| First Drive | Munich, Germany| Suzuki Swift |
Uh oh. The Suzuki Swift goes on sale today (1 September 2010) and we're only just driving it now. That means, based on the reputation of the esteemed predecessor alone, Suzuki dealers probably have tonnes of pre-orders already. Is Suzuki trying to hide something?
Nah. It's business as usual...
In the Metal
Notice something familiar? Swift designer Tetsuya Ozasa (that's the designer of the Swift, not a man that's particularly quick with the pen and paper) calls it a "continuation of an already successful formula." Quite. But it's a bigger car, which means more interior space. Certainly that's the feeling in the cabin, with a high roof and enough leg space to accommodate four people of above average height.
A small boot (shallow with a high loading lip) lets the side down a little, as does the feel of the interior plastics, which are as hard as Mike Tyson circa 1987. But a perfectly adjustable driving position, solid, intuitively designed switchgear and plenty of cubbyholes mean it will be an easy car to live with. Unlike Iron Mike.
What you get for your Money
Three price levels, bearing the familiar SZ2, SZ3 and SZ4 tags, make up the range. Each gets seven airbags and ESP stability control as standard, but you'll need an SZ3 if you want to ditch the plastic wheel trims and get cold air. The SZ4 version gets a better standard spec than your dad's first S-Class though, including climate control, push button start, Bluetooth, cruise control and auto headlamps.
All that is yours for £12,245, with SZ2 prices starting at a fiver under £10,000. Suzuki is also offering a three-year 0% finance plan right now, so owning a Swift will be considerably cheaper than a
Ford Fiesta or
VW Polo. That kind of puts the quality of the plastics into perspective.
Driving it
There are two engines to choose from. The 1.3-litre diesel, borrowed from Fiat, is noisy and appreciably saddled with lethargy. The average Swift owner's annual mileage means its economy superiority (56.5- plays 67.3mpg) isn't worth the £1,000 extra we estimate Suzuki will lump onto the price. There's more joy to be had from the petrol, which feels stronger than its 93bhp suggests, and encourages being revved; yet it settles into an unassuming background thrum. It's throttled by the four-speed automatic, though, which is too eager to kick down and lead the engine to create a racket. Best pick the five-speed manual, which is smooth to use - though it misses a sixth ratio to reduce motorway drone.
So, with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a manual gearbox (the value combo that about 90 percent of buyers will choose, says Suzuki), the Swift starts on the right foot. Thankfully it isn't knocked off its stride by any ride or handling issues. It never quite has the fluffy edged suppleness of the Ford Fiesta, or the agility of a
Renault Clio, but it does come close to both. It has sharp turn in and it's not prone to much body roll; it's secure on the brakes and it doesn't get too flustered by horrible road surfacing, settling in a nice, controlled manner.
Worth Noting
You may recall that Suzuki announced a partnership with Volkswagen during the
Geneva Motor Show, essentially to give VW access to Suzuki's vast Japanese customer base in exchange for some of the German juggernaut's delicious technology. The first fruits of the partnership aren't expected to ripen for a couple of years, but a Suzuki source told us it already has eyes on VW's common rail TDI technology. Obviously a quieter diesel Swift with sub-100g/km sounds as good to Suzuki as it does to us.
Summary
Spacious, well priced, comfy and fun to drive, the Suzuki Swift is easy to recommend. Emissions have gone down (and with them, fuel costs) over the old car, and it remains easy on the eye. Flawless it isn't though, with a budget feel in the cabin (probably even more apparent on entry-level versions, which we haven't tried yet) and nowhere near the impact that
its predecessor had in 2005.
