Nostalgia

I remember the first time I saw a Swift. I liked it to so much, I wanted one. Back in 2005, hatchbacks weren't aplenty; we're all well aware of it. Hyundai's Getz did manage to show up before the Swift, but that was a different car, in the same way the Swift was different. The Swift's design was young, lively and fresh, and the Esteem's G13B engine was all it took to convince a rally enthusiast that Maruti's sporty new, little car would be it. The only other car that I liked a lot in my short-pant days, was the Zen – but that was long before the Swift made its foray into our market. My feelings for the Swift remain steady, after having read your drive report. Even after two full generations, it is no different with its third avatar. Given a chance, I'd collect all three cars, parked right next to each other for some nice pictures, only to have the lot uploaded on Instagram with hashtags galore. The Swift gives you a reason to do that, you see. However, I'm going to strike while the iron is hot. No paddleshifters being offered is a bummer. The third-gen model could've begun a revolution of flappy-paddles on small cars in India, and it isn't all that hard imagining the lovely flatbottomed steering with them now, is it? Give it a thought, Maruti.

Rehan Conyers