The Suzuki Swift is an appealing alternative to the likes of the Hyundai i20, Kia Rio and Toyota Yaris, with some strong fuel economy figures, particularly from its three-cylinder engine, and solid build quality. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s able to challenge the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Skoda Fabia at the top of the supermini class; put simply, there are better-finished, more comfortable and more refined offerings on the market. And since the prices of this Swift have been nudged upwards, it can no longer rely on ‘bargain’ appeal either.
Suzuki expects few customers to opt for the most basic SZ3 edition of the Swift, and we can see why; it does without any sort of central touchscreen system, and gets electric windows in the front only. However, it does bring air-con, LED daytime running lights, DAB and Bluetooth connectivity.
Mid-spec SZ-T looks the most appealing of the editions, because it brings a seven-inch infotainment screen that incorporates Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility (so you can use selected apps from your phone, including navigation). You also get 16-inch alloy wheels and front fog lights.
SZ5 throws in a 4.2-inch display between the instrument dials, climate control, polished alloy wheels, LED headlights and tail-lights, adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and reach adjustment on the steering wheel, It also adds Suzuki’s own navigation software to the central infotainment screen.
The interior design is neat, and all of the switches are in sensible positions. However, while there’s no denying that it all feels tightly screwed together, the whole experience is short on flair. Even range-topping versions get swathes of hard, black plastic, with only a single colour insert in the fascia to brighten things up. Indeed, there are precious few soft-touch materials throughout the cabin; the likes of the Ford Fiesta do a better job of feeling plush in the right areas, and it’s a world behind the latest SEAT Ibiza in this regard.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
The most basic SZ3 spec brings DAB and Bluetooth compatibility, but the Swift’s infotainment set-up only really kicks off in mid-spec SZ-T and above. That brings a seven-inch infotainment screen that incorporates Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, allowing you to run apps - including audio streaming and phone-based navigation - via the large central display.
SZ5 adds a navigation system to the same display - but we’re not sure it’s worth the step up in trim level alone, because the software is a bit clunky to use and slow to respond to inputs (you get a noticeable delay as you’re trying to input destinations, for example). In fact, the whole infotainment set-up feels like it needs a quicker processor; it’s easily overwhelmed by relatively simple instructions. The resolution of that seven-inch display isn’t stellar, either.
The Swift features some very trick construction that means it’s just about the lightest car in the supermini class; choose the right version, in fact, and you’ll get a car weighing less than 900kg, which is a minor miracle in this day and age.
That means that the 1.0-litre BoosterJet engine feels pretty comfortable with life; it’s not about to tear up asphalt, but you don’t have to expose yourself to too much of its characterful three-cylinder thrum, because it does its best work by 4,000rpm anyway. Indeed, you can treat it almost like a diesel, because there’s usable torque from below 2,000rpm.
The rest of the basics feel sound enough. The steering doesn’t do an amazing job of communicating what the front wheels are doing but it’s nicely weighted and consistent, making it relatively easy to place the Swift in corners. The five-speed manual gearbox has a pleasingly short throw and is happy enough to shift quickly, too.
That shortage of mass means the Swift feels pretty agile, too - not as crisp as the Ford Fiesta, certainly, but a match for just about anything else. The car is happy to change direction quickly, and it stays admirably flat in corners.
The trade-off for this is ride quality; Suzuki’s engineers reportedly spent time developing the Swift on UK roads, but it hasn’t quite paid off. In the most part it stays composed but over broken surfaces - precisely the sort of bumps and potholes that are common on British B-roads, in fact - it gets a bit jittery. In particular, passengers in the rear are likely to complain about being bounced around - a result of the car’s relatively simple torsion-beam rear suspension set-up.
There’s nothing to suggest that you’re driving a hybrid if you’re being the wheel of the SVHS-equipped car, incidentally. It’s a very mild set-up, with a lithium-ion battery under the front passenger seat that harnesses braking energy and then uses it to power a small integrated starter generator. This, in turn, helps the petrol engine when you’re accelerating, but the goal is efficiency rather than performance, so it never feels like an extra surge of pace. Indeed, if anything, it’s impressively well integrated.
Engines
The most basic engine on the Swift is the 1.2-litre DualJet petrol, a normally aspirated four-cylinder unit producing 89bhp and 120Nm of torque. In this spec it’s available with the entry-level SZ3 trim only, and it’s not the most rapid of vehicles; 0-62mph takes 11.9 seconds. However, there’s no denying its fuel efficiency, with official combined economy of 65.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 98g/km.
The heartland of the range is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder BoosterJet. In conventional form, this turbocharged motor produces 110bhp and 170Nm of torque between 2,000rpm and 3,500rpm - enough for the Swift to crack 0-62mph in 10.6 seconds. It’s not as efficient a unit as the 1.2, however, so official economy falls to 61.4mpg and the CO2 emissions rise to 104g/km.
Suzuki’s SVHS mild-hybrid set-up is offered on both of these motors. With the 1.0 it produces the cleanest Swift of all, with CO2 emissions of just 97g/km - but there’s no increase in performance.
The SVHS-equipped 1.2 is the niche model in the range, because it also gets four-wheel drive. That hybrid tech helps to negate much of the efficiency penalty of the two extra driven wheels, though, keeping CO2 emissions to a respectable 101g/km and delivering official combined fuel economy of 62.8mpg. This is also the slowest Swift, though, with a 0-62mph time of 12.6 seconds.
All of these derivatives get a five-speed manual gearbox - but there is also a six-speed automatic in the range. It’s available only with the non-hybrid BoosterJet, and is actually the fastest Swift model (0-62mph in 10.0 seconds). The auto blunts fuel efficiency, though, so it only manages 56.5mpg and 114g/km of CO2.
Of course, Suzuki has a strong recent history with a higher-performance version of this car - the Swift Sport - and this is expected to join the line-up, probably with around 150bhp, by the middle of 2018.
Suzuki has a pretty strong reputation for build quality, and that side of its operation tends to score well in our annual Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. The firm placed seventh on reliability in 2016, just behind Mazda but ahead of Skoda, Kia and Renault. Its dealers have a bit of work to do on overall satisfaction, though, because Suzuki was in the middle of the pack on the overall brand score, in 19th place out of 31 manufacturers.
The Swift hasn’t yet been through the EuroNCAP safety test, but Suzuki is optimistic that it’ll score at least four stars, if not the maximum five. Range-topping SZ5 trim brings an Advanced Forward Detection System that uses a mix of a camera and laser sensor to offer autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warnings and high-beam assist on the headlights.
Warranty
All Suzuki Swifts get a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s a typical duration for the industry in general, albeit with a slightly higher mileage limit (many brands still operated on a 12,000-miles-per-year basis). However, the Swift’s warranty can’t match the Kia Rio’s seven-year policy, or the five years of cover offered with the Hyundai i20 and Toyota Yaris.
Servicing
Suzuki has a history of shorter service intervals than many of its rivals, and the Swift looks set to continue that pattern. Its service intervals are listed as every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres (just over 9,300 miles). That’s a slightly shorter distance than you’ll find with many other superminis - although given how most Swift customers use their cars, the annual interval is likely to kick in before the mileage does anyway.
We’ve yet to see any hard figures on how much the Swift will cost to service, but Suzuki has a history of being competitive on maintenance pricing - and of offering payment plans that allow its owners to spread the cost over a 12-month period.
Many superminis will be used as two-seaters, in effect, with the rear cabin being used as a dumping ground for shopping more regularly than as a space for passengers. If this is your pattern of use, the Swift won’t disappoint; there’s room for two adults up front, and two grown-ups will be able to sit behind them for more than a short journey. If they’re over 6ft tall then they may complain about their knees hitting the front seat backs, however.
The Swift’s boot is a respectable size, at 264 litres - but while that’s a useful increase over this car’s predecessor, it’s fair to middling for the class. The Kia Rio’s capacity is up to 325 litres, for example, and even the latest Ford Fiesta can muster around 290 litres. There’s a fair old lip to lift heavy items over, too - and while the Swift’s rear seats do fold down in a 60:40 split, they leave a pretty horrid step in the floor. It certainly wouldn’t be easy to slide heavier items into the expanded load bay.
It’s easy to see all round the Swift, despite the relatively thick C-pillars. And there’s a fair amount of oddment space in the cabin, with decent-sized doorbins and a storage area ahead of the gear lever.
Visibility is good, thanks to the thin pillars and upright rear screen, though top-spec cars are likely to offer a reversing camera as an option. Other practical features include a small central armrest, as well as usable doorbins and a decent glovebox. You’ll also find a couple of cupholders ahead of the gear lever. that incorporates cup-holders.
Size
The latest Suzuki Swift performs a bit of a visual trick - because it’s actually about 10mm shorter than the car it replaces. However, more importantly, its front and rear axles have been pushed further apart (by about 20mm); this increase in the wheelbase is designed to improve the amount of cabin space on offer, particularly to those sitting in the rear seats.
As a result, the Swift keeps its overall compact dimensions - as well as the planted, wheel-at-each-corner stance and short overhangs that gave its previous generations such striking looks. To give you an idea, the Swift’s wheelbase is only 20mm shorter than a Skoda Fabia’s, but Suzuki’s offering is more than 150mm shorter than its Czech rival overall.
Leg room, head room & passenger space
The Swift’s diminutive size means that it’s still not quite as capacious as the likes of the Skoda Fabia, but there is room for four adults on board - and unless you’ve got a couple of six-footers in the rear, there are unlikely to be many complaints about longer journeys.
There’s plenty of head and shoulder room for both sets of passengers, but taller rear occupants might grumble about their knees hitting the front seat backs.
Boot
The good news here is that this Swift’s new platform allowed Suzuki’s engineers to package in a much larger boot than this car has ever offered before - 264 litres. The bad news is that this is still really only average in a class where plenty of rivals are used as small family cars. A Skoda Fabia offers 330 litres, for example, and even the latest Fiesta manages 290.
Nor is there anything remarkable about the Swift’s boot set-up; in fact, there’s a fairly hefty lip if you’re trying to lift in heavier items. The back seats fold down in a 60:40 split but while doing this does free up a fair amount of extra space, it also leaves a big step in the floor that would make it awkward to slide in heavier items.
There’s no denying that the Suzuki Swift’s lightweight construction helps both of its core engines to achieve some strong fuel economy figures. Go for the most basic unit of all, the 1.2-litre DualJet, and you’re buying a car with CO2 emissions of just 98g/km and official fuel economy of 65.7mpg.
In the real world, though, we suspect that this figure would drop off quite substantially, not least because you’re having to work the motor pretty hard. The turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder BoosterJet should be able to get closer to its official numbers - which are almost as impressive, at 61.4mpg and 104g/km.
If you want the most efficient Swift of all, then you have a single option: it’s the SHVS mild-hybrid BoosterJet, which manages 97g/km and the same economy as the 1.2 - while being more likely to at least get close to matching the official data.
Insurance groups
All Swifts sit in group 9E insurance; this is a higher group than the most modest versions of the Skoda Fabia, although they have less performance than even the most basic of the Suzukis. It’s very close to the level of the 89bhp Fabia, in fact - but both of these cars are some way north of the likes of the Kia Rio, which manages group 2 across much of its range, and only peaks at group 7.
Depreciation
Suzuki says the residual value of the entry-level Swift SZ3 should be about 41 percent after three years or 60,000 miles - and that the SZ-T edition will be only slightly behind this, at 39 percent. Those are decent figures for the supermini class but they’re not quite good enough to stand out, because the likes of the Ford Fiesta can match the Swift’s numbers, and many versions of the Skoda Fabia can beat them.