The Maruti Baleno RS is India’s most successful ‘hot hatch’, what with the car selling over 1,500 copies each month. Encouraged by the Baleno RS’ success, Maruti is likely to soon launch the Swift Sport in India. Here is a video review of the right-hand drive version of the car straight from Australia. The video will give you a low down on what to expect from the fastest hatchback Suzuki has ever put together for the mass market.
The Swift Sport uses the same HEARTECT platform as the current, 2018 Swift. What this means is a kerb weight of a super-light 970 kilograms. Pair this with a 1.4 liter BoosterJet turbocharged petrol engine with 140 Bhp-230 Nm, and a stiffer suspension set-up. The result is a really quick, agile car. How does a sub-8 second 0-100 Kph sprint time sound? Well, that’s Fiat Punto Abarth-beating performance.
Maruti plans to first deploy the 1.4 liter BoosterJet turbocharged petrol engine in the Vitara SUV (a Creta rival). Building this engine in India will give Maruti enough leverage to price the Swift Sport very competitively. Think Fiat Punto Abarth pricing, or about Rs. 10 lakhs. That’ll make the Swift Sport India’s fastest hot hatchback in the affordable car category.
Other key bits of this car includes 6 speed manual and automatic gearbox options (we’re likely to get the manual), LED projector headlamps, 17 inch alloy wheels with a diamond cut finish, a five door layout that ensures comfortable daily use and features similar to what’s available on the top-spec regular Swift variants sold in India. All-in-all, the Swift Sport’s got everything to be a family car on the weekdays and a sporty corner carver during the weekend.
The hot hatchback segment in India is growing steadily. From the Polo GT TSI/TDI models to the Fiat Punto Abarth and the Maruti Baleno RS, there is plenty for the enthusiast to choose from. In the coming months, Tata will launch the Tiago and Tigor JTP twins as India’s most affordable performance-oriented cars. The Swift Sport, expected to arrive here sometime next year, will be the crowning glory of this segment.
[“Source-cartoq”]
