For many, it’s not the performance but how much a liter of fuel can be stretched or even how much the monthly commute takes on the wallet. Add the fact that diesel is no longer an option at a sub-Rs 10 lakh price point and the choices are pretty limited. CNG has become more popular of late with more choices and finally you get the option to buy a better equipped car.

Maruti Suzuki has a large range of CNG equipped cars and the latest one is the Swift CNG. This time there are more variants and it costs Rs 90,000 more than petrol. The Swift CNG comes in VXi, VXi (O) and ZXi variants with a starting price of Rs 8.19 lakh. With the Swift CNG, the Z series three-cylinder engine gets the CNG option for the first time.

Visually, there is no change even though there is no CNG badge. What you will notice is the separate CNG filler nozzle that continues and is not located inside the fuel filler cap while it is located on the opposite side. You have to manually open it with a key when filling it at the CNG station.

Inside, you start it in petrol while then switching to CNG mode with the center display showing. With a 5-speed manual gearbox, the Swift in CNG mode develops 70 hp and 101 Nm. The CNG tank is a single cylinder located in the trunk and takes up almost all the space there. To drive, the CNG version is refined and surprisingly easy to drive with plenty of power.

It doesn’t feel slow in CNG mode and you don’t have to downshift much either. It has enough power and the 5 speed manual is very easy to use with easy clutch/shift. In fact, it’s quite responsive and doesn’t feel that different from the petrol version. It’s also not much different in the way it drives, retaining that easy-to-drive character while being one of the more fun-to-drive Maruti cars. Swift CNG has a capacity of 55 liters and can handle 32.85 km/kg.

It is the most economical cng hatchback with higher mileage than others. The actual mileage would be a little less than others but still among the highest. If you want to save on fuel costs, CNG is the best option at this price and now you also get the option of a more feature-packed version while not compromising on performance. Hence Swift CNG makes sense due to its cost efficiency but the boot space is really compromised but it is a sensible package.