Suzuki Swift

Tell me about it

The Suzuki Swift is one of those rare things: a new, petrol-only hatchback. While other similar cars – like the Ford Fiesta – are being phased out altogether, Suzuki reckons there’s still some life in the good old small car yet.

This is now the fourth generation of Swift, and Suzuki hasn’t changed the recipe much over that time. It’s still relatively small, very light weight, and without any pretensions of luxury inside or out.

It’s also quite cheap for a small car these days. Apart from the Dacia Sandero, there aren’t many cars of the same size that cost less money.

Exterior

From the outside, this new generation is still quite recognisable as a Swift. That’s in part thanks to the ‘floating’ roof design, and its squat, sensible proportions.

There’s not much in the way of sportiness, mind. Both trim levels are virtually identical from the outside, save for some ever so slightly different alloy wheels.

Size-wise the Swift is one of the smaller superminis you can find on sale. It’s just over 10cm shorter than a Toyota Yaris, but still bigger than city cars like the Hyundai i10.

To Suzuki’s credit, you also get a fun range of colour choices – and surprisingly its only no-cost option is a metallic orange. If that’s a bit racy for you, there’s always the option of white, grey or black.

Interior

That sensible theme continues inside, where there’s a logically laid out cabin, complete with plenty of physical switches and controls to find your way around.

If you’re expecting VW Polo – or even Toyota Yaris – levels of material quality though, prepare to be disappointed. There’s not a single soft-touch bit of plastic in sight: everything you can see and touch is hard and unforgiving.

Suzuki has at least injected a bit of visual interest though. Unlike the Sandero, it’s not a complete sea of grey and black plastic, with a nice sweep of cream-coloured material lightening up the ambiance a bit.

Despite its relatively tiny exterior, there’s plenty of space inside too. Four 6ft adults will fit reasonably comfortably inside the Swift – and that’s not something every car of this size manages to pull off.

Boot space does suffer a bit as a result: 265 litres is available with the rear seats in place, which is quite a bit less than you’ll find in a petrol-powered Vauxhall Corsa or Dacia Sandero.

Technology & equipment

Relatively basic as the Swift might feel, Suzuki does throw in a lot of kit as standard. All trim levels get rear parking sensors and reversing camera, heated front seats, sat nav, Apple CarPlay, manual air conditioning and more.

The top-spec ‘Ultra’ version gets some minimal extras, including climate control, an air vent for rear passengers, and not a great deal more.

A nine-inch touch screen takes care of infotainment, and while it doesn’t feel quite as modern as some more expensive rivals manage, it doesn’t do a bad job of things.

There’s no fancy digital dials in front of the driver, just a conventional pair with a small digital screen in the middle – and that’s absolutely fine.

Surprisingly there’s even an app to monitor the car remotely – though its functions are relatively limited compared to some rivals.

Safety and security

Suzuki has slathered this generation of Swift in all the latest safety gear: automatic brake support, blind spot monitoring and lane keep assist are all included.

Adaptive cruise control is also thrown in, and if you’ve chosen an automatic gearbox, the Swift will take care of stopping and starting in traffic jams too.

Sadly all that technology hasn’t paid off in its crash test results: the Swift was recently awarded just three out of five stars by EuroNCAP. That’s some way short of the results its rivals have achieved, though it’s worth bearing in mind that many were rated in slightly less stringent tests a few years ago.

When it comes to security, there’s no evidence to suggest Swifts are particularly at risk from theft, but all models come with an immobiliser – though not an alarm. Keyless entry and go is included with all Swift trim levels.

Engines and performance

Only one engine is available in the Swift, a naturally-aspirated 1.2-litre petrol. Suzuki calls this a ‘mild hybrid’, which effectively means a small electric motor boosts the engine here and there. Unlike a Toyota Yaris though, the Swift can’t drive on electric power alone.

With just over 80bhp, it’s far from the most potent option Suzuki could have picked. But the Swift is an extremely lightweight car, so it never feels particularly underpowered. That said, you’ll need to stir the manual gearbox a bit to get the Swift to move with any real urgency – and this can become a bit irritating on motorways.

The flip side of that is some excellent fuel economy. Suzuki quotes a 64.2mpg as achievable, and that’s not far off the figures a more expensive ‘full’ hybrid like the Toyota Yaris can achieve. This does drop to 60.1mpg for automatic models, however.

Unusually for a car of this size and price, the Swift also has the option of four-wheel-drive – though you’ll need to pay around £1,250 more for the privilege. It’s a pretty basic system, and doesn’t have the clever sensors and tech you’ll find in more serious off-roaders, but it’s more than enough to stop you getting stuck on a muddy track or a snow-covered B-road.

Ride and handling

Having a light kerb weight certainly has its advantages, and the Swift certainly feels as nimble as its figures would suggest. It’s not a hot hatch, of course: Suzuki has made the Swift as easy to drive as possible, and so its steering is pretty light to the touch.

In fact, everything takes minimal effort: the clutch pedal is very lightly sprung, and the gear lever is featherweight compared to plenty of its rivals. That may not do much to inspire the average boy racer, but it does mean driving the Swift around town is far from a pain.

Ride quality is more of a mixed bag. The Swift is reasonably comfortable around town, but it’s more troubled by bumps than some of its more expensive rivals. Similarly, it’s far from the most refined car on motorway journeys – but perhaps that’s to be expected.

Should I buy a Suzuki Swift?

There’s lots to like about the Swift, not least its relatively low price tag. It’s well-equipped, spacious and is incredibly easy to drive. Its 1.2-litre engine might sound old school, but it suits the Swift well, and you can’t argue with its impressive fuel economy either.

Pricier rivals are more pleasant for long journeys though, and even the (considerably) cheaper Dacia Sandero has a more plush interior. If a small, reasonably-priced car is what you want though, you could do a lot worse than a Swift.