Sometimes, one just gets the feeling that Maruti Suzuki has a knack of developing cars that invariably take the standard of human mobility to an altogether different level. First it was the Maruti 800, whose exploits are not alien to even rural Indians. The 800 was followed by a host of other cars that shaped and carved Maruti into the carmaker it is today. Circa 2006, this was the year of the birth of yet another Maruti icon, the Swift. In only two years, the Maruti Suzuki Swift has become one of the highest selling hatchbacks in the country, and that in itself speaks volume of the cars quality. And speaking of quality, a lot of that and more can be found in abundance in the top end Swift VDI, the king of the diesel hatchbacks in the country. The Swift VDI has been blessed with a highly refined diesel engine add to that enticing looks and value for money, and the end result is an icon.
Design
Someone once dubbed the Swift as the ‘Indian Mini Cooper’. Looking at the car, you realise where the resemblance crops up from. Giugiaro’s Italian design studio has indeed done a brilliant job with the Swift. It looks more Mini Cooper like than any car I have ever seen. Skoda tried to do the same with its Fabia, but whether it succeeded or not it is quite debatable. The Swift even though a hatchback is not small, it is a bulky and robust car.  Its design is an impressive story of a beautifully sculpted body where the bonnet swoops down nicely to the radiator grille dominated by the Maruti Suzuki logo.  The swooped back headlamp and the tail lamp gives the car a rather sporty look, while the sidelines have an agile and somewhat elegant appearance. If called to define the Swift’s design with the aid of racy vocabularies, the words curvaceous and voluptuous would feature right at the top. The quality of the sheet metal out of which the car is made up of could have been better though, a slight press of the bonnet and a dent forms.
The interior of the Swift VDI is not as classy as its exterior. For the ex-showroom price of Rupees 5,35,381 ( VDI BSIII ABS) one expects a lot more of electronics and features. It doesn’t come with integrated CD player and climate control which are available in the ZXI version. The centre console is neatly stacked up but a wee bit barren. On the space front the interior is impressive, there is ample head room and leg room in the front seats but the rear legroom is not as generous as that of the Hyundai Getz. The Swift is spacious enough to hold 5 adults and the boot space of 232 litres falls second to only the Fabia.
Comfort
The VDI like its other variants is an immensely comfortable car both to drive and be driven in. Not only is the VDI smooth on city roads but also over our horrendous rural roads, it can be easily taken offroad without having to worry about nagging factors like bumps and jerks. Besides the strong suspension system, one more aspect that enhances the offroad capability of the car is the high ground clearance of 170mm, which is quite impressive for a hatchback by all means. The fabric seats are neither too hard nor too soft and that is exactly the way it should be, they are incredibly comfortable. The power steering is dutifully responsive making the VDI an easy car to maneuver in a tight spot. The only drawback if any is the 5 speed manual gear shift which is not as smooth as that of the Ford Fusion.
Engine, Transmission and Performance
For those who consider the interior of the Swift as a shortcoming, the engine and performance should light up their face. The 1248cc diesel engine is an impressive and smooth performer, churning out 75bhp and amaximum torque of 190Nm@2000rpm. Maruti has done a wonderful job with the engine refinement and it is very quiet even though it is a diesel. Acceleration though not hair-raising is quite adequate and the car is peppy in traffic, with ample power at lower rpm making it ideal for the city. The VDI is a powerful highway performer able to attain speeds of 158kmph. It is said to reach 0-100 in 13.75 seconds, a few seconds slower than the Fusion and the Fabia. The weight of the car makes it a stable customer even at high speeds and no vibration can be felt whatsoever. The stiff suspensions gives the VDI good body control, the 165/80 tyres that sit on the 14inch rims holds the ground wonderfully well and makes it a joy to drive around corners as well. There are six computers onboard the Swift VDI for engine management, no wonder it is such a smooth performer. The best thing about the VDI is its fuel economy, it delivers 14-16 kmpl with the a/c on in the city and in the highway the mileage tends to go up to 20kmpl!
Safety
There is a top end VDI which comes with ABS but the apart from that it is quiet barren when safety is concerned. In this respect, the Swift ZXI is a whole lot better as it comes with driver and passenger airbags as well as ABS and is a few thousands cheaper as well.  No car can escape the fate of negativity and the Swift VDI is no exception. Cars are in a way very much likes us mortal humans. But on closer introspection it is quite apparent that the VDI’s positive aspects easily outshines its negative ones, and it is rather pleasant to see people appreciating the car for what it is.