IT’S A NIFTY SWIFTY
BE quICk if you fancy a Swift from Japanese car- maker Suzuki. Before the 67 plate comes out next month, you might even save some cash. It’s not the flashiest of cars; the styling is sober, rather than pretty. But its smart presence caught my eye when unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in spring.
Cheap both to buy and run, I was keen to try it out. It didn’t disappoint.
It’s the third generation of the Swift since 2005 and has sold 130,000 in the uk and 5.4 million worldwide. About 12,500 a year are predicted for the new model.
I particularly liked the clever rear door handles blended into the rear door and pillar to give it a more streamlined presence — looking more like a three-door hatch, and helped by the dark privacy glass.
The smart and functional interior is almost Audi- esque in its styling, with comfortable, tastefully tailored and shaped fabric seats.
For just £10,999 the SZ3 trim has a leather steering wheel, digital radio, 15 in wheels, and privacy glass as standard. I drove the top- of-the range SZ5, at £14,984 including a £485 Speedy Blue metallic paint option.
Apart from that, it came with all the bells and whistles incud- ing 16 in polished alloy wheels, a rear-view parking camera, satnav and much more. Its efficient, frugal 1.0 three-cylinder 111 bhp turbo petrol engine — helped by a mild or ‘smart’ electric motor and linked to a slick five-speed manual gearbox — was nippy enough around town and perfectly acceptable for zooming up and down motorways.
It has a 0-62 mph acceleration of 10.9 seconds and the top speed of 121 mph is plenty.
It’s easy on the pocket with a claimed 65.7mpg fuel economy, including 58.8mpg around town and 70.6mpg cruising, with low road tax and CO2 emissions).
And with the #SuzukiSaturdays sale, customers who order any new Suzuki today only, for delivery by August 31, are eligible for £500 off the list price.
Suzuki is also preparing to launch the Swift Sport variant at next month’s Frankfurt show.