Suzuki is the small car king in Japan, outselling Toyota in the tiny-tot division. In Australia, however, Suzuki is more of a quiet achiever. For example, did you know that the Swift is in a battle for fourth place with the Ford Fiesta in the 2011 sales race?
The latest generation Swift arrived in February this year. Initially it was criticised by some observers as looking too similar to the old one. But the previous model was such a success that Suzuki didn’t want to mess with the formula. Now that there are more new Swifts on the road, the differences are more apparent.
The other initial concern: the car grew in size and put on a little weight (about 30 to 50kg) while also getting a smaller engine. Suzuki countered those concerns by pointing out it had extracted more efficiencies from the smaller heart.
The reality is that the Swift hasn’t lost any of its charm. It’s fun to drive, well made and offers bullet-proof reliability.
The Swift is one of the few Japanese small cars made in Japan (along with the Mazda2 and Yaris, while the Nissan and Honda come from Thailand) but Suzuki Australia has nevertheless still managed to negotiate a sharp price. At $18,390 in GL automatic form, it’s the third cheapest car in this test.
It comes with seven airbags (including one for the driver’s knee) and a five-star safety rating. It gets a USB audio input, but not Bluetooth.
Boot space is among the smallest in the class even though Suzuki has only stashed a space-saver spare in there; the mezzanine floor is a clever touch.
The cabin is well presented and the quality seems to be a cut above the Holden Barina, but barely on a par with the better of the Koreans, the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio. And, uniquely among this group of cars, the Swift is the only one without an auto-up driver’s window.
The seats are comfortable and there are plenty of storage cubbies, although the shelf above the glovebox does appear to have been done for form rather than function.
The 1.4-litre engine is okay in isolation, but doesn’t feel as lively as its peers – or as its Suzuki name (long attached to motorcycles) suggests.
Overall the Suzuki didn’t excel in any particular area but it did a lot of things well and had the crucial bases covered.
motoring.com.au's Light Car road-test comparison:
>> Ford Fiesta
>> Holden Barina
>> Honda Jazz
>> Hyundai Accent
>> Kia Rio
>> Mazda Mazda2
>> Nissan Micra
>> Skoda Fabia
>> Volkswagen Polo
>> Toyota Yaris
The award goes to:
>> Light Car mega-test: The Verdict
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