Suzuki Swift vs. KIA Stonic | A Very Tough Comparison After Price Cut

A few days ago, KIA Lucky Motors announced the surprising news of reducing 1.5 million PKR on their Stonic’s top-of-the-line variant as a customer care initiative and to boost sales. Because of its pricing, this model wasn’t a very good performer in the KIA lineup. 

In a competitive response, Pak Suzuki has also made a big price adjustment in the Swift lineup on May 01, 2024. The top-of-the-line variant of the Swift now comes with a price cut of 710,000 PKR. This move now intensifies the competition between the KIA Stonic and the Suzuki Swift, making them very strong rivals of each other in the market.

Here’s the latest pricing of both cars after the recent price cut:

• KIA Stonic EX+: PKR 4,767,000

• Suzuki Swift GLX CVT: PKR 4,719,000

Now, after the City, we’re going to compare both cars, and it’s going to be a very strong comparison of all time. Both cars have almost identical pricing, features, body segments, and safety goodies.

You’ll decide which one you want to go with, and please comment your thoughts as well.

Pakwheels POV on Both Cars

KIA Stonic, a combination of “Stylish” and “Iconic,” is a C segment crossover (as per the company) that shares some looks and design language with an SUV and a hatchback, a generation upgrade from the pin-sized Picanto. Thanks to its lower center of gravity, heavy body, wide tires, and 99 HP engine, its road grip and drive quality is pleasurable. Specifically, after the reduction of 1.5 million PKR, Stonic now makes sense to buy, at least a much better option for those looking to upgrade from little 1,000cc local hatchbacks and 660cc JDMs and especially those who can’t afford overpriced JDM 1,000cc hatchbacks. 

However, as per the latest press release by KIA, they are no longer taking Stonic’s bookings. So, unfortunately, you might have to pay a premium (own) to purchase this car for express delivery, while the Suzuki Swift delivery ETA is 60 days.

Suzuki Swift, on the other hand, is a well-reputed hatchback in Pakistan with a very good resale value due to its Suzuki emblem. Its maintenance is light on the pocket, parts are readily available, fuel average is good, and of course, resale is not an issue. While the drive quality and performance isn’t as good as you get in Stonic, Swift is still a preferred option for many people, especially after the price cut of 710K PKR on GLX CVT. 

It’s tough to say which car is better, Stonic; with its colorful and energetic yellow tone interior, sporty and SUV-shaped exterior, powerful engine, and strong road grip, it’s more geared towards youth. 

Swift, with better fuel economy, easy parts availability, and on-the-spot resale, is more suited to mature people who are very delusional about the resale of their car.

But this was just our POV. Both cars are very good and come packed with a lot of high-tech goodies and safety specs; it’s not possible to state which one wins.

Here’s 1-1 Comparison of both cars:

Exterior

Specs	Stonic	Swift
Fog Lamps	Yes	Yes
Headlights	LED headlamps	Projector LED headlamps
DRLs	Yes	Yes
Parking Sensors	Yes, on back	Yes, on back
Alloys	16”	16”
Spoiler	Yes	Yes
Brake lamp	Yes	Yes
Rear Wiper	Yes	Yes
Bumper	Dual-tone in matte black with matte white diffuser	Body-colored
Wing mirrors	Dual-tone with LED indicators	Dual-tone with LED indicators

Interior

Specs	Stonic	Swift
Dashboard	Black plastic dashboard with yellow borderline on AC grills and glossy gray tone on the passenger side.	Black plastic dashboard with gray tone below the AC grills.
Seats	Black fabric + leather combination with grey lines and yellow color stitching.	All black fabric.
Steering	Three spokes, the bottom spoke is in a matte white finish and in yellow stitching.	Three spokes, all black.
AC	Digital 2-zone climate control	Digital 2-zone climate control
Rear power outlet	Yes	No
Steering controls	Yes, with cruise control	Yes, with cruise control
Sunroof	Yes	No
Push start	Yes	Yes
Sunglasses cover	Yes	No
Infotainment	8”	9”
Infotainment features	Android Auto + Apple CarPlay	Android Auto + Apple CarPlay with 4G with SIM supported
Speakers	6 speakers	4 speakers

To be honest, the Stonic’s interior is nicer and more appealing to the eyes + you get a sunroof. The yellow borderlines on the dashboard and center console, with yellow stitching on the seats and steering, make the overall interior much nicer to look at than the Swift, which has a simple black interior. So, in terms of interior aesthetics, Stonic is simply the winner!

Under the Hood

Specs	Stonic	Swift
Engine	1.4L	1.2L
HP	99 HP @6,000 RPM	81 HP @6,000 RPM
Torque	133 Nm @4,000 RPM	113 NM @4,200 RPM
Fuel injection technology	MPI	MPI
Gearbox	6-speed automatic	5-speed CVT
Engine technology	N/A	VVT
Fuel Economy	8-11 Km/l	11-13 Km/l

Safety Features

Specs	Stonic	Swift
SRS Airbags	6	6
Immobilizer	Yes	Yes
HAC + VSA + TC + ABS	Yes	Yes
ISOFIX	Yes	Yes
Frame technology	AHSS, which makes the body phenomenally rigid, enhances cabin safety upon crash.	HEARTECT, a high-rigidity frame, enhances crash safety with and joint-reduced design, disperses impact energy upon crash.
ANCAP Ratings	5-star	5-star