Small wonder Swift is leading the market

SMALL cars aren’t hot property right now.

That’s certainly the view of carmakers, who are concentrating their time on other projects.

But not Suzuki. The Japanese firm feels there’s still a huge need for small, light, efficient, and well-priced small cars, and with rivals such as Ford, Kia and Nissan leaving this market it thinks customers are being ignored.

So, it’s launched a new Swift to appeal to this sizeable group of people.

What’s new?

This is a completely new supermini.

While some car manufacturers are tweaking their older models to keep them on life support until an electric replacement arrives sometime in the future, Suzuki is starting afresh.

The design, though similar to previous Swifts, is new, the interior is new and just when carmakers are cancelling the development of new petrol engines, Suzuki has crafted a totally new one.

It’s only really the platform that’s not shiny new as it’s a development of the old models.

What’s it like to drive?

Suzuki certainly knows how to build engines as the little 1.2 spins sweetly, and despite three-cylinder units characteristically being a little on the rough side, it’s smooth. There’s more than enough punch in the low end of the rev range meaning it’s ideal around town, while the gearbox is a delight – it’s light and precise to use.

The old Swift always had a slightly overly firm suspension set-up, and, though engaging to drive, it was always outshone by a Fiesta. This new one is quieter on the move, it’s slightly softer and deals better with bumps and potholes, and with the Fiesta being no more, the Swift is arguably the class leader for handling – the fact that the car is very light (it weighs under 1,000kg) certainly helps here.

How does it look?

The design is completely new, but there are some carryovers from previous Swifts such as the ‘floating’ roof, tall front headlights and the neat rear end.

There are some noticeable differences, though, such as the wide, open-mouthed grille now without the Suzuki badge, and the crease that wraps around the whole of the car. It’s still a handsome car, though, and looks distinctive from its rivals.

What’s it like inside?

The high-mounted nine-inch touchscreen doesn’t have the most attractive software around, but as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard you won’t be using it that much.

Happily, Suzuki hasn’t followed some rivals by burying the heated controls in the touchscreen as there’s a row of buttons for that, and even a manual handbrake. Space in the rear is good with decent head and kneeroom.

At 265 litres (expanding to 980 litres with the seats folded), boot space is about right too.

As big names axe superminis, Suzuki launches a new Swift. James Batchelor tries it out.

What’s under the bonnet?

Let’s talk about that engine then. It’s a 1.2-litre unit with three cylinders, replacing the old four-cylinder unit, and has 81bhp and 112Nm of torque. It comes as standard with a five-speed manual gearbox – yes, you read that right – or for £1,250 more you can have it with a CVT.

The engine also comes with a 12V mild hybrid system to help with efficiency – speaking of which, at 64.2mpg, it’s right at the top of the tree for fuel economy, and the cleanest by coughing out just 99g/km of CO2.

What’s the spec like?

The Swift is surprisingly wellequipped and keenly priced. There’s just a simple twomodel line-up, with entrylevel Motion getting 16-inch alloys, LED headlights, satnav, rear parking sensors and camera, adaptive cruise control, wireless smartphone connectivity, heated seats and a host of safety equipment. It starts at £18,699 and undercuts a number of rivals including the Fabia, i20, 208 and Corsa.

Ultra, from £19,799, tops the range and gets polished alloys, automatic climate control and electric folding mirrors.

The four-wheel drive Swift will cost £21,049 when it arrives later this year.

The verdict

A new supermini with a petrol engine and a manual gearbox may sound like an anachronism in 2024, but the Swift will appeal to a whole host of buyers in the UK.

Its keen pricing will be enough to win over most buyers, but this is also a small car that is brimming with character thanks to an eager engine and sharp handling.