The 2021 Suzuki Swift has been launched in India. The updated model of one of the most popular hatchbacks in India & Nepal gets a new engine, refreshed looks, and other exciting features that should make the car an overall better package. The new Swift is available in 5 variants starting from INR 5.73 lakh and going all the way up to INR 8.41 lakh.

The 2021 Swift gets minor cosmetic changes over the outgoing model. Upfront, the cross mesh grille has been tweaked and now gets a chrome accent. Round the back, little has changed over the outgoing model. Suzuki now also offers three dual-tone options on the top-spec Swift. The colour options available include a Pearl Arctic white body with a black roof, a Solid Fire red body with a black roof and a Metallic Midnight blue with a white roof.

Moving to the interior, the seats get revised fabrics upholstery. In terms of equipment, the 2021 Swift VXi gets a new audio head unit that features feather-touch controls for volume and track change. As before, the unit gets Bluetooth, USB, and AUX connectivity. The fully-loaded model, meanwhile, now comes with cruise control, colored MID, and auto-folding ORVMs.

In addition, a majority of the kit is carried over from the older model, with the fully-loaded model continuing to pack in LED headlamps, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, keyless entry and go, auto climate control, rearview camera, and more. The system also offers live traffic updates via the Smartplay Studio mobile app.

The biggest change to the 2021 Swift is under the hood. The old 83 hp, 1.2-litre K12 engine is replaced by a more powerful 90hp 1.2-litre DualJet petrol unit. Torque output, though, remains identical, at 113Nm. The new unit also brings a start/stop function that helps to further boost fuel economy. The updated Swift now has an ARAI figure of 23.20kpl in the manual version and 23.76kpl in the automatic version, as against the outgoing car’s 21.21kpl. Gearbox options include a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT unit.

The AGS variants of the new Swift come with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with a hill-hold as standard. Other safety features include steering with enhanced return ability mechanism, new bigger sized front and rear brakes. The new model also has dual airbags, ABS with EBD, Pre-tensioner and force limiter seat belts, driver and co-driver seat belt reminder, ISOFIX, and reverse parking sensors with a rearview camera. The updated Suzuki Swift is a direct rival to the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, and the Ford Figo.