Which car to buy? Maruti Swift vs Ritz

Hi friends,

In my previous hubs, I compared Swift with Fabia, Swift with i20, Swift with Punto and Jazz, and also Ritz with i10 but today I have got a chance to review Ritz with Swift so friends read on my exclusive review of both of these cars manufactured by the same brand, Maruti Suzuki.

Here we have it, ladies and gentlemen the Suzuki Ritz (known as Splash in European markets) waging war as a new competitor in the B+ segment. Its biggest competition is from the same stable, the Suzuki Swift - introduced way back in 2005, and this car still holds its ground. So the big question comes here that "Should you be buying the Swift or Ritz?", so here is my exclusive comparison of both which should help you decide which car to buy.

Styling Comparison - Exteriors of Ritz and Swift

This new baby Ritz from Suzuki has been launched May 15th, 2009 and is designed on the same platform as the Maruti Swift is designed, but the styling of both these cars is really different, so the next question comes to our mind is that which one is better? The styling of Maruti Ritz definitely requires some getting used to whereas Maruti Swift's styling is sporty. The designers of Maruti Swift lost out on practicality to give the car a sportier look, what with its fat (and rather subjective) rear end, while in the Ritz; the reverse seems to have happened. Let us now start with the rear. Although the boomerang tail lamps of Maruti Ritz are eye-catching and different from the rest of the pack, the refreshed tail lamps of the Swift look good too.

The V-shaped cut at the rear perhaps to aid aerodynamics and projecting bumpers at the rear end add to the style quotient of Maruti Ritz, though the flat back end is a bit too futuristic. The rear window and rear door take a parabolical shape, giving way for a bigger rear window when compared to the Swift. The tall proportion and upright stance does not match the mean look of the Swift. The roof has a high middle that dips towards the rear.

From the front, the grill resembles the Bulgarian beard (seemingly inspired from Audi) and the sweptback headlamps are neat touches adding to the overall style. While in the Swift, the cute looking headlamps and honey comb-shaped grille still looks contemporary.

So Ritz stands nowhere near Swift in terms of styling, Ritz looks like a BOX, which is banged from the back or it looks like an Hyundai i10 which got hit on a wall while taking reverse.

The Ritz does not look sporty at all. Take a test drive and see the interiors and you'll know what I mean. It looks quite good when seen from the front, from above and from the sides, but it looks weird from behind. I would say that Maruti WagonR has a better look than this car. Performance wise and space wise, it is the same as the Swift.

Handling And Performance

Now read what I feel about the handling and performance of Ritz. I drove my colleague's Ritz last week and there is a feel of larger cabin space because of extra headroom. It feels like a revamped Wagon-R. Handling is a bit wobbly compared to Swift's well-planted feel. Acceleration was more or less the same in the petrol variant.

Interiors of Maruti Ritz

The rear seat length is same as that of Swift. Technically, it is 30 mm less which is negligible. The roof height is more than that of Swift.

It seems that the Maruti designers were in a hurry to design Ritz. The back end is awful. Looks ugly, as if the car was kicked in the butt and is trying to escape. The Swift is still rated marginally better than the Swift as per car magazines. The new KB series engine in the petrol Ritz is the car's only USP and maybe the added headroom. Swift looks better overall and handles better. Also the anti braking system or ABS in Ritz is not calibrated properly.

I feel RITZ will not be a competition for any other car makers like i10 and all and may be it is a competition for Swift itself. People in India are buying Maruti Ritz because of the brand name of Maruti and they need something unique. It is an Indian mentality that if you will give in something that looks pathetic and tell them it is so precious and unique, people will buy it like crazy. I know it is a normal human tendency but it is more in India. The KB series engine in Ritz is definitely a big plus.

I have discussed with many of my friends and colleagues and I have found out that Ritz does look pathetic to Indian people, but in Europe, the same car is called Splash and has extended rear bumpers and a slightly sloping rear that makes it a much better looking car than what we have here.

Why Maruti has not put automatic climate control AC in Ritz? Swift brochure says it has side impact beams for safety, but Ritz brochure does not say so, why? Are they not present in Ritz? According to the Indian market, the exterior looks of a car matter a lot.

Swift is again a better option

So I think Swift remains better than Ritz and Ritz is just a pirated version of Wagon-R, but Swift has his own style, power, and comfort. Swift has larger real and front tire so it is used as a sports car by many people, as it gives a sexy look when it is modified. Swift's height is low so it gives more grip on ground for fast driving and it has many more plus points so just drive it and I know the Swift will always win the race that is why it has been many times CAR OF THE YEAR.