little off-roader. The Jimny sure did bring many wandering eyes to automakers’ pavilion. Hence, we are going to receive a 5-door Suzuki Jimny by 2021 instead of the 3-door Jimny Sierra which was on display. Well, somethings better than nothing at least.

My guess is that just like the Jimny has been re-thought for the Indian market; similarly, the Swift Sport could also be considered shortly.

Conclusion/Solutions

If MS actually considers launching the car then, it must be launched either along or around the time of the Jimny’s launch in 2021 because 2022 would just be too late for the Swift Sport.

The Suzuki Swift Sport costs ₹17 lakhs already and bringing it in as a CBU would only increase the price. What MS could do is use the Swift we get here as standard instead of using the Euro-Spec car. The Euro-spec car costs a lot more than the standard one because it has some very up-market features like collision mitigation braking, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, weaving alert, high beam assist, and adaptive cruise control. All this would be considered a gimmick for such a small car at this price and would most probably be removed to keep the cost around ₹10 lakhs.

If MS is able to pull this off, then, it would be safe to say that the legend has returned!

Do note; all this is pure speculations as we have absolutely no clue whether MS is actually planning something like this or not. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. #make_maruti_great_again

These were my speculations on the Swift Sport. What do you think about the car and do you think MS would actually consider its launch? Why or Why not? Let me know in the comments.

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Tag: autoexpo

All you need to know about the new Audi A3

Maruti Suzuki Swift Sport – India launch possible?