Hyundai Grand i10 vs Maruti Suzuki Swift: Comparison

The biggest talking point about the Hyundai Grand i10 has been its small but efficient diesel engine. But, that has no bearing here, because this, is a petrol comparison. Nonetheless, even in petrol guise, the Grand i10 has redefined a few rules in its classbe it space, equipment or the value for money proposition. Then you have the Swift; it is the default choice or anyone looking at buying a hatchback, and it has been that choice for years. So, even though the Grand is good, it must have the wherewithal to beat the Swift for it to keep the moment it has currently gathered.

But, looking at the two cars parked in front of me, my eyes keep moving to the Swift. I still can't believe that even though the Swift is the older car here, it still looks better. It looks young, dynamic and less oriental than the Grand. The Swift's design is less busy and apart from that long-ish hood, I wouldn't want to change anything about the car's styling.

In case of the Grand, I'd like to give it bigger 15 inch wheels to begin with, and a slightly tauter skin. The Grand follows Hyundai's Fluidic design philosophy like the Verna and the Elantra. And even though we like the way the latter two look, this design philosophy doesn't work as well on the small car. 

What does work for the Grand, is its interior. Like the Swift, the interior of the Grand is nicely finished with no real rough edges, and the look and feel of the plastic all round doesn't feel tacky either. But, where the Grand scores over the Swift is features. We have top of the line versions of both cars here - Asta and Zxi, respectively. And all that the Swift offers extra is digital climate control.

The Grand though has keyless entry and start, it has reverse parking sensors, a cooled glovebox and most importantly, way more interior room. Wherein one would struggle with both knee and shoulder room when seated in the rear of the Swift, in the Grand even six footers won't be uncomfortable. The knee room is comparable to sedans and the shoulder room though still not great for three average sized adults, is less of a squeeze compared to the Swift. And the Grand has a bigger, more usable boot and not to forget, better ingress as well. 

We also prefer the rear seat on the Grand - it offers better thigh and back support and it has a longer seat squab too. But for the driver, the Swift makes more sense. The visibility isn't great, but the seat-steering-pedal relation feels more natural on the Swift. The gear shifter falls easily to hand as well and distance between the floor pedals is well judged too. The Grand has good seating ergonomics too for the driver, but it is less focused towards the driver compared to the Swift.

The Grand was designed to be a plush and comfortable small car, while the Swift has always been for the young at heart, enthusiastic lot. And this shows in the way the two cars drive. The Swift has a stiffer, more uncomfortable ride. But, it has better dynamics. Drive a Swift on better tyres than it comes with as standard and the improvement in grip and handling prowess becomes obvious. It turns in better, is more adjustable on the throttle mid corner, and because it connects with the driver better - even with a steering that lacks feedback - it just makes it an easier car to drive fast and have fun with.

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The Grand has an equally lifeless steering. It is an improvement over the i10, but it is still a far cry from being involving in any way. It's the same with the handling. The Grand handles better than the i10; it rolls less, has a more positive turn in and the overall grip levels are higher too. But, unlike the Swift which is enjoyable, the Grand's handling can best be termed as safe. If a car (read Grand)  doesn't feel at sea on a race track, you know that dynamically, the engineers have done a good job. So even though Grand was pretty distinguished on the race track, it isn't a car you'd like to go around the track with, endlessly.

Now, this, as we mentioned in the beginning, is a petrol car comparison. Both the Grand and the Swift have very good petrol engines. These are both 1.2-litre units with variable valve timing and there's just a 5PS difference in the peak power outputs of the two engines with the Swift having an edge over the Grand with 87PS. Both engines are then mated to slick shifting 5-speed manual gearboxes and the clutch operation on both cars is light and progressive. Moreover, both the engines, no matter how hard you rev them, never sound or feel strained. But, if we had to pick between the two, we'd settle for Hyundai's Kappa2 engine. It is nicer sounding, more refined and importantly, more efficient too. It also helps propel the Grand to 100kmph is lesser time than the Swift and the Hyundai also posts quicker roll on times through the gears. The gear shift quality is lighter and less notchy on the Grand as well.

So, there you have it - if you like driving, and driving enthusiastically, stick with the Swift; it still is the most fun you can have for that sort of money. But, for everything else - comfort, features, space, practicality, efficiency and value for money - the Grand i10 is the car to buy. To add, not only is the Grand more efficient, it is also cheaper to buy.

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