Damien O’Carroll looks at the third generation of the new, ever popular Swift.
Since Suzuki first launched its incredibly popular Swift back in 2005 it has dominated its segment, only being beaten to the top spot by the Toyota Yaris in 2015. But it is not only the light segment that the Swift dominates, it is also the best selling new car to private buyers by a significant margin and that is not even counting the huge amount that have come into the country as used imports.
And while Suzuki don’t necessarily target fleets with the Swift, more than a few have also found their way onto fleets across the country. Much as very good cars always do.
Now, after much success and a second generation model that very much stayed with the same formula, we have an all-new third generation Swift that gets a bold new look, but still sticks to its strengths.
The new Swift is slightly larger than the old car, with a 10mm increase in length, a 20mm increase in wheelbase and a 40mm increase in width. Where it has usefully grown, however, is in the boot, with the new car’s 242 litres bettering the old car by 32 litres.
The new Swift weighs in at a between 855kg and 925kg depending on model, or around 135kg less than the old car and Suzuki has taken advantage of this weight reduction to use a range of smaller, slightly less powerful, but torquier and more frugal engines in the new Swift.
The GL kicks off the range at $19,990 for the manual and packs the same 66kW/120Nm 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the Ignis, while it comes standard with 15-inch steel wheels, cruise control, a leather steering wheel with satellite controls for the phone and audio system, rear privacy glass, LED daytime running lights and manual air conditioning.
The GL auto gets the same engine hooked up to a continuously variable transmission and costs $21,990, but also adds satellite navigation, a reversing camera and phone mirroring on a 7-inch touch screen.
The GLX is only available with the 1.2-litre engine and CVT and costs $24,500. Along with the GL CVT model’s standard spec, the GLX adds 16-inch alloy wheels and Suzuki’s new dual sensor brake support system that adds emergency autonomous braking, radar cruise control, lane departure warning and weaving alert.
The RS tops the range at $25,990 and gets an 82kW/160Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol turbo engine hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission, while it also adds polished 16-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, LED projector headlights with automatic high beam assist, a six-speaker audio system, electric folding door mirrors and climate control.
On the road, the 1.0-litre RS we drove was a strong and willing performer. The small engine does a brilliant job of hauling the lightweight car along and pulls remarkably strongly from down low.
The one traditional downside of the Swift is still present, however, as the open road ride is still somewhat firm and sensitive to irregularities in the surface and the road noise is rather intrusive. Around town though the Swift is comfortable and nicely responsive.
There are still quite a bit or hard plastics present in the cabin, but all the main points of contact are soft touch and pleasantly appointed.
While it still has some slight drawbacks that are hard to get away from in cars in this size and price range,it is still a remarkably complete package that also brings a healthy dose of fun and personality to the mix.
