Test drove SWIFT DIESEL today, here's the review.
Just came back from the test ride, 27 kms in total with three person in total including yours truely. Those who know the NCR (national capital region), from Noida Sector 1 to the middle of the Greater Noida Expressway and back. I wont talk about looks, handling, interiors but the engine. Drive it for extended periods, there won't be an iota of doubt in your mind for it being the engine of the year in its class in Europe. The engine is free revving, just prod the accelerator a little when standing still and the tacho needle goes crazy, making you think this is something special. The engine is hardly audible at idle, though a little vibration does makes its presence felt through the steering wheel and the pedals, its not disconcerting at all. Couldn't hear the engine noise while standing outside, but what the heck, who cares as long its that fast, that refined and that economical and that quiet inside..... Read further!
Time to hop on to the driver seat. The ergonomics are almost perfect (may be i am using these adjectives coz i am in awe of the engine) for someone like me (5 5"). I just pushed the seat a little forward and voila, thats about it. The steering wheel, the pedal placement is alright, the gear stick falls right in your hand, you sit high enough to have good visibility all, around compared to my palio 1.2 'in' which which feels like sitting on the floor. The gearshift in itself is great, nice clicking feel when the gear is engaged, though it takes a little effort.
Time to engage the first gear and move on and find out how the engine and performance is. The thing that strikes you first is how refined and vibe free the engine is when on the move, suddenly all the other diesels that i have sat in feels as if they are from the stone age with the possible exception of the Innova. The clutch is light (verry light compared to the oh-thats-so-heavy clutch of my palio 1.2) and the car rolls forward smoothly even if you dont press the accelerator. Its a little too crowded before i head to the greater noida expressway, so i just drive along with the flow and 'behave'. Standing at the red light in the first row, i press the accelerator a little more than to just start the car rolling, the tacho registers 2000 rpm and the car lurks forward as if somebody banged a child's behind with a stick and a wide grin plastered on my face in anticipation of whats to come. I was now conciously trying to hit 2000 rpm, every opputunity i got and everytime i did so the grin only got wider and wider. 4 kilometers from where i started i was looking at straight long almost empty stretch of road called the greater noida expressway. Not to be carried away (more than 38 people have died on this expressway due to accidents in the past 2 years), i start in first gear (though a little more aggressively this time) and from then on tried to keep the car above 2000 rpm and boy o boy does she accelerates. As soon as the tacho registers 2000rpm (any gear mind you) the engine suddenly wakes up, your are pinned to your seat and cars lunges forward as if its headed for horizon. The tidal wave of torque after 2k's rpm is pure adrenalin rush, addictive to say the least and we are talking about a humble 1248CC diesel engine. Past 2000rpm the acceleration is amazing.
People driving behind you or by your side would be thinking, "What hit him" as the swift just flies and becomes a dot in front. You love highway cruising, this is the car for you, at barely 2500 rpm the speedo registers 100 kph with the turbo fully spooled up and the car in its torque band, overtaking is a cake walk, it doesnt get easier in a hatchback save for the Palio 1.6 no other hatch comes even close. Even at 120 KPH the tacho is still below 3000 rpm!!! (2900 to be precise), overtaking still a breeze though it requires a litte more pedal press. The sprint from 80-100 KPH is done in no time at all and i touched a brief 150 kph on the speedo with a little effort and some juice still left in the engine. I reckon it will touch atleast 170 KPH on the speedo. I wished the steering had some feel, instead of being numb. The steering feel at high speeds lefts a lot to be desired. I took a U turn back on the expressway, stopped the car to a standstill, in want of a proper drag launch, but then with so much torque available i dropped the idea, instead gently started the car rolling and then almost floored (not fully) the accelerator, and i shouted "awesome!". For this kind of acceleration in petrol swift, i had to almost redline the car in each gear, with the engine sounding as if its blowing its guts out, while in the diesel it wasn't even close to being redlined!!! Its not about the absolute BHP and torque figures, its about how accesible those horses are under everyday driving and here the diesel just pounces the petrol engine (infact at one point i was saying to myself even if diesel and petrol are priced the same i will still opt for the diesel). The engine looses a bit of its refinement above 3000 rpm but it never gets to a point where its even remotely rough or feels strained.
Will i buy it, after paying over and above 1 lakh for the equivalent petrol version.... OH HELL YES! The accesible power, the refinement, the grunt and torque is enough, fuel economy along with all this is a jackpot. Whats the point in buying a petrol car just because its cheaper upfront when you will never be able to drive it like the diesel counterpart with all that fun and still smiling when you fill up at the next fuel stop. If you want the same performance as the diesel swift from the petrol, be prepared to loose a lot more Rupees/Km than you normally would.
Yes there is turbo lag below 1800-2000 rpm but its more pronounced once you feel the surge above it. To me its not that bad and the car is nicely driveable even in city traffic but i am sure you will just drop in a gear and surge ahead.
Gosh I just can't wait for the VGT version of the same engine, that will take care of the minor niggle it has.
I can't help but say, put the VGT version of the engine in the Palio chasis and voila you have "THEEEEEEEEEEEE" PERFECT HATCH that has ever landed on Indian streets..... FIAT are you listening!
