Comparative review between New Maruti Swift Lxi and Toyota Etios Liva J

What a success story Maruti Swift has been and that it is yet not over; with the arrival of new Swift the company has most certainly given cold feet to rival automakers. The new and refined Swift came attached with high expectations even before it was launched, and it did not disappoint the Suzuki Swift fans at all.

The unfortunate strike at the manufacturing plant did break hearts of many a Swift fans, who wanted to own the car soon. The tussle between the Maruti management and labor unions has halted production of Swift at Maruti's Manesar plant, and the company has shifted its Swift production technology off Manesar. There has been an enormous gap between the demand and supply of Swift and thousands of bookings continue to be pending.

Maruti Swift leads the hatchback segment without a second thought but the delay and endless waiting has surely given hope to next best hatch Toyota Etios Liva to seize the demand. The cheer factor for Toyota is that despite a rage of fan following for Maruti Suzuki Swift, there are still good number of fans for its new hatch. Customers who aspire to be different from the crowd surely fall for the new Toyota Etios Liva which surely is a refreshing set of wheels on the Indian roads. In the following lines we shall compare the New Maruti Swift LXi and Toyota Etios Liva J.

Compare the looks

It's been six years ever since Maruti Suzuki Swift was launched, and this is the first time the carmaker has ever decided to give a facelift to the India's most popular premium hatch. The new entry level Swift Lxi is built on a slightly longer platform, and offers more space, and the car has become lighter in weight which contributes on improvising the fuel economy.

The most conspicuous change with regard to the exteriors is the headlamps and the tail lamps that are arch-shaped and the well-defined grille with the merging smart headlights becomes added attraction of the new Swift. As this is an entry level hatch it does not get alloy wheels, but the body coloured bumper, door handles and the internally adjustable ORVM's look cool. The rear window wiper is the new exterior feature.

The Toyota Etios Liva in many ways is identical to the sedan Etios especially from the front and has followed a conventional school of design; nevertheless it does look very neat. In fact, it creates quite an impression when you view it from the rear and from its sides. The new Swift has a longer body, extra width and its overall sporty appeal creates an impact on the customers, and this is where Etios Liva loses some points.

However, Etios Liva J seems to cover up its exterior short comings with its impressive interior space; the dual tone scheme looks nice, the dual tone (gray and black) on the instrument cluster and dashboard looks okay although one can't rate them good due to poor plastic. Apart from the poor plastic the Liva has ample space at the front and the rear, and the leg room and the headroom and overall quality inside the car feels comparatively better than Swift.

The Swift may not be bad, but all-black interiors might not appeal many and the rear seat passengers will still complain of poor leg and head room. The new Swift comes with power steering while the Etios Liva J has a manual steering; both cars include AC & heater as standard features and as they are entry level variants most naturally the features are kept to the bare minimum.

Engine, performance and mileage

The new Swift is equipped with 1.2L, KB series petrol engine that delivers power of 85PS @ 6000 rpm and torque of 132Nm @ 4500 rpm. The Swift Lxi has a 5-speed manual gearbox and turbocharger with overdrive. In addition to this Swift comes equipped with McPherson Strut with coil spring for a good suspension.



The engine displacement for Etios Liva is same as Swift but the power output is slightly less; 80PS @ 5600 rpm and torque of 104Nm at 3100 rpm. People who are power and performance thirsty better go for the new Swift. Even when suspension system is compared Swift scores better points than the Liva. The fact that the two cars are entry level models they have limited features but handy enough for a good drive.

Despite a refined engine Swift does not give great mileage; 16.6 kmpl on the highway and 12.8 kmpl in the city, whereas Etios Liva is better in this regard, it is gives a mileage of 18 kmpl on the highway and 14 kmpl in the city.

Colours

The new Swift LXi is available in the following colors: metallic silver, metallic black, metallic blue, metallic copper, pearl white, metallic gray and bright red. The Toyota Etios Liva J has the following color options: bluish silver, white, silver, black, red, ultramarine blue and beige. The price of Swift LXi is Rs. 422,341 while that of the Toyota Etios Liva J is Rs. 399,000. Liva outscores Swift when it comes to price point.

Verdict

For power, performance and looks many might go for Swift Lxi. The Toyota Etios Liva doesn't fall behind in the race, and it is also a little cheaper in comparison to the Swift yet the hatch actually finds few buyers. Maruti Suzuki Swift, and thy name itself is enough to prompt many to opt for the hatch despite long waiting period.