Suzuki Swift drive by Steve Rogers
It
certainly brightened up a dreary day when the bright blue Suzuki Swift pulled
on to the drive.
The little
super mini has always been a favourite since I drove the new model around the
streets of Monaco at the launch in 2004. Wisely the powers that be have pretty
much stuck with the original shape with just the occasional bit of tinkering,
and it is ditto for the fourth generation model.
Keen eyed
Swift fans will spot the full length swage line above the door handles running
into a new clamshell bonnet, along with a restyled grille and more prominent L
shaped daylight running lights.
And they
have not been idle elsewhere, fine tuning the suspension and adding some much
needed soundproofing to reduce noise in the cabin. There is a new 1.2 litre
three-cylinder mild hybrid engine with lower engine emissions and an 8 per cent
improvement in economy.
Quite a
lot going on then, but has it made a difference?
That would
be a yes on all counts with some more noticeable than others. The biggest
improvement has come from the sound proofing. Cabin noise was an area that let
down the Swift, whether it be road noise or jolts coming through the
suspension, and there was always a tinny sound when closing the doors.
You cannot
get rid of cabin din altogether but they have made a pretty good fist of it
applying underbody adhesives and liquid filled engine mountings to reduce
transmission noise and vibration along with damping panels to the floor and
dashboard. They have even increased the thickness of the carpet pile so no one
can say they haven’t tried.
Changes to
the suspension have helped, more so on smoother roads, but once into the
rougher stuff the car is still a bit lively. Suzuki hasn’t quite got the knack
of Renault or Peugeot/Citroen when it comes to smoothing out the worst of our
road surfaces.
That said
the aforementioned cannot match Swift when it comes to handling. It sticks to
the road like glue, sweeping through bends without a care in the world
reminding the enthusiastic driver of favourite hot hatches of old.
The sporty
drive is not really matched by performance, 82bhp is down on some of its rivals
as is the sprint time to sixty time, but the three cylinder configuration
provides surprisingly good pick up from around 1600 rpm and does not sound
stressed approaching the red line. Could it do with a sixth gear? Probably.
Even with
five gears economy is up there with the best. I did not reach the 70 plus
achieved in the Mazda2 hybrid but the Swift never dropped below 60 mpg and was
topping out at 64 mpg on longer runs. That is cheap motoring at a time when we
really need it.
Inside has
been nicely spruced up, still loads of hard plastic coverings, but more
pleasing to the eye with two tone moulded finishes. The driver’s binnacle is
still analogue but with far more information and a digital speedometer.
Everything
looks more modern thanks to a new nine inch centrally mounted touchscreen. It
covers the basic features including smartphone connections and is as easy as
blinking to use. Heating controls are separate. Hooray for that.
Worth a
mention is the new front seat design which is more comfortable with excellent
side bolsters to hold you in place.
I have
saved the best until last. There are only two models, Motion and Ultra and the
spec list will raise eyebrows. In fact there is no need to spend more on the
Ultra because the Motion has just about everything including auto dipping LED
headlights, navigation, adaptive cruise control, rear view camera and parking
sensors.
Even more
impressive are the safety features, in fact this is the longest list on the
spec sheet with 24 items.
Suzuki has
probably taken Swift as far as it can. The improvements have worked, it is
terrific value for money, there are not many new cars around under £19k with
this level of equipment and safety features. Running costs should be low, it
has an enviable reliability record, and there is an option to extend the
warranty to seven years provided the car is serviced at a Suzuki dealer.
It might
be one of the smallest superminis, but definitely not one to be ignored.
Fast facts
Swift
Ultra
£19,799
(Motion £18,699)
1.2 litre
3-cylinder petrol; 82bhp
0-62mph
12.5secs; 103mph
64.2mpg
combined
99g/km.
First tax £165
Boot:
265-589 litres
Insurance group 27
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