Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG spied ahead of launch

Maruti Suzuki Swift is one of the most popular hatchbacks in India. It is only offered with a petrol engine now because Maruti Suzuki discontinued the diesel engines when the BS6 emission norms kicked in. Now, a new test mule of the Swift has been spied with an emission kit mounted indicating that the manufacturer is testing a CNG version of the Swift.

There were no other changes spotted on the test mule. The hatchback is expected to come with the earlier 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that used to produce 83 PS of max power and 113 Nm of peak torque. However, while running on CNG, the power output would fall. Also, there would be no AMT gearbox on offer.

The Swift that is on sale right now comes with a new DualJet 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 90 PS of max power and 113 Nm peak torque. You can get it with a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT. The engine is very fuel-efficient. It delivers a fuel economy figure of 23.20 kmpl with the manual gearbox and 23.76 kmpl with the AMT gearbox.

Also read: 4-generation Maruti Suzuki Swift to launch in 2022: What it”ll look like

While the fuel efficiency of the Swift is quite good, the prices of petrol and diesel have increased significantly. They have already breached Rs. 100 per litre mark. Due to this, many people have started considering alternative fuel options like CNG. People are also considering going for after-market CNG kits.

The Swift is not the first hatchback that will be offered with a factory-fitted CNG. Hyundai offers the Santro with a factory-fitted CNG. However, the biggest competitor to Swift CNG will be the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios CNG. This is because the Swift and the Grand i10 Nios are direct competitors and also lie in the same price bracket.

Maruti Suzuki also offers factory-fitted CNG for some of their vehicles. They call their factory-fitted CNG variants, S-CNG. The S-CNG variant is available with WagonR, Celerio, Alto, Eeco, S-Presso and Ertiga. The manufacturer has made some changes to their vehicles that are offered with factory-fitted CNG.

The modifications have been made to make the transition to CNG much smoother so that the driver does not feel like he is driving a CNG vehicle. Maruti Suzuki’s CNG vehicles come with Dual Interdependent ECUs so that the transition to CNG is smooth. The manufacturer also retunes the suspension setup and brakes to handle the extra weight of the CNG tank.

The vehicle is also crash tested and evaluated with the CNG tank installed as per Maruti Suzuki. Other modifications include integrated wiring so that there is no chance of a short circuit. The joints and pipes are made up of stainless steel so that they do not corrode or leak. A switch has been installed that ensures that the vehicle does not start during the CNG refilling process. The manufacturer also continues to offer a warranty and they also offer a dedicated CNG fuel gauge.

Dzire CNG coming soon

A few weeks ago, a similar test mule of a Dzire was spotted whose rear suspension was compressed and an emission kit was also installed. It will also use the same 1.2-litre petrol engine and the Dzire will be going against the Hyundai Aura CNG. The Dzire CNG is expected to launch in January’22.

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