Suzuki has been selling small hatches for years. Historically they've been consistent if unspectacular sellers that have led to a loyal band of followers who appreciate their practicality, frugality, reliability and value for money, but have been somewhat negated in terms of style, image and quality. The new Swift is said to have been developed with Europe as the main sales target; you've probably seen the extensive marketing push featuring Cristiano Ronaldo aimed at making the brand synonymous with fun and style, not to mention an added dash of cool. All of this effort was recently recognised when the car made the short list for the European Car of the Year award. Admittedly not always the best gauge of a car's true ability, it did mark a significant achievement. I don't think many other brands conceived to be at the budget end of the market have achieved this before.

The first thing that strikes you about the new Suzuki Swift is the dramatic modernisation. The looks are a world apart from the old car. Where there used to be angles and straight lines there are now bulges and curves. The heavily sculpted front end stops the right side of being brash and heavy handed and endows the Swift with a contemporary and fresh face that strikes a balance between cutesy and mature. The shoulders on the rear end break up the lines nicely and prevent it from looking like another generic blob that tends to be the norm from some far eastern manufactured small hatches. Even in profile the car has been neatly styled with a sloping and flowing waistline and angular glasshouse into which the headlights flow in and the tail-lights flow out.

The dimensions fall somewhere between small city car, such as the Peugeot 107/Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo and superminis like the Toyota Yaris and Fiat Panda. The pricing also sees the car bridging the same gap and leaves the Suzuki Swift in something of a halfway house that is devoid of obvious competition. Interior space is generous with four adults accommodated comfortably, for short journeys at least, with plenty of head, leg and elbow room. The boot isn't huge but is by no means stingy and the folding rear seats offer a generous load space and boost practicality.

A clever blend of materials and architecture lend the interior an air of style and quality that contradict the price tag. The clever two tier dash that flows into the top edge of the doors is a good touch normally seen on bigger cars and the integrated stereo is of a quality we last saw on the much more expensive smart forfour. The seats lack a little support but are comfortable nonetheless and well trimmed. It's a very good interior that shows Suzuki did its homework in terms of competitor benchmarking and investing the time and effort needed to produce such a good effort is self evident.

The investment didn't stop in the looks and interior though and the Suzuki Swift has an impressive depth of talent and quality engineering. The willing 1.3-litre four cylinder puts out an impressive 91bhp and you don't have to punish it to extract the performance as the 86lb.ft of torque gives it a lugging ability that belies the modest cubic inches. As at home on the motorway as it is nipping around town the engine is impressively refined and economical. A back road thrash is enjoyable as well. Scanning through data tables you can see that whilst 0-62mph in 11 seconds and a 109mph maximum aren't incredible, equivalent performance in a rival would cost at least £2,000 more.

The chassis is another accomplished facet of the Suzuki Swift's new persona. Around town it absorbs lumps and bumps nicely but this compliancy doesn't equate to a trade off on the open road. Body control is good and the Swift doesn't roll or wallow when pushing on. It's actually a game little handler which allows the driver to enjoy themselves as little cars can, allowing you to indulge in low speed fun with controllable understeer being the order of the day in extremis. The steering is a little light in this context but that is the price paid for finger light parking and manoeuvrability around town - something added to by the excellent all-round visibility and diminutive dimensions.

For me the little Suzuki goes to the top of my list of small car favourites. The time and effort invested in the car is evident. Loyal customers will be rewarded with a car that is a revelation; a true quantum leap over the old Swift, so much so one wonders whether it deserved a new model nomenclature. New customers will be attracted by its broad range of talents offered at a great value for money price. Personally I'm looking forward to the sporty derivative; based on the laugh a minute Ignis Sport we tried last year it could be a real corker. Nevertheless this basic model is a great achievement and one Suzuki should be proud of.