2024 Suzuki Swift: Australian pricing and specs

The fourth-generation 2024 Suzuki Swift has started rolling into Australian showrooms with compelling prices starting at $24,490 drive-away – around the same base price as the model it replaces (from $22,490 plus on-road costs).

Brandishing a fresh but recognisable new exterior design and kitted out with more standard equipment than before, all three new Suzuki Swift ‘Hybrid’ variants are powered by a mild-hybrid powertrain and all of them are priced under $30,000 drive-away.

Only the price-leading entry-level Swift grade is available with a five-speed manual transmission, while a CVT transmission costs an extra $2500, making the price of the cheapest automatic version $26,990 drive-away.

The mid-range Suzuki Swift Hybrid Plus auto variant costs $28,490 drive-away and the top-spec Swift Hybrid GLX auto flagship is priced at $29,490 drive-away.

Standard equipment levels are generous across the range, with all variants fitted with the new 1.2-litre three-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine (see below), LED headlights and tail-lights, keyless entry and engine start, heated door mirrors and a 9.0-inch central touch-screen with Android Auto (wired) and Apple CarPlay (wired and wireless) functionality.

An upgraded safety suite adds dual front cameras and a radar sensor to offer autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning and prevention, plus six airbags including side curtains front and rear, auto high-beam, traction/stability control, anti-lock brakes, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard across the range.

But there’s no front-centre airbag as found in the Toyota Yaris, rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring are not offered on the entry-level variant, and the new Swift is yet to be safety-rated by ANCAP.

Mid-range Plus variants upgrade from 16-inch steel wheels with plastic hub cabs to 16-inch alloys, and come standard with a CVT automatic transmission, plus premium seat fabric with heated front seats, a leather-clad steering wheel and tinted rear windows.

At the top of the tree, the 2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid GLX nabs all of the abovementioned feature then adds a wireless phone charger, gearshift paddles, single-zone automatic climate-control and electric folding door mirrors with integrated indicators.

Suzuki Automobiles Australia managing director Michael Pachota said the small-car brand managed to keep the Japanese-built model’s pricing sharp for one simple reason: “We don’t put a massive [profit margin] premium on it like everybody else.”

Only four major players remain in Australia’s light-car sales segment – the Mazda2, Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Swift and MG3 – and the new 2024 Suzuki Swift is cheaper than all of them except the new Chinese challenger.

Replacing an aged model that has long been the cheapest and most popular light-car on the market, the new MG3 is priced from $23,990 plus on-road costs, but hybrid versions of the new MG3 are priced from $27,990 plus ORCs.

“Realistically speaking, we’ve tried to find a sweet spot within the competitor set in the light-car segment and I think we found it,” said Pachota.

“To start at $24,490 for a hybrid today, that is one of the cheapest hybrids in Australia. It’s unheard of.

“It may change – there’s a plenty of competitors out there that are introducing new products, some sooner than later – but right now we’re in a strong position.”

The 2024 Suzuki Swift has been handsomely equipped and its new mild-hybrid powertrain is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 17 per cent and CO2 emissions by 20 per cent.

That latter figure is set to become more important as Australia’s first mandatory emissions regulations are enforced from 2025, requiring new-vehicle brands to introduce more efficient model.

Although the new Swift powertrain is only a ‘mild’ hybrid, it does incorporate a small 12-volt lithium-ion battery that powers an integrated starter generator (ISG) connected to the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine.

The ISG is responsible for restarting the engine as part of the new fuel-saving idle-stop system, and can deliver up to 2kW more power and 60Nm more torque to boost performance, thereby also reducing fuel consumption.

Officially, the new Swift’s triple-cylinder mild-hybrid powertrain, which displaces the same 1197cc as the four-cylinder engine it replaces and has a longer stroke, produces 61kW at 5700rpm (previously 61kW at 6000rpm) and 112Nm at 4500rpm – down from the old Swift’s 66kW/120Nm 1.2-litre four-pot engine.

So the new Swift actually delivers less power and torque than its predecessor, and much less than the 82kW/160Nm outputs of the 1.0-litre turbo-triple in the outgoing GLX flagship.

And so far there’s no word on a replacement for the popular Suzuki Swift Sport warm hatch and its 103kW/230Nm 1.4-litre turbo-four, even if unofficial renders have already surfaced.

But the Mk4 Swift is certainly more fuel-efficient, with combined fuel consumption of 4.0L/100km for auto versions and just 3.8L/100km for the manual.

That’s down from 4.8L/100km for the outgoing Swift’s old 1.2-litre engine and also less than the new MG3 Hybrid (4.3L/100km), although the Yaris Hybrid is claimed to consume just 3.3L/100km.

Despite its small 37-litre fuel tank, it means the new Swift can theoretically cover just over 900km between refills.

Suzuki Australia backs the new Swift with its five-year, unlimited-km warranty and service intervals are 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first. Its capped-price service plan will cost just $1995 over the first 75,000km or five years of ownership.

2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid standard features:

2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid Plus adds:

2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid GLX adds:

How much does the 2024 Suzuki Swift cost?
Hybrid – $24,490
Hybrid (a) – $26,990
Hybrid Plus (a) – $28,490
Hybrid GLX (a) – $29,490
* All prices are drive-away

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