OD Garage : Maruti Suzuki Swift

That the Swift diesel is fuel efficient has been made amply clear in the reports so far, Bertrand’s heavy right foot notwithstanding. It’s also clear that besides the frugal engine, the skinny tyres contribute handsomely to this feat. And that they add a bit of excitement in everyday commute offering insufficient grip has been brought to light as well. This month has been no different. She is still returning great economy, and sliding around roundabouts with as much enthusiasm. The Swift also continues to be a great city commute companion, especially in bumper to bumper traffic. Just the other day I was stuck in one of the worst traffic jams I have experienced in Pune city – endless row of dump trucks on the correct side and an equally endless row of stupid Indicabs occupying the lane of now stranded oncoming traffic. Thankfully, the crowd of archaic, smoke spewing, metal was on a move, albeit at snail’s pace. This is where the Swift is at her best - with the engine turning at barely 1000rpm (in turn burning little fuel) all she needs is a feather touch of the throttle to move her into gaps. She does well to keep up with relative fast moving traffic too. But she isn’t completely cut out for spirited driving – especially, the hard braking and hard on the gas sort. You come barrelling down a straight road, spot a foolhardy cyclist stepping out of nowhere, brake and swerve to avoid the idiot, and then get back on the throttle to catch up with your mate, and… nothing. The Swift suddenly feels like a dud failing to motor around with any sort of eagerness, taking little notice of that accelerator pedal stuck to the floor. More so, if you are in second thanks to the wide gap in ratios between the short first and a relatively taller second. So you downshift, and rev the oil burner to 4000rpm. A while later, you are finally motoring. Alas, only to find yet another cyclist, strolling down the road with little concern for his own life. And yours. Having said that, if you are more of a highway person, who appreciates good mile munching abilities, you’d love the diesel Swift. Particularly on sections like the expressway. Once up to speed, she cruises at speeds of over 140kmph without complaint. Push the pedal some more, and she continues to oblige. Meanwhile, if you are wondering what happened to the add-ons for the Swift, the ones Bertrand has been harping about in the last issues, it seems they’re still in transit…