Third generation Swift comes with a polarising new look but gains in many areas reports, Cathy Parker.
Suzuki’s Swift has always been a very popular model – regularly leading its segment, and with the renewed third generation model Suzuki lifts the bar higher, going for bigger, stronger and lighter all in one hit and it shows on the road.
After a second-generation model that followed the styling cues of the original, the third-generation steps away from that with a new direction. This at first looks a bit awkward with the rounded rump sticking out but kind of grows on you whilst also helping out load space with the boot growing by 32 litres (to 242 with the rear seat up). Length is up 10mm and width 40mm whilst weight drops by around 135kg by virtue of new materials and designs. The new 1.2-litre engine shared with the Ignis provides great economy with claimed average fuel consumption of 4.8-litres/100km.
Jumping into the Swift you don’t feel like you are in a small car, the low windscreen line and dash give a spacious feel. The dash is dominated by the 7-inch touch screen for the multimedia system. This offers the usual features including reversing camera, Bluetooth and satnav plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality. As an aside we have tried CarPlay in a number of vehicles and it is a significant enhancement in functionality for using media through your phone (Music, podcasts, Spotify etc). The GLX is the mid spec model in the Swift line-up and is pretty well equipped with adaptive cruise control, alloy wheels, weaving alert, lane departure warning and Suzuki’s take on autonomous emergency braking which they call dual sensor. You only get remote door locking and no proximity key/start stop button but otherwise equipment levels are generous.
The seats are comfortable with good legroom and all the controls are well positioned and easy to find. The engine is willing although you do need to work it a bit due to the small size. The combination with a CVT gearbox does tend to make it a bit buzzy when accelerating hard such as when going onto the motorway as the CVT lets the engine revs rise and then gradually changes gearing as speed increases whilst engine revs stay the same. Handling is pinpoint sharp but the ride is somewhat firm with quite a lot of bump and road noise transmitted to the cabin.
As with all small hatches the load area with the rear seats up is not huge but drop the back seats and you have cavernous space if you only need to carry two people, the rear seat space and legroom are good for a car in this class making the Swift a versatile run around.
Whilst the Swift has been uber popular in the private market (best selling new car to private buyers) they also find frequent fleet application, especially for round town duties, although they are quite capable of longer journeys as well. There is a budget GL model available in manual or auto form at very attractive $19,990 ($21,990 for the auto) or you can opt for the storming 1.0-litre 82kW engine in the RS version.
So if you want a new small car for your fleet (or a family member) Swift is definitely one you should look at with it’s range, pricing and specification.
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Specifications:
Body type 5 door hatchback
Drive FWD
Engine type 4 cylinder petrol
Engine capacity 1.2-litre
Max power 66kW@6000rpm
Max torque 120Nm@4.400rpm
l/100km (Combined) 4.8
C02 emissions 110
Boot capacity 242/556 l
Spare tyre Space Saver
ANCAP rating 5 Star
Price $24,500
