Old Swift vs Picanto for home use

[zahidfazal]

Hello,

Was looking to buy a new suzuki alto but bookings are closed and dealers are asking 25-26 lacs for the basic vxr model. So I am looking at used cars. My options in the ~20-24lac range are 2020 picanto or 2017-19 swift. Would be using this as a second car within the city. I think I can get an automatic swift in this budget but picanto would be manual. What would be a better option?

Thanks

[Massive_One]

Why not Cultus vxl or vxr ? for city use, even on highway, Cultus gives the best fuel average in its category.

The only backdraw for Picanto is its fuel avg, almost equal to Swift : ( i mean 11-12-13 in city ... Kia/Hyundai engines are not very generous on giving good economy compared to Toyota / Honda / Suzuki.

[zahidfazal]

Thanks. Cultus is an option but it seems people right now are demanding unreasonably high prices for used alto and cultus. I went to the Suzuki dealership and even their 'certified used' prices for 2-3 year old cars were equal to or higher than the official prices after the recent price increase. Used Swift and Picanto don't seem to have much demand so prices are more reasonable.

So should I expect Picanto and Swift to have similar fuel average? In that case I might go for an old Swift because it is at least 3-4 lac cheaper and has more room.

[Massive_One]

hmm, i would also suggest Swift then based on :
A ) Picanto is out of market car, even more than Swift i feel ( i don't know why though, but i don't see picantos on roads as compared to other 1000cc cars).
B) Both are previous generation models.
C) Swift has bigger engine, better power and A/C.
D) Swift's driving pleasure is exceptionally good, can compare it to sedans.
E) Parts are abundantly available in many tiers, imported and local both.
F) I have Swift dlx manual, it's giving me 12 kmpl in Lahore (including kids pick and drop to school at rush hours) .. Picanto may do 13, but that's negligble difference for me.

the only doubt i have regarding Picanto is, i have not personally driven it, so i cannot comment on how good it feels to drive or about its build quality.

[brownrose78]

Kia Picanto is a class, better go towards that if you can afford

[hassankhan03]

Picanto is a nice car , but people don't go for it as it gives bad fuel average , swift imo is really comfortable and a pocket rocket as its 1.3

[F1]

Picanto built quality is way better than Swift . Even sounds insulation and drive wise as well . Rest its personal choice !

[hash4u]

would like to add
with current fuel prices avg does matter
and swift auto consumes fuel like a 6 cylinder vehicle

[xenerking]

an immaculate swift would be better as:

1-having almost same fuel consumption as compared to new PICANTO
2-Powerful engine, planted drive, strong AC ,body and suspension
3-If u ask me, then its way better looking as compared to PICANTO having halogen DRLs even bigger than most fog lights.
4-Dealership and parts support, current and future / i dont know if u need any body or suspension part for picanto how much will be waiting period.
5-Overall cheap maintenance and proven durability with continued future support almost guaranteed( i wish i cud say the same for KIA as well)
6-Last but not least. check resale value, i think swift might be having market value almost double than its original invoice value.

[faizi91]

bump

[aitzazhussainsurahio]

So which car did you go for?

[arslanawan222]

My swift does around 600kms in a tank, gt road and city driving mix.
Average is not bad on manual swift if u know how to maintain it

[zahidfazal]

So just to update, I ended up buying a 2021 Picanto and up till now I am reasonably happy with my purchase. I didn't go with Swift mainly because as a slightly older car, it was harder to find one in like new condition. On the other hand most of the used Picantos in the market are almost new. I was able to get an automatic late 2021 model with <15k mileage and it looks pretty much brand new.

I love the build quality and drive and it just feels much more premium compared to Suzuki. The cons of the car are pretty well known so I will just briefly go over them. The rear seats are really cramped (unlike an alto) and >2 people won't be comfortable in the back especially if they are tall. I am getting fuel economy of ~10km with ac in the city which is much lower than its competitors. However, for me this is an ok tradeoff as you get much better quality. Given that the alto vxr now costs 25 lacs, a 2021/22 automatic Picanto for a similar price is infinitely better in my opinion. Of course, alto wins in fuel economy, cost of parts and resale but I feel after the recent price hikes alto is no longer providing the value for money which was its main selling point.