Auto Expo 2018: New Maruti Suzuki Swift RS spotted in India
Maruti Suzuki has already started taking bookings for the new-gen Swift hatchback in India. Interested customers can book their Swift at any of the company's dealerships for a token amount of Rs 11,000. It is said that the Maruti Suzuki Swift will be launched at the 2018 Auto Expo in India. Recently, the Maruti Suzuki Swift RS was spotted in the country leading to speculations that the same might be showcased at the motor show in Delhi. Unlike the Swift RS that was earlier launched in the country, the new-gen Swift RS is expected to be powered by the 1.0-litre Boosterjet that does duty in the Baleno RS in India.
The Swift is based on Suzuki's new Heartect platform, which also underpins cars like the Baleno and the Ignis. It is lighter than the previous platform and more rigid which, according to Suzuki, enhances "fundamental vehicle performance". The new Suzuki Swift is 10mm shorter than the older car, but the wheelbase has gone up by 20mm. Considering that the older model was infamous for its crammed rear kneeroom, this increase in wheelbase could be a boon.
Additionally, boot space has gone up too by 54 litres, giving it a total capacity of 265 litres. The new car is also 40mm wider, which could translate to better shoulder room. While the height has been reduced by 15mm, the seats have been lowered too. So while headroom shouldn't be an issue, ingress and egress could be one. According to the brand, the new car is 120kg lighter than its predecessor, and one of the variants weighs as little as 840kg. While that is 25kg lighter than the lightest Baleno sold in India, Suzuki could be talking about the Euro-spec car which gets a different set of engines.
In India Maruti is expected to employ the same 1.2-litre K-Series petrol motor (84.3PS at 6,000rpm and 115Nm at 4,000rpm) and the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine (75PS at 4,000rpm and 190Nm at 2,000rpm). The engines are mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Maruti could also thrown in an optional CVT automatic gearbox, given the rising popularity of such transmissions. The Maruti Suzuki Swift RS will be equipped with the all-new 3-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which makes 102PS/150Nm. This corresponds to an increase of 19PS/35Nm over the 4-cylinder naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engine of the regular car. Maruti has mated the new Boosterjet engine to a 5-speed manual.