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Suzuki Swift – in pole position
IT has carried the flag for small car specialist Suzuki for more than 40 years but popular supermini the Swift has never had a better opportunity to massively increase its sales.
With mainstream rivals like the Nissan Micra, Kia Rio and most importantly the Ford Fiesta no longer part of the competition as their manufacturers switch their priority to electric vehicles and SUVs, there’s an ever-widening gap in the small car market.
And the new hybrid-powered Swift, now into its fourth generation, is perfectly placed to attract supermini drivers who are either not yet ready or simply don’t wish to embrace electric.
The Swift’s appeal has long been its design, practicality, economy and sheer driving pleasure, and the latest version continues the theme while adding a better engine plus improved tech to the equation.
It comes with a new 1.2-litre mild hybrid powerplant and is available in two grades of Motion and Ultra, starting at £18,699 for an entry-level manual model while opting for Ultra trim adds £1,100 to the bill.
Our tested variant was a Swift Ultra model with CVT automatic gearbox costing £21,549 – a transmission favoured by countless learner drivers who don’t propose to ever drive manual cars.
We haven’t traditionally been fans of auto gearboxes in small cars but the CVT (continuously variable transmission) in the Swift works extremely well, remaining efficient while reducing shift-shock compared to a conventional auto gearbox. Suzuki believes it will eventually account for some 35 per cent of Swift sales.
The car’s new three-cylinder mild hybrid powertrain offers up to eight per cent better fuel efficiency than the previous model with a Combined return of 60.1mpg and CO2 emissions of 108g/km in the case of the CVT.
It’s a sweet and cheerful car to drive too, with power delivered to the front wheels and, like with previous models, it feels agile and balanced around suburban streets and through tight bends in the countryside.
This new model also addresses a criticism of the outgoing Swift, which could feel a little too light at times – our tested version certainly had a more substantial feel and was quite lively too, the automatic posting acceleration of 0-62 in 11.9 seconds.
Move inside and the sculpted seats have extra support courtesy of higher and thicker front headrests while a nine-inch infotainment display is standard and the centre controls are angled towards the driver.
In fact the Suzuki’s standard equipment is ahead of the field and includes the likes of 16-inch alloy wheels, a rear view camera, sat nav, keyless entry and start, LED headlamps and a wireless smartphone link display audio.
Safety features are also a priority with a blind spot monitor, lane departure warning plus weaving alert, rear cross traffic alert, a driver monitoring system. adaptive cruise control and upgraded brake support all included.
Ultra grade adds stuff like automatic air conditioning, rear passenger heater outlet and electric folding door mirrors incorporating side turn indicators and all models are available in eight metallic colours with a further four dual tone colours with either a Black Pearl or Grey metallic roof depending on the chosen body colour.
Suzuki Connect connected services are offered free of charge for three years from the vehicle registration date and a Service Activated Warranty is also offered free after the manufacturer warranty expires and until the car reaches seven years/100,000 miles.
The Swift may be a budget offering but it has genuine premium appeal – no surprise then that it has more than nine million sales across 119 countries in the bag since 2004. The formula for success is still firmly in place.
- SPEC CHECK
- MAKE Suzuki.
- MODEL Swift 1.2 Mild Hybrid Ultra CVT.
- ENGINE 1.2-litre, 3-cyl petrol.
- POWER 82bhp at 5,700rpm.
- PERFORMANCE 0-62 in 11.9 secs, top speed 105mph.
- ECONOMY 60.1mpg Combined.
- CO2 EMISSIONS 108g/km.
- BiK RATING 26%
- INSURANCE Group 20 (1-50).
- PRICE £21,549.
WHAT’S HOT
- Economy, dynamics, design, practicality.
- WHAT’S NOT
- Oddments space.
- RATINGS {Out of 10}
LOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
RIDE AND HANDLING . . . . 8
PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . .7
VALUE FOR MONEY . . . . . .8