Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG Review: A Practical Mileage-Focused Hatchback

Maruti Suzuki, India’s leading passenger vehicle manufacturer, offers multiple cars in the market that are equipped with a CNG option. This bi-fuel option helps commuters achieve extra fuel efficiency and is also more cost-effective. The lineup for the CNG cars starts from the S-Presso, and it goes to the Grand Vitara. In the budget segment, the Swift CNG is a popular choice among buyers in the market.

Maruti Suzuki updated the Swift in 2024, introducing a new exterior and interior design, as well as a new Z-Series three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine. The Swift is equipped with decent features like a reverse parking camera, a wireless charger, and others. Though we drove the ZXI CNG variant of the Swift, some of the features were missing on this variant.

Recently, we drove the Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG variant in the city and majorly on highways and tested out its fuel efficiency, comfort, features, and other parameters. Here are our thoughts on whether you should consider the Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG:

What’s Good

Fuel Efficiency

The Maruti Suzuki Swift is a fuel-efficient hatchback in the market. The automaker claims that it has a fuel efficiency of 32.85 km/kg. During our driving experience, we got a fuel efficiency of 27.1 km/kg. It is quite fuel-efficient for your daily commutes, and on highway runs, by maintaining cruising speeds, you can easily extract a higher fuel efficiency.

Performance

The Swift got a new 1.2L inline three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, which makes 82 bhp and 113 Nm of torque paired with a five-speed manual gearbox.

However, in the CNG mode, this engine makes 68 bhp and 101Nm of torque. During our drive, the performance from the engine was decent in the city, and the engine offers decent punch and has improved low-end torque. Moreover, for quick overtakes, you’ll need to make a downshift to get the sudden power boost. The engine is refined in the lower end, but it does vibrate, and the 3-cylinder effect is quite evident.

Comfort

The seats in the Swift are pretty comfortable. The bolstering on the front seats and the cushioning are on point, and you’ll not feel tired during long trips. however since we drove the second top variant, it offers fabric seats and not the leatherette seats, which could have enhanced our overall cabin experience.

Coming to the rear, there is decent space on offer. It has ample amount of knee room, leg room and shoulder room, but it is best suited for two passengers in the rear. Moreover, due to its lower ingress and egress, elderly passengers may have a bit of a problem while getting in and out of the vehicle.

What’s Bad

Exterior CNG filling Cap

Maruti Suzuki is a segment leader in the CNG vehicle market. Swift comes with an external fuel filling point located on the right side. To access it, you’ll need to first insert the key and unlock it. next you’ll have to keep it holding till the time cng is getting filled, and post that, you’ll again have to lock it with the key. Sometimes, opening and closing it became a bit cumbersome, and every time can be an issue for some buyers. The automaker should have given it in the fuel filler section, as it is given in other models in the lineup.

Low Boot Space Due to CNG Tank

Since Maruti Suzuki has placed the CNG tank in the boot, there’s hardly any space left. however you can still fit a few handbags or duffle bags for your short getaways. in future, Maruti Suzuki may position it under the body just like the Victoris to unlock more space inside.

Features

The Maruti Suzuki Swift has an ample number of features on offer. however since we drove the second top variant, it comes with an 8-inch infotainment screen, an automatic climate control, an analogue instrument cluster, and others.

However, we expected some more features in the Swift at its price. It misses out on a cruise control, a Type-C charger port, a reverse parking camera, and others. Some of these features can be a deal breaker for buyers of a CNG car at its price point.

What is the price of the Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG?

The price of the Maruti Suzuki Swift starts at ₹6.65 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the base variant. However, the price of the Swift CNG variant starts at ₹8.51 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the LXI variant and goes to ₹9.59 lakh (on-road, Noida) for the ZXI variant.

Conclusion

Now the million-dollar question is -- should you consider the Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG in its segment or not? Our answer is Yes. The exteriors of the Swift are striking and have a good headlight throw at night, and the interior comes with plenty of hard plastic elements. However, it misses out on some key features, which could be a deal breaker for some buyers at its price. Moreover, the Swift CNG has certain vibrations from the engine at low-end, and the clutch bite is decent and would take some time to adapt to it. The ride quality is comfortable, but Maruti Suzuki could have tuned the suspension better for more interior comfort.

Also Read: Kia Syros vs Kia Seltos: Which One to Pick?