With the desire of owning the best hatchback one is often confused between the two beasts ruling the streets of India and the reason is pretty obvious because both offer you breathtaking performance(in their segment),loads of gadgets and have that oomph factor just enough to take you off your feet.I decided to take a dig at them and what follows is the detailed breakdown about the two cars in terms of the interiors,exteriors,performance,pricing,pros & cons and the most important of all-the VERDICT.

INTERIORS:

i20 Interiors

Swift Interiors

i20

With dual tone brown and beige interiors the i20 offers the comforts of all four power windows, integrated dual din music system with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters,automatic climate control,two electronic trip-meters and rear defogger even in its Magna variant.

The upper variants include 

2-6 airbags(depending on the variants),

steering mounted audio and calling controls,

Bluetooth connectivity in the music system,

ABS with EBD,

auto rain sensing wipers,

auto head lights,

indicators on the ORVM,

parking assist cameras & sensors,

sunroof,

supervision instrument cluster,

smart pedal,

clutch lock,

start-stop button,

key less entry with smart key and the list continues to our astonishment.

The blue illuminated interiors are soothing to the eyes and give a sense of pride to anyone who sits behind the wheels.There is ample amount of space for 3 big adults to sit at ease at the backseat not compromising with the space for the driver and the passenger next to him.Quality of the interiors is at par and good to look at with tiny chrome finishes everywhere.The black and silver combination on the music system does look a bit tacky with rest of the brown-beige interiors but the quality material and finish makes up for it.The seats are comfortable enough for long rides and the overall feeling while sitting in the car is good. 

Swift

Unlike its competitor,the Swift boasts of all black interiors with silver linings.The Lxi/Ldi base variant has only an AC in its list of features and misses out body colored ORVMs,wheel covers and has no power windows which is a shame for a car of such segment.

However the two upper variants(Vxi/Zxi & Vdi/Zdi) include

indicators on the ORVM,
automatic climate control,

dual din music system(Zxi/Zdi only),
supervision instrument cluster,
ABS(Zxi/Zdi only,optional in Vxi/Vdi),

steering mounted audio and calling controls(Zxi/Zdi only)

and 2 airbags( Zxi/Zdi only)

The list of features in Swift is short and not never-ending like that of i20.While the waterfall designed dual din music system(Zxi/Zdi only) looks good with the 3 spoke steering wheel and orange illumination,the overall build quality somewhat is uninspiring and cheap.Quality compromise does make the black interiors tacky.Silver linings although good,do try to cover up this to some extent.Sitting in the lower variants(Lxi/Vxi & Ldi/Vdi) and inspecting the dashboard finish is to no doubt more disappointing.Although space factor in the car has been improved upon,it still isn't very comfortable for one at the backseat to share it with two other people. 

Not that the Swift isn't good from the inside but its just that i20 manages to steal away this award with its never ending list of features,better quality finish and more appealing blue illumination which simply sets in.

EXTERIORS:
Both the cars certainly don a look which might make you go in awe! and there is no comparison as to which looks the better of the two.

i20 Exteriors

Swift Exteriors

i20
Carrying forward the traditional fluidic design,this horse from the Hyundai stable is a beauty. Sharp and bulging headlights have replaced the old,contemporary ones complimented with the redesigned bumpers,bonnet and shining front grill.Taillights have not been given much of the makeover and the rest of the body carries the same curvy look as its predecessor which makes it aerodynamically strong.

Swift
One would not be able to distinguish the looks of the new Swift from the older one at the first look.However on careful observation the headlights and taillights have been elongated and widened.The lights look sharper and meaner and gel up well with the rest of the body to give a sporty look.However the bulge on the trunk gate looks a bit weird and uncalled for.

This is the most difficult part as both are stunning and one would beat the other only by a margin,however holding to my personal opinion I would go for the fluidic i20 although owning a Swift would make me equally happy as far as styling is concerned.

PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING:

i20 Exteriors-Back

Swift Exteriors-Back

i20
The i20 comes in two petrol variants,the 1.2L and the 1.4L Gamma,both running on the VTVT technology which maximizes the power output as well as improves the fuel economy.The 79bhp engine has been replaced by the 84bhp 1.2L which uses dual VTVT technology and produces 116Nm of torque although the fuel efficiency remains almost the same.The 1.4L Gamma variant is a 4-speed automatic machine which delivers 100bhp and produces 139Nm of torque and is the one to go for if you are a speed enthusiast.

The diesel variant is a 6-speed manual 1.4L CRDi engine with 90bhp and 224Nm of torque which are excellent figures on the paper.

Handling is light and breeze for city traffic.Gear shifts are smooth and the engine feels quiet and refined and all the variants are a delight to drive.Taking it to the highway you would be delighted by the 1.4 variants and smile on your face won't cease.As far as the 1.2 variant is concerned,the performance is good in the city but just satisfactory on the highway for at speeds above 120kmph,the car is a bit reluctant in going any faster.The steering wheel which is perfect for city conditions is too light and reactive at high speeds and one must keep a firm hand on it while taking it to the highways.

Swift
1.2L petrol variant has the K-series engine which uses the VVT technology.87bhp and 114Nm torque is produced by the engine which makes it clearly stronger than its 1.2L counterpart which comes from Hyundai.Petrol variant is really powerful and fun to drive when compared to the 1.2L counterpart.

The 1.3L DDiS engine borrowed from Fiat is a refined engine and produces 75bhp and 190Nm of torque and unlike its petrol variant,loses out on both,the paper and the road to the diesel i20.

The Swift has always been praised for exceptional and precise handling.The car is a breeze and good to drive.While there not much difference between the i20 and Swift when it comes to city traffic but on taking to the highways,yes the Swift is comparatively more responsive.Swift remains more calm and stable at high speeds than the i20.

Swift does scores certainly over the i20 in the handling department on the highways a bit but not otherwise.The performance of the two 1.4L variants are a benchmark and tough to reach for the Swift.Although the 1.2L variant i20 is good,it loses out in the speed part only by a small margin to its Swift counterpart as it does 0-100kmph in 12.6secs and accelerates faster out of the two and although the margin is of only 1.3 sec,winning is winning.

PRICING

i20 Exteriors-Side

Swift Exteriors-Side

i20
The ex-showroom price for the petrol variant starts from 4,73,400 and goes on upto 7,67,405.
The ex-showroom price for the diesel variant starts from 5,96,334 and goes on upto 7,44,012.

Swift
The ex-showroom price for the petrol variant starts from 4,44,618 and goes on upto 5,68,712.
The ex-showroom price for the diesel variant starts from 5,53,984 and goes on upto 6,76,913.

Although the i20 has been priced above the Swift,it justifies the price tag for it is a premium hatchback and offers more goodies than the Swift.The price difference between the entry level i20 Era and Swift Lxi is of about 30K but the Lxi has no body colored ORVMs,no wheel covers but only an AC on its list of features as compared to two front power windows in the Era in addition to the AC.Moving on to the more practical versions,the Swift Vxi and the i20 Magna(petrol),the price difference is a mere 7K and list of features on the Magna to our amazement are long enough to challenge the top-end Swift Zxi which costs 70K more!!

PROS & CONS

i20 Exteriors-Front

Swift Exteriors-Front

i20

Pros of owning this car
Stunning fluidic design
Long list of first in class features
Better built quality
More space hence more comfort
Lots of variants and models to chose from
Perfect premium hatchback for city

Cons of owning this car
Handling and Suspension need improvement for Indian roads
Being heavier,the engine needs be to revved hard which reduces the 'fun-factor'
Comparatively higher maintenance cost

Swift

Pros of owning this car
Relatively better Driving and Handling dynamics on the highways
Better resale value
Comparatively cheaper maintenance
Quicker of the two although just and only the petrol variant and fun to drive
The 'Maruti' factor is enough to lure people

Cons of owning this car
Built quality is mediocre and black-grey interiors look gloomy
Lesser space for the people sitting at the back
Although cheaper but it is only because of the small list of gadgets and  poor built quality
Huge difference between the price and list of features between the Vxi/Vdi and the Zxi/Zdi

VERDICT

If you want a premium hatchback which offers a long list of gadgets,lots of space,oodles of comfort,long list of of variants to choose from and which is almost perfect for city driving conditions,do not think twice before going for i20.There will not be any reason for you to be disappointed if the above mentioned points are your requirements.Taking the 1.2L to the highway would somehow make you feel disappointed as the car simply refuses to accelerate the same way as it does till the 120kmph mark.On the other hand,it's diesel sibling will leave you enthralled.

Want better driving and handling dynamics?Want a car which is peppier and has more power to weight ratio?Something that has better resale value?Swift is the answer.Fun to ride and lighter of the two,Swift petrol is a driver's enthusiast.Swift diesel offers great mileage and has been improved but isn't the same fun as the Swift petrol when it comes to driving terms for the Swift petrol sets a new benchmark.But all this driving fun comes at the cost of poor built quality,lesser space and meager list of gadgets for almost the same price.

No matter what,these two will remain to be the best hatchbacks of the country and choosing between the two will never be an easy job for they are the best when it comes to pleasing the masses in different aspects and this was my sincere effort to help you choose one.