All-new Suzuki Swift, same old price -- and appearance

An all-new version of Australia's favourite small car among private buyers -- the Suzuki Swift -- has arrived.

Its entry price remains where it all began five years ago, starting from $15,990, despite the addition of an all-new, more efficient engine, seven airbags, stability control and a five-star safety rating.

However, the starting price of a Swift with automatic transmission -- which accounts for the majority of sales (60 per cent) -- has crept up to $18,390, because Suzuki will not offer the base model with an auto.

"Most automatic buyers tend to go for the better equipped cars, so there was no point having two automatic models just $700 apart from each other," said the general manager of Suzuki Australia Tony Devers.

The new range is as follows (prices do not include registration and dealer charges):

GA manual $15,990: comes with five-speed manual transmission, seven airbags, stability control, air-conditioning, remote entry, power windows and mirrors, four speaker CD player with USB audio input, 15-inch steel wheels with wheel covers.

GL manual $16,690: adds leather steering wheel, body coloured door handles and mirrors, indicators move to the mirror scalps, six-speaker CD player with USB audio input, steering wheel audio controls, and tachometer.

GL auto $18,390: adds four-speed automatic transmission.

GLX manual $18,990: comes with five-speed manual and adds 16-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, telescopic steering wheel adjustment, front foglamps, Bluetooth, and a proximity key.

GLX auto $20,690: adds four-speed automatic transmission.

(The Swift Sport, based on the now-superseded model will continue in Australia until stock is exhausted in July).

The chief engineer for the new Suzuki Swift, Naoyuki Takeuchi, who came to Australia for the local media preview drive, explained for the first time why the new Swift's appearance looks so similar to its predecessor's.

"The previous generation Swift was the fastest-selling Suzuki in the history of the company," Takeuchi-san told the Carsales Network. "It reached 1 million sales in less time than any other Suzuki car before it, and we went on to sell more than 2 million."

He said the previous generation Swift was Suzuki's first truly global car -- it won 63 Car of the Year awards -- and it didn't want to mess with the formula.

For this latest model, Suzuki sent its Japanese designers to Europe for six months to work on the styling for new generation car there. One team was based in France, while the other team was based in Italy. The two-way competition (where neither design team could see what the other was doing) was eventually won by the Italian-based Japanese designers to create the car you see today.

Takeuchi-san would not say how different the Swift designed in France was, but said it also was a good-looking vehicle.

"The previous generation Swift was a very important car for Suzuki and we think had a unique design, so we wanted to keep this unique design because it was so successful," he said.

As with most new models, the new Swift has grown up and out -- and is a little heavier. But it's less thirsty according to the fuel rating label tests, because it has an all-new 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine.

This engine is smaller than the 1.5-litre it replaces -- and has less power and torque in a heavier car. Despite the new slogan 'More Swift' it turns out the new Swift is likely to be 'Less Swift' than before. Suzuki would not provide comparative 0 to 100km/h times.

But it seems quick enough. Cruise control and a digital speedometer are not currently available on the Swift, but they soon may be after one of the Japanese Suzuki entourage got a taste of Australian speed enforcement. Allegedly driving only a few km/h over the limit, he was stopped by police but let off with a friendly warning.

The new Swift should impress at the bowser, with an official fuel rating average of 5.5L/100km for the manual and 6.3L/100km for the auto -- among the best in class -- according to the Federal Government's mandated laboratory tests. Only time will tell, however, if these numbers are achievable in the real world.

At least the Swift can run on regular 91 unleaded (the baby Suzuki Alto, one of the cheapest cars in Australia, demands one of the most expensive fuels, premium unleaded), because the engine was designed with Australia as the primary market. The Alto's engine, meanwhile, was developed for Europe where premium unleaded is the norm.

Suzuki expects the new Swift will power the company to another record year of sales. Last year Suzuki sold just shy of 25,000 vehicles -- an increase of 27 per cent over 2009 -- although the 2010 growth will be more modest at about 10 per cent, the company said.

The base model Swift was expected to account for only 20 per cent of sales, while the top two grades would evenly share the balance, the company has forecast.

Most Australians won't be able to avoid the arrival of the new Swift. Suzuki will start a $3 million advertising campaign this weekend across all mediums -- TV, print, radio, internet -- as well as a viral promotion.

Its latest TV advertisement depicts a young man jumping across city buildings -- a French street sport called Parkour -- in a race against his girlfriend in a Swift. Although all the stunts were real, there were often soft landing pads just out of shot.

While the ad will go mainstream, a behind the scenes video which shows how some of the stunts were done will be distributed on the internet.

The stuntman was a 22-year-old Australian based in Germany who has taken up what is now recognised as an extreme sport there. The ad was filmed in Australia but will be aired in New Zealand, South Africa and parts of Europe.

For further information, read our international drive of the new Swift -- and watch out for our first local drive.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...