Ever since its introduction in 2005, the Swift has been one of the most popular hatchbacks in its segment. However, Maruti Suzuki never introduced its performance-focused version, the Swift Sport, in the country till now. The third-generation Swift was revealed in Japan in December 2016 and is already on sale in the international market. Now the Japanese automaker has revealed the first official picture of the third-generation Swift Sport, which will make its global debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The Swift Sport is expected to go on sale in international markets by the end of this year and Maruti Suzuki may even launch this version in India as well.
Suzuki has recently released the first official picture of the third-generation Swift Sport (check out the picture above) based on the regular hatch, which was revealed in Japan in December 2016. While the stock third-gen model is already on sale intentionally, the 2018 Swift Sport will make its global debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show in September with sales likely to begin later this year.
The third-gen Swift is expected to make its India debut at the 2018 Auto Expo, while the corresponding Dzire is already on sale in the country. In this article, we bring to you five reasons why we believe India now deserves the ‘Sport’ label with the upcoming Swift.
Present since the first-gen model saw the light of the day, the Swift Sport is a famed nameplate, especially in Europe. For an acceptable amount over the regular hatch, it used to offer a bespoke engine (1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol till the second-gen-based model), a stiffer suspension setup, sportier exterior and interior.
The Swift is known for its fun-to-drive character and the Sport variant accentuates that further to bring a barrel of laughs with its engaging handling and zippy performance! That’s what I'm being told by its international reviews. It seems like the upcoming third-gen model has big shoes to fill!
The upcoming third-gen Swift will roughly cost around the same as the outgoing model. The petrol version of the second-gen model is priced between Rs 4.79 – 6.37 lakh. While the Baleno petrol costs between Rs 5.26 – 7.28 lakh, which makes it costlier than the Swift by roughly Rs 1 lakh.
The Baleno RS, which is powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor, costs Rs 8.37 lakh, making it expensive by just over Rs 1 lakh as opposed to the top-spec petrol trim of the regular model. When compared to the range-topping Swift petrol, the Baleno RS is dearer by Rs 2 lakh. So it seems like there’s a wide window for the Swift Sport to nest in. Isn’t it?
It could be priced in the vicinity of Rs 7.50 lakh, more or less in line with its top-spec diesel, just like the Baleno.
We had hot-hatches, but there was not much acceptance in the market for what they used to offer back then. Cars such as the Chevy Optra SRV, Opel Corsa Sail 1.6L and Fiat Palio 1.6L among others failed to gather momentum in the market.
But things are changing for good. Performance-oriented hatchbacks are gradually getting accepted by the masses. The VW Polo’s GT series is a really good example of this. Presently, in the affordable performance-oriented space, there are offerings such as the Baleno RS, Abarth Punto, VW Polo GT and the recently added Ford Figo S!
The Swift, which is already popular among the masses for its fun-to-drive character, can easily create its own space in this niche market with its Sport variant. It might as well outsell its sibling, the Baleno RS.
With the recently introduced third-gen Dzire, Maruti has made sure that it wants to differentiate the Dzire’s identity from the Swift's as it completely dropped the ‘Swift’ label from its name. Furthermore, for the first time, the automaker has launched a new-gen Dzire before its corresponding Swift model.
The Dzire will have nearly a year, all to itself, before the new Swift arrives on our shores. Also, it gets a noticeably different front profile compared to the previous models that used to look more or less like their corresponding Swift models.
Introducing a performance-oriented version of the Swift will help Maruti to further differentiate their identities. The Dzire is positioned as a relatively more luxurious offering, while the Swift Sport could cash in with the Swift’s renowned fun-to-drive character in the country.
Though the international model is known as the Swift Sport, the Indian version may get an ‘RS’ label instead of ‘Sport’ as Maruti pointed out that it is keen on bringing more RS models in the country.
The global-spec will reportedly have a 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbo petrol, while the India-spec model could get the 1.0-litre Boosterjet from the Baleno RS. This motor delivers 102PS and 150Nm in the Baleno RS and is mated to a 5-speed manual. The 1.4-litre Boosterjet, on the other hand, produces roughly around 140PS/220Nm in the S-Cross facelift and Vitara S (both not available in India, as of now).
In terms of aesthetics, the India-spec model could borrow sportier styling cues from the 2018 Swift Sport. The single picture revealed by Suzuki revealed that it will have a completely redesigned bumper with a large single grille housing, side body skirts and flashy wheels.
Source: CarDekho.com
