Survival of the swiftest
Driving our Swift back-to-back with the old generation highlights the pace of evolution. By
I’VE HEARD A lot from various colleagues about how my Swift
nd is in the same spirit as previous Swifts, but I wanted to find out for myself just how the little supermini has evolved. Luckily, our designer Rebecca Wilshere owns a previous-generation entry-level Swift. She’s driven mine plenty already, so I just had to have a go in hers so we could compare notes.
The biggest difference is pace. Without being too rude, Becca’s Swift is achingly slow; the addition of a turbo and light hybrid assistance in mine makes it feel like a McLaren when pitted against the naturally aspirated 1.2. There’s a huge lump of shove towards the top end in Lil’ Swifty accompanied by that weird-but-lovable three-cylinder growl – neither of which you get to enjoy in its predecessor.
The safety and convenience tech has leapt on, too. It’s a little unfair to compare the two cars here – mine is a top-end SZ5 while Rebecca’s is a basic SZ2 – but it does highlight how far Suzuki has come in terms of what it can offer buyers. Adaptive cruise control, a parking camera, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay among other luxuries are fitted to my car. They’re all slightly decadent features for a budget supermini, but they’re nice to have all the same, and the total price is still keen.
It’s the dynamics that bring up the biggest debate, though. The eager handling traits of my car – good grip, decent brakes and right-side-of-sporty ride – always make me smile. But Becca’s Swift has a much sweeter gearchange action, shorter pedal strokes and weightier steering, which makes throwing it around a corner that little bit more fun. Much to Becca’s dismay, I even managed to get a bit of liftoff oversteer around a roundabout.
Smush the two sets of handling traits together and I’m completely sold. The grip, brakes and ride of my car combined with the superior controls of the earlier model would let you make the best of the willing engine. Let’s hope the new Swift Sport can make that blend a reality – I’m really looking forward to it.