Ace value Swace
instead of the previous unit’s 71bhp. That means that the Swace now has a total power output of 138bhp (up from 120bhp previously).
Less weight and more power should mean the car is nippier and quicker off the line than before – which it is. The 0-62mph time has 1.7sec shaved off it, to 9.4sec, and the response when accelerating onto a motorway or out of a roundabout is noticeably better.
A remapping of the engine management computer has also made the throttle response more linear and even the CVT gearbox works better, which is likely to be down to the more powerful electric motor giving more help.
Toyota fits the Corolla with a gauge which tells you the percentage of your journey done on electric power but the Swace doesn’t have it. But what really matters is that you will be getting 60mpg quite easily in town and on the open road.
Externally, there’s a new rear bumper but otherwise the Swace has hardly been changed. Inside there’s evidence as to why the Swace estate costs £750 less than the equivalent spec Corolla estate, primarily that in the latter you get a standard 10.5in infotainment screen, whereas in the Suzuki it’s only eight inches across and looks a bit outdated. But since wireless smart phone mirroring is standard it’s not a big problem.
There’s a bit of cheap plastic dotted around the cabin but our car didn’t suffer any rattles or squeaks and the whole lot is well screwed together.
There are physical buttons for the heating and ventilation which is welcome. Naturally, the Swace has the same dimensions as the Corolla estate which means a boot space of 596 litres with the rear seats in place and 1,606 litres with them folded flat.
When we first tested the Swace back in January 2020 we compared it with a few rivals that included PHEVs such as the Skoda Octavia. Cars like that have got far more expensive over the last year or so and now the Suzuki stands almost on its own as a practical, affordable and economical estate car.
It is now an even better proposition in this revised form.