Comparison: Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift

The Hyundai Exter is the newest entrant in the newest segment of the Indian car market, i.e. mini or micro SUVs. On paper, it goes up against the segment’s creator, the Tata Punch. But things are never that cut and dried in the Indian car market where the price is the prime mover of buying decisions. 

What this means is that the Hyundai Exter will vie not only with the Tata Punch but also hatchbacks of all hues, especially those priced in its vicinity. And as India’s largest hatchback manufacturer, Maruti is sure to have a tough time staving off the Exter challenge. 

But if there’s one hatchback from Maruti that has weathered many challenges, it’s the Swift. Despite being a third generation car, the Maruti Swift shows no signs of ageing and consistently tops sales charts. If you’re wondering how the Maruti Swift fares against the Hyundai Exter, here’s a comparison of the two cars.

Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift: Dimensions

At first glance, things seem evenly split here. But look closer and one car stands out more than the other. Yes, the Swift is easily the longer and wider car of the two. But the additional length doesn’t translate into greater legroom than the Exter as both have the same wheelbase. The Swift’s 25mm width advantage is also partially misleading as most of it is due to the body’s protruding shoulder line. 

As for the Hyundai Exter, it’s way taller than the Swift. And unlike the Maruti offering, this additional 100 mm space makes a notable difference to the headroom, making the rear seat more hospitable for taller passengers. Though seating three adults in the Exter’s rear would be a stretch, it would still be more comfortable than the Swift. 

The Exter also offers an extra 22 mm ground clearance over the Swift, which should prove a boon when driving over large speed-breakers and broken patches. In terms of boot space, the Exter is the clear winner with its 391 litres trumping even its elder sibling, the Venue. In practical terms, this would allow you to carry an extra medium-sized suitcase in the Exter as compared to the Swift.

Overall, the Hyundai Exter will be more comfortable than the Maruti Swift with its greater headroom and easier ingress-egress. It’s also the more practical car because of its higher ground clearance and boot space.

Also Read: Hyundai Exter vs Tata Tiago

Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift: Engine & Transmission

The Hyundai Exter and Maruti Swift are both powered by 1.2-litre 4-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engines with a separate CNG option. The similarity extends to the transmission too with both cars offering a 5-speed manual and 5-speed AMT, with the CNG variants offering only the 5-speed manual gearbox.

Hyundai and Maruti are renowned for making refined and reliable engines, meaning there’s little to choose between the Exter and the Swift if those are your criteria. But if you’re a performance nut, the Swift will appeal to you more as it enjoys a small but notable power advantage over the Exter, with torque output being similar. 

This differential is replicated between the two cars’ CNG variants. The additional power, along with the lighter weight, should make the Swift the peppier car in a straight line. Even around bends, the Swift would leave you grinning because of its lower height than the Exter. 

That grin is likely to get wider when refilling as the Swift returns much better mileage than the Exter, whether it’s the manual, automatic, or CNG variants. That said, the Exter isn’t bad by any yardstick. But because of being a larger and heavier car with a power disadvantage to boot, the Exter is slower, thirstier, and less fun to drive than the Swift. 

Also Read: Hyundai Exter vs Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS

Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift: Features & Comfort

If reliability is Maruti’s calling card, features are how Hyundai draws in the crowds. For instance, the Hyundai Exter is the only one in its segment to offer a sunroof, with the Swift not even offering it as an option. Similarly, the Exter offers a fully digital instrument cluster compared to Swift’s slightly dated analogue-digital unit. More glaringly, the Swift doesn’t offer rear AC vents, which adds another feather to the Exter’s comfort cap. 

However, the Swift pulls one back by offering a 60:40 rear split seat. While that’s an odd miss by Hyundai, we’d reckon the Exter’s large boot space nullifies this advantage of the Swift. Add in the larger infotainment system and the Exter comes across as the more feature-packed and comfortable car. 

Also Read: Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Suzuki Ignis

Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift: Safety Features

Crash test safety has been Maruti’s Achilles heel for some time now, especially for its under Rs 10 lakh models. The Swift is a prime example of this as it scored just 1 star in Global NCAP crash tests. While its structure is mostly to blame for such poor performance, Maruti isn’t doing the Swift any favours by offering only two airbags and no traction control. 

Yes, the Hyundai Exter hasn’t been crash tested at all. Moreover, the past crash test performance of even more expensive Hyundai cars such as the Venue and the Creta doesn’t inspire confidence. However, given how Hyundai has benchmarked the Exter to the Tata Punch, one hopes the Exter will perform better than Hyundai’s recent history suggests. Reinforcing those hopes is the fact that Hyundai offers the Exter with six airbags as standard along with traction control.

If structural safety is a non-negotiable factor for you, we’d suggest holding on till the Exter is crash tested. But if we’re to take an educated guess based on the Exter’s safety features list, the Hyundai will likely be the much safer car here.  

Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift: Price Comparison

The Hyundai Exter and Maruti Swift are closely stacked in terms of pricing. While their base variants start at the same price point, the Hyundai Exter’s upper mid and top variants are notably more expensive than their Swift counterparts.

In traditional Hyundai style, the Exter is offered in 17 variants across five trim levels, viz. EX, S, SX, SX (O), SX (O) Connect, and three powertrain options. The Maruti Swift is offered in 9 variants across four trim levels, viz. LXI, VXI, ZXI, ZXI+, and three powertrain options. 

Owing to its larger and more practical dimensions, greater comfort, more features, and possibly better safety, the Hyundai Exter offers more bang for your buck. The Maruti Swift does offer better performance and fuel efficiency at a slightly lower sticker price. But in our books, those savings aren’t enough to gloss over the Hyundai Exter’s more obvious and usable advantages. 

Hyundai Exter vs Maruti Swift: Summary

The Maruti Swift has marched on unrivalled for almost two decades in India. It continues to be an amazing choice for those looking for an affordable, easy-to-drive, fun, and reliable hatchback. But it isn’t the most practical car around and its affordability becomes questionable when you consider its feature list. The Hyundai Exter stands tall precisely where the Swift tumbles as it offers more practicality and features without growing too large and expensive over the Maruti offering.