Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Latest generation Swift is 'terrific value'



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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