Big fun, small package
LARGE TICK FOR SUZUKI SWIFT’S FRESH LOOK
Dale Wyatt is a very good egg. A cool character, too, with winklepicker boots and a bijou Suzuki Cappuccino from the 90s in the car park. Wyatt is boss of Suzuki GB and has joined us for the launch of the new Swift.
What sets Wyatt apart from many car company bosses is he tells it straight and simple – no rabbiting on about customer experience, active lifestyle or any of that guff – he just makes sure dealers offer first-class service. An approach that works because Suzuki is a serial winner of customer satisfaction awards.
It helps that the cars are no nonsense as well. Suzuki likes to stick to principles, like building cars that are efficient and light weight. Usually when you move to a next generation the weight goes up as the car grows in size, so it’s a real achievement to have designed the 2024 Swift to weigh only 949kg in its simplest form.
Probably not far off the weight of the battery in the upcoming electric Range Rover.
The new Swift is based on the same platform as the last one, albeit with some detail work to make the body stiffer and the car more quiet at speed. Same platform means same size too, although it is a few millimetres longer as the bumpers stick out a bit more. The engine is completely fresh, a threecylinder unit whereas the previous Swift is powered by a four-cylinder motor. The 1.2-litre engine produces 81bhp and isn’t turbocharged. That doesn’t sound like much oompf but remember this is a very light car. One interesting thing about the engine is its compression ratio of 13.9:1, a number that in the past you’d only see in a racing engine.
High compression is good for efficiency and the new Swift is very frugal with an official combined fuel consumption of 64.2mpg. Again, thank light weight plus an Integrated Starter Generator unit that makes the Swift a mild hybrid.
The range is extremely simple.
There are two trim levels, Motion and Ultra, and the choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic, the latter available on either trim level. Unusually for such a small car, there’s the option of four-wheel drive or what Suzuki calls Allgrip. Handy if in an area where it snows and you don’t want an SUV.
We’re driving the posh one, the Ultra, with a manual gearbox. It’s a bit heavier than the Motion with the same gearbox, at 984kg, because it’s got more kit as standard, but the price is still light, at £19,799.
Suzuki doesn’t expect its new Swift to outsell the Renault Clio but with Ford stupidly dropping the Fiesta last year, it’s likely sales will be higher than with the old model.
The Swift’s lack of girth also makes it fun to drive. The steering has plenty of feel yet is nice and light for city driving. The gearbox works well and a good view out helps, with tall side windows and upright windscreen pillars. Parking is easy, aided by sensors and a parking camera that are standard on all Swifts.
The interior contains quite a lot of hard plastics, but it’s all well put together. The infotainment system isn’t the best, but smartphone mirroring is standard and the 9in screen is mounted high on the dashboard.
For a small car there’s plenty of room in the front and stowage space – you can squeeze a couple of six footers in the back. The boot holds 265 litres of luggage, about average for a car of this size.
Thousands of already happy Suzuki owners will like this new Swift very much. And they’ll notice the conventional rear door handles rather than the ones hidden in the C-pillar on the last Swift. Customers didn’t like them and Suzuki listened.
‘‘
With Ford stupidly dropping the Fiesta, it’s likely sales will be higher