A few months ago, I drove the Tata Punch and came out genuinely surprised at how
awesome a package it was and then when I got back home, I thought of a devious plan
to see how well it could stack up against its rivals, so we decided to compare it differently,
compare it against benchmarks from different body styles.
First up was the Amaze, which the Punch dominated and now on to an even tougher rival, the Swift.
Now, if you're wondering why we're comparing an orange
with an apple? That's probably because if you go to your local fruit vendor,
these two probably cost about the same and some people like the apple, some people like the
orange, I like both. So which is why we thought we'd cross shop these two as well, because
both of these cost about the same in the market today and as you know, people now buy cars
according to the kind of money they have to spend and not according to what body style they like,
so I thought it would be apt to compare these two, the new boy versus the old guard,
one of the most popular cars in India versus one that seems to be getting there rather quickly,
Apt, isn't it?
Now before I actually get into these and drive well, let me say this both these cars
here today have a design language that I and most people in general, will like. Neither of these
cars have haters, if you can call it that, and look at them, the Punch looks so current,
so urban, so out there and the Swift, well, that's always going to be the best looking Suzuki
out there, period. But personally, I'd put some 17-inch wheels on there right away,
both these cars are really begging for nice big wheels.
Well, you see this is technically the fourth video that I have made about the Punch on our channel,
and if you've seen the other three videos, there might be some bits that are repititive, but for
the sake of somebody who's watching this video for the first time, and we think there are gonna
be a fair few of you who are gonna be watching this comparison test for the first time ever,
let me have some repeated points that I would like to make about the Punch.
As I've always said, this has the best ride comfort of any car under Rs. 10 lakh,
and I'm going to stick by it. It is genuinely, just unbelievable how comfortable this car is
over any terrain at all. You can hit a speed breaker at 40 kilometres an hour and it'll just
shrug it off like nothing's gonna happen, like an Italian man would, ey, ey, nothing's happening.
Okay, never mind. I'd also like to talk about how lethargic the engine is because it just is,
it's a fact of the matter, it's something that you can't really
escape or not talk about and as I've always said, if you are going to get one,
get the AMT because a more relaxed gearbox fits this lazier engine a lot lot better.
I'd also like to talk about how the interior is because in terms of the way it's designed, I really like how
simple they've kept it, I like how timeless they've kept it, I like the fact that this
after eight or ten years will still look fresh, now we've got this nice little sort of tablet
like screen that's popped up on the dashboard, it could be a little bigger, of course, but
well it's not bad, it's clear, it's crisp, it does what it's supposed to, it's got all the latest tech,
it's got a really nice and informative instrument cluster which is semi-digital
and semi-analogue and that's something that I like as well and there are some points that I
don't like too in the interior, like for example, some of the plastics feel a little bit cheap,
but overall this is a very nice place to be and it doesn't feel like a 10 lakh rupee car,
it feels like a little more expensive, it feels like something that you would
normally find in a compact SUV, like say a 14, 13, 14, 15 lakh rupee SUV so a segment up
and that's a good thing. If you're looking for your first car to be treated to something
that feels slightly more premium, that feels slightly better is always a great thing to have.
And that's a big plus point for the Punch as well. But talking about interiors I think it's time now
to go and hop into that Swift because if this is timeless and classic that is as funky and sporty
as you can get under Rs. 10 lakh, power exception.
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city driving particularly during warm-up and in stop-start conditions whether it is due to traffic
or short trips. Ordinary car oils may not be enough to protect your car engine and that
is why we recommend fully synthetic Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start for non stop protection.
You know, what's the interesting thing about the Swift and something that's always been the case
with the Swift, it's something for everybody, it's sporty, yet sensible, it appeals to the 18
year old kid, it appeals to a 65 year old uncle and everybody in between a lot. But this one,
this one is a little more special, it's one of the little sportier than ever before
because of all these little red accents on the instrument cluster or that grey plastic that's
sort of, just looks like it's, well, it's trying to be Mini-esque, isn't it? It's always been
inspired by Mini, if you would call it that.
But, it is still a sensible car, it does everything that you would want it to do and
these newer ones are also very well built in terms of just how everything sort of, is, you know this
climate control cluster, for example, I mean, a Maruti getting that is just a cool thing to have,
isn't it? Now I mentioned earlier with the Punch that that is classic and timeless,
this is classic and timeless too, but I think as we move towards a more digital console across
prices and across strata, this might appear to be just a little bit more old school,
it might appear to be too analogue in some cases. What isn't analogue though...
what isn't analogue though, is that K-12 engine.
How many years has it been now, 2008-09 since the engine was actually introduced and of course,
the newest version of this engine has a mild hybrid system, but basically it is still the same car,
Maruti sadly doesn't have one in the fleet, so we had to borrow one from a friend.
How can this engine after so many years still put a smile on your face
even with this AMT gearbox which isn't exactly the best in class or isn't exactly the best, period.
Maruti just gets that so right every single time doesn't it?
It's on the ball, and what else is on the ball, the way this thing handles.
The Punch is a well balanced chassis,
this is much better.
6000rpm in every gear,
it's stuff like this that differentiates this car. It is mass market, yes I mean,
it's the definition of mass market and yet and yet it is such a joy to drive.
The other big, big, big, big difference between the two of course is their NCAP safety rating
and for a lot of people that is a deal maker for the Punch and a deal breaker for the Swift,
that's just the reality of it. The Punch gets five stars and the Swift gets only two
in the global NCAP ratings and yes, the Swift does meet all its Indian regulations but
apples to apples or well, apples to oranges in this case, you will be safer in the Tata.
Let's give you a verdict because that's what we do here on PowerDrift and before I give you
that verdict, let me make a confession, no, let me make two confessions. Confession number one,
I still really like the Swift, it's a car that has my heart and if I was to buy
another car for say, about Rs. 10 lakh to replaced my now 10 year old personal Swift I'll just
probably buy one of these and give it to my driver, so I don't have to worry about
maintenance or scratches or they are things easy to run, easy to sort of fix etc., but,
you cannot discount the kind of effort Tata has put into the Punch
and this review, this video is about your first car and you want more from your first car.
Yes, the Swift is way better to drive in terms of engine performance, but for everything else,
I think the Punch maybe does it slightly better. Of course, design is something that's a
personal perspective, I think this looks nicer than the Swift does, maybe not in this colour,
but in another colour, the light bluish green that we drove right in the beginning, but overall,
it's got more space and that's what you want from your first car, it's got, I think, a nicer
looking interior in terms of design, that's again something you want from your first car and you do
want to actually sort of not blend in when you buy your first car, some people do want to blend in.
Second confession, this has been one of the most difficult comparison tests I have done in my life.
But, it is time for a verdict and apples to oranges, tonight I'm taking the orange home.
I think the Punch is a better first car.
You know what, I've just had a bit of a eureka moment. Remember Tata's more
car per car philosophy with the Indica? I'd say this, the Punch, does it even better.