maruti – Revv Reviews

Maruti Suzuki Swift Sport – India launch possible?

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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Maruti Suzuki – ‘The Untold Story’

Maruti Suzuki, a car brand that is known to many. You would hardly find someone not knowing about Maruti in India. Car-owner or not, it is a brand well-known to all. A brand as widespread as the black death in Europe during the 1300s. I get it, maybe it was not the best way to describe the popularity of the brand in India (let’s not get bogged down by the fact, instead let’s head straight into it).

Most of you guys must be car enthusiasts because you are here reading this right now and I am sure it interests you. As a car enthusiast myself I do know what’s going through your mind at the moment – “Uh, it’s a Maruti! Synonymous with terms like – Tin Can, Self-Destruct car, Unsafe Vehicle, etc.” I do feel you all and I know you all are well aware of these terms. Why am I here you ask? I am here to show you the other side of the story, as the cliché line prevails, ‘Every coin has two sides.’

I had written a short rant on Maruti’s fake marketing tactics to sell cars in the name of performance. You can check it out by clicking here.

History Lesson

We must know about the past before making any comments on the present.

Maruti Udyog Limited was founded by the Government of India in 1981. It merged with Suzuki, a Japanese automobile company in October 1982. This merger lead to the formation of the Maruti Suzuki brand we now know today.

(I would not bore you with any more history about the affiliation. If it really interests you, then you can read more about it on Google later on)

Creating a market

If you are someone from the 80s and 90s, you would remember owning a Maruti car in which you and your family would go out on jolly drives. If you didn’t own one at the time, you surely did dream to have one. Many old Maruti car models made it to the 2000s receiving updates from time to time; some even got close to the 2020s mark!

Many of the cars sold by Maruti during the period were a hit; these cars have now come to be known as ‘Blasts from the past’. The Maruti 800 was a success; it was the first love for many growing up in those times. Maruti soon brought new models for the growing market, the Maruti 1000 was introduced in 1989 and was India’s first contemporary sedan! In 1993, the Zen was introduced, and in 1994 the 1.3L Esteem was showcased. Maruti produced its one-millionth vehicle in 1994, almost ten years since they started their venture in India. Things were looking good for Maruti Suzuki as if they were destined to succeed.

In 1998, the Maruti 800 received its first change in design since its launch. Zen D, a 1527 cc diesel hatchback, and Maruti’s first diesel vehicle, and a redesigned Omni were also introduced. In 1999, the 1.6 litre Maruti Baleno three-box saloon and Wagon R were added to the automakers’ portfolio.

Many more cars like the legendary Gypsy, Grand Vitara were introduced in the Indian market in this period (1980s-2000s).

Marketing and Services

After setting a sure foot into the Indian market with new releases, Maruti set to doing what it does the best today. The company worked on its marketing and services. In 2000, Maruti became the first car company in India to launch a call centre for customer services. Then in 2001, Maruti True Value (selling and buying used cars) was launched. In 2002 Maruti Suzuki launched Maruti Insurance to provide vehicle insurance to its customers with the help of some insurance companies. To promote its bottom-line growth, Maruti Suzuki also launched Maruti Finance in January 2002. Maruti Accessories and Maruti Driving school too were set up in the years to come.

All this contributed to a market share of more than 45% (as per July 2014)! Maruti Suzuki had 3598 sales outlets and 3,792 service stations across 1,861 cities in India (Data before 2020).

Now, with the BS6 emission norms, Maruti has decided to phase out the production of its diesel cars which accounted for almost 23% of its sales. Chairman R.C. Bhargava stated, “We have taken this decision so that in 2022 we can meet the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency norms and a higher share of CNG vehicles will help us comply with the norms. I hope the union government’s policies will help grow the market for CNG vehicles.”

The Present and the Argument

That was the past when Maruti cars were highly appreciated; it is safe to say that our mentality towards the brand has changed over time. The Indian automotive industry is very dynamic and keeps on changing from time to time. Hindustan Motors, Chevrolet, Fiat, etc. failed to understand this market and faced consequences which we are quite aware of. The thing we must realize is that Maruti has survived all these years whilst staying on top of the hierarchy (in terms of sales). Maruti comprised 53% of the Indian passenger car market as of July 2018! Things seem to be getting competitive for brands like Hyundai, Toyota, etc. with the entry of new brands such as Kia, MG, Haval, etc. into the market while Maruti seems to sail smoothly through this.

Why is Maruti successful? (Target Market)

You may say Maruti is crap, makes bad quality cars, etc. That is true, but the statistics showcase a different scenario. Not everyone in India is a petrol head with an itchy right foot; not everyone has the money to afford the upkeep of cars from brands like Škoda and VW. Maruti hasn’t ignored its premium consumer base and launched Nexa in 2015. With the Nexa brand, Maruti Suzuki sought out to address its premium consumer base, which resented buying Maruti cars earlier due to obvious showroom and car-related issues. Nexa was a success; Maruti was able to capture a new market.

The Baleno RS has been mocked upon by many, even by me as I wrote a rant on it earlier.

But the thing is Maruti tried to ignite a flare for all the car enthusiasts in the Indian market (those who wanted high resale and service). The Baleno RS wasn’t a bad car; it tried its best to draw the attention of the general public towards hot-hatches in India. It was a disaster in its segment though and was mocked for being a Pseudo-hot hatch when compared to its competition like the Figo S, JTP, the German Polo GT, and the beasty 145hp Abarth.

The S-Presso or the Ass-Presso as some of you like to call it, isn’t a bad car at all. It is meant to target a market for those entry-level car buyers. It is for someone who wants to buy a cheap, easy to maintain 4-wheeler. The Kwid might look fancier in this segment, but the S-Presso is just more practical. Practicality, affordability, resale is something the people buying entry-level cars look out for, and the S-Presso manages to check all the boxes just right.

Conclusion

Being a car journalist, you cannot have a biased opinion for a particular car or a car brand. No car is bad; it is just targeting a market you are not interested in. In my opinion, Maruti does deserve its success. I can already see comments coming up cussing at me for saying something like this, but yes, it is true. As much you may hate Maruti, always remember that you might not even know what a luxurious car felt or looked like if Maruti had not started back in the 1980s. They basically changed the game by announcing policies and schemes which made other brands follow up. They propelled the Indian Automotive Industry forward! They made it happen!

You should consider yourself to be fortunate enough to joke on Maruti because if you think about the people who are earning just Rs.50,000 a month and wish to own a car, they have no other go-to brand but Maruti. Even statistics show that most of Maruti’s consumer base comprises of first-time owners.

One cannot look at only one side of the story and completely ignore the other. Hence, I sat down to pen this article. Maruti might be known as “Maru-tin” right now, but times are changing, they are improving their quality standards. Maruti has embraced change as “Change is the only constant” and for this Maruti is an absolute prodigy in its game. The company has my hate as a car enthusiast and my RESPECT as a journalist and an Indian.

(Their flaws do lead to pretty great memes though, and you would be lying if you said that you didn’t enjoy automotive memes on them).

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz S launched

Maruti Suzuki has launched the BS6 Ciaz along with a new sport model named the Ciaz S. The prices start at ₹ 8.31 lakh and go up to ₹ 11.09 lakh. There is no Diesel engine on offer as Maruti Suzuki is phasing out its Fiat-sourced 1.3-liter unit and the in-house developed 1.5-liter engine as neither will be upgraded to meet BS6 norms. The Ciaz S is priced at ₹ 10.08 lakh. On the heart of the matter, the Ciaz is powered by a 1.5-liter petrol engine with Suzuki’s Smart Hybrid tech churning out 105hp.

Now moving on to the changes that Maruti has to offer with the new Ciaz S over the normal Ciaz. The Ciaz S is based on the top trim Alpha with a manual transmission. It is available in three colors- Sangria Red, Premium Silver, and Pearl Snow White. On the exteriors, the Ciaz S gets a body kit with signature dual-tone sporty exteriors and intense black accentuations on the side & rear underbody, trunk lid spoiler, ORVM cover, and front fog lamp garnish. All this is perked up by multi-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels which are also in dark finish. All this sport appeal doesn’t end there but also continues on the inside with black interiors adorned with silver accents on the door trim and instrument panel.

My opinions/rant

Some of you may consider this as a rant but the terms – “RS”, “S” etc. don’t have any sort of meaning in Maruti’s world where they are just terms attached as a suffix or a prefix to an existing car name to make them sell even more. Sportiness doesn’t come from slapping on a body kit along with the color black all over the car. Sport has a certain feel to it. Car enthusiasts such as myself will hate to even put an eye on these cars. I am having my exams next week and haven’t been very active since the last few days to post but I had to bring this in the limelight because adding an ‘S’ and applying cosmetic mods doesn’t make a car sporty! Tata has done great with its JTP versions. Fiat had changed the Indian hot hatch game back in 2015 with the release of its Abarth Punto in India. Volkswagen has proven how performance can strike a balance with practicality and value for money with its Polo. All this yet the general public is still blind enough to go buy a Baleno RS with a puny 1-liter 3-cylinder 100hp producing motor. Ask yourself enthusiasts – ‘Is that a true hot-hatch?’ And if any part of your body says yes to that car being a hot-hatch then you are sadly no longer a person who sees cars as an emotion and more than just a machine taking us from point A to point B. I completely understand the fact that Maruti has to create mass-market cars and has to keep them affordable but why use the term such as ‘sport’ to market them. They couldn’t have done any engine modifications as that would have increased the price by a lakh or two. We all are aware of the fact that car enthusiast centered brands have always failed in our market.

Lastly, I would like to say – “All that glitters isn’t gold and all that’s black isn’t sporty”.

Do let me know your opinions on the pseudo sport sedan in comments below, it would be great to have a discussion on this topic.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno – “Hyped up swift”

Overview

The name Baleno isn’t new when it comes to the brand Maruti Suzuki. While the older Baleno was a failure, things have changed and the Baleno which was launched in 2015 is nowhere near to the old car. The Baleno is sold through Maruti’s premium dealerships i.e. Nexa. The Baleno launched in 2015 took the Indian market by storm as something with a Maruti badge on it, also offering the luxury feel was a straight no-brainer for many buyers. The existing trust and good service of the brand made the Baleno a famous hatchback competing in a segment where it was bound to win.

please do note that these seat-covers and foot lightings are after-market

The Baleno is offered with a petrol and a diesel motor, with the CVT offered only in the petrol variants. 9 petrol variants/options and 4 diesel variants/options are on offer with prices ranging from 5.58 – 8.9 lakhs (ex-showroom prices). The Baleno also comes with a petrol-hybrid option now.

First Impressions

Once you enter the cabin you are addressed with a beautiful cluster and a dash that looks well sorted. The all-black dash with silver indents doesn’t look all that monotonous. The MID is just something to gaze at with its beautiful graphics. A quirk about the multi-information display is that it would show you details about your most recent drive when you turn off the vehicle such as – Distance covered, Time driven, Range left. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels premium but lacks the 3 & 9 o’clock positions. There are a lot of cubby holes and places in this car to keep your knick-knacks, all 4 doors have a bottle holder and the dashboard along with the center armrest create even more space to keep stuff. Moving on the outside of the vehicle, one does fall for the Baleno’s aggressive styling and chrome garnishes.

The car also comes feature loaded with – Led projector headlamps with DRLs, auto-folding ORVMs, parking sensors with a rear camera, a new 7-inch touchscreen unit by Harman which supports Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, steering mounted controls, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror (IRVM), automatic headlights, push-button start/stop with passive keyless entry. On the safety front, the Baleno comes with ABS with EBD and 2 airbags as standard across all variants. On the downside, however, the Baleno shares many bits and pieces with lower Marutis’ and the use of hard plastics on the dash are just an eye-sore. Overall quality could have been better but there isn’t much to carp about the Baleno.

The Ride

The Baleno comes with a Fiat-sourced engine (not the same as the Linea or the Punto). The 1.2L petrol motor produces a respectable 84 hp and 115 Nm of torque, the 1.3L diesel motor produces 74hp and 190 Nm of torque. The engine feels responsive and punchy on the low-end and steering too weighs up well at higher speeds. The suspension of the Baleno just soaks all the bumps in its way and provides a comfortable ride. The ground clearance is adequate and it may scrape on the worst of the Indian roads.

As aggressive the Baleno may look it just doesn’t give you that punchy feel, the pickup is a bit less especially for the diesel motor. Noise too creeps into the cabin considering the diesel motor whereas the petrol motor is quite refined. The mileage is great on the Baleno with the diesel being a frugal choice with a claimed mileage of 27 kmpl and the petrol having a claimed mileage of 23 kmpl. The car has great handling and is eager to be thrown into corners without breaking a sweat. Turbo-lag in the diesel motor is well contained, the upside to this is that you wouldn’t have to keep changing gears again and again while in the city traffic.

Verdict

While the Baleno is an all-rounder wherein it has great handling, offers the comforts of a sedan and superb mileage, the Baleno does lack the feel. It isn’t an enthusiast’s car but a car that was built for the masses that would provide great practicality and the ease of drivability. The Baleno looks like a Swift in its teenage years where it’s all hyped up. That may be an uncanny statement but once you think about it, it starts making a lot more sense. There isn’t anything wrong about it not being fast or not being an enthusiast’s car that should be made clear. Nexa has done a great job adding the premium feel to Maruti cars. The Baleno sells well as compared to its rivals and according to me, it would continue doing so if it stays at its primary goal that is to be an all-rounder.

Maruti Suzuki Esteem – ‘Dragster Vibes’

Overview

So, I am going to review the Maruti Suzuki Esteem. The Esteem was produced between 1994-2008 and since then has been discontinued. It came in with 7 different variants ranging from 4 to 6.5 lakhs and to my surprise even offered a petrol automatic as an option in the AX variant of this 4-meter sedan. Although I couldn’t get my hands on an automatic variant to fiddle about, I sure did try the manual and it faired out leaving me baffled that such an old car-producing just 85 PS of power could have so much to offer.

First Impressions

The moment you get in the cabin you are welcomed with an eerie smell which is very common among old cars. You sit low and the visibility is also fine although the headlights and the wipers don’t do the car justice in bad weather conditions. The seats were a bit too narrow for my liking, under-thigh support was adequate. The cabin has been fitted with a lot of soft-touch plastic on the dashboard giving it a premium feel considering the age of the vehicle yet if the car is in the sun for prolonged periods then the plastic on the steering wheel could get a bit sticky. The car has all basic features it needs to be a car of that period, stereo, Air-Conditioning, etc.(the basics)

The Ride

My first impressions with the car weren’t the best but as soon as you get the seatbelt on and give away the clutch, feathering the accelerator the car transforms and so does your personality and better opinions start to take shape. The best words that I could’ve picked to describe this car would be exhilarating and Dragster. It is exhilarating because it is unpredictable and if you are a car enthusiast you do know that’s one thing that separates Fun from Fast! And old cars are fun because you don’t know whether you are going to make that next turn or not, are you gonna brake in time or not? It is a Dragster because the rpm reaches supercar territory (8000+ rpm), I kid you not. No turbochargers none of that crap here, hence no turbo lag and voila the car just REVVS its nuts out! The ride quality isn’t the best here because firstly you are sitting low and secondly the suspension is a bit on the stiffer side. The steering has a lot of play in it but maybe it’s because of the vehicle’s age.

Verdict

It is an amazing car to drive about in and is definitely fun. Almost all newer cars have lost this feel and feedback. This car also shows how first impressions about something could be so deceptive and yet it is another old car which has its soul in the right place.