Ravishing Cars |

The Swift is available with a petrol and diesel option. The petrol gets three variants which start at Rs 4.29 lakh for the base LXi and go up to Rs 5.49 lakh for the top end ZXi. The base model gets power steering and airconditioning while the ZXI packs climate control, power windows, central locking, rear wiper, defogger, ABS and twin airbags as well. The diesel is available in two variants only. The LDi gets the same equipment as the LXi. The VDi gets airconditioning, central locking, power steering and power windows as standard. Cheapest to buy and fun to drive as well, Offers sharp looks and decent kit too. The Maruti Swift sets the benchmark here. It’s easy to drive, offers decent cabin quality and comes at an attractive price too. The Hyundai Getz doesn’t have the price advantage but it has one of the roomiest cabins and comes with the most powerful diesel engines on a hatchback. Ford’s Fusion is not here merely to make the numbers. Its smooth and responsive engine makes it a good drive in city traffic and it comes with a huge boot as well.

The Maruti SX4 is one of the best value for money deals in the market is no secret, but so is its smaller sibling the Swift Dzire. The diesel is more especially once you realise that the Swift Dzire diesel costs only around Rs 50,000 less than the SX4 and costs half the amount to run compared to the SX4, which offers mediocre economy. The SX4 will set you back by around Rs 21,450 every month while the Dzire will cost you around Rs 20,270 evry month. That’s a savings of Rs 14,160 in just one year and comes to around Rs 42,480 in three years. Add this to the other costs and you save yourself around Rs 1,70,000 in the first three years of buying and running the car. The quality and features of both the cars are identical and both similar virtues like light controls, good ride and a decent boot too. The only department where the SX4 trounces the Dzire is in rear legroom.

The A-Star will come with an all new one litre aluminium engine that promises to be smoother and more efficient than the current range of Maruti small car engines. The all new small car will be roomier than the current Alto and will offer better cabin comfort as well. The A-Star will be manufactured in India and sold across Europe, which means that you can expect it to offer relatively good levels of build quality and materials as well. Going by the success of the Swift, you can expect Maruti to load the A-Star with plenty of goodies at an affordable price. The interiors are expected to be stylish as well. The steering feels nice and positive but the tall body means that it does a lean a fair bit if you drive through corners. Maruti has aimed the Splash at the higher end of the hatchback market, so power windows, remote central locking. Pricing will be marginally more than the Swift.