Redesigned from the ground up, the new Suzuki Swift is an attractable choice in the supermini class.
It looks good, it’s fun to drive – for the most part, and at almost £11,000 ($14,200) for the base version in UK, it’s not that expensive either.
The steering is direct and responsive, the 5-speed manual gearbox is quite good, and it comes loaded with equipment, event in entry-level form, but the supermini does have a few flaws, as CarBuyer’s James Batchelor pointed out in this review.
First and foremost, the cabin has a lot of grey plastic, and there are no soft-touch materials, which makes it lose points to the Volkswagen Polo. The infotainment system is slow and frustrating to use, soundproofing is not that good, especially on the highway, and the automatic transmission should be avoided, as it’s sluggish to change gears, and affects the fuel economy too.
Boot space is not that practical either, compared to the Ford Fiesta or the Kia Rio, and even with the rear seats folded, carrying large items can be quite a pain, but legroom and headroom for the backseat occupants has improved.
Benefiting from the 1.0-liter turbocharged engine, with a mild hybrid system, means paying a bit extra, but it’s well worth it, as it works by storing the energy lost through braking and using it for acceleration. Drivers cannot really feel it, but it improves the mileage, which sits at over 50 UK mpg (41.6 US mpg / 5.6 l/100 km) in the real world.