Suzuki Swift 2024 Review

Pricing for the new-generation 2024 Suzuki Swift starts at $24,490 drive-away for the base-grade model simply called the Suzuki Swift Hybrid – and in today’s market that’s a very competitive price point.

The sub-$25K price – drive-away, no more to pay – is an attention grabber, but that’s only for the manual transmission. Most buyers will want the continuously variable automatic (CVT), which adds another $2500 to the price, taking it to $26,990 drive-away.

The mid-spec Swift Hybrid Plus opens at $28,490 drive-away, while the top-spec Swift Hybrid GLX starts from $29,490 drive-away.

Don’t be fooled by the ‘Hybrid’ badging – the Suzuki Swift sticks with a small, naturally-aspirated combustion engine, with the added benefit of a mild-hybrid system.

You’ll find a proper hybrid powertrain in the Toyota Yaris, which is priced from $28,500 plus on-road costs. The new MG3 has also just launched with a hybrid option for the first time, starting from $27,990 plus ORCs.

While Toyota has discontinued petrol-only Yaris models, you can also get into a new petrol-powered MG3 from $23,990 plus ORCs, which will be the Swift’s biggest threat, while the Mazda2 is available from $22,870 plus ORCs.

Make no mistake, entry-level compact cars are still duking it out at the budget end of the market, where the smaller Kia Picanto has now displaced the MG3 as the cheapest new car in Australia (from $17,890 plus ORCs).

Like all Suzuki vehicles, the Swift is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and there's no capped price servicing to .

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first, and according to Suzuki, it'll cost $1995 across five years or 60,000km.

To get Suzuki Australia’s five-year complimentary roadside assistance, the vehicle needs to be serviced at an authorised dealership.

The new 2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid may be a relatively cheap car, but the equipment list is peachy, to say the least.

All model grades get a new tablet-style high-resolution 9.0-inch central touch-screen with native GPS-based satellite navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Happily, the screen doesn’t look like a tacky aftermarket job this time around.

Other standard equipment such as keyless entry and push-button start, USB-A ports, LED headlights and tail-lights, heated door mirrors and an upgraded safety suite with dual forward-facing cameras and a reversing camera make it a solid level of kit for an entry-level budget car.

The Suzuki Swift Hybrid Plus offers improved seating via heated front seats, premium seat fabric and driver’s seat height adjustment. It also has a leather-clad steering wheel, tinted rear windows and USB-C ports (in addition to USB-A).

The top-spec Suzuki Swift Hybrid GLX adds a wireless phone charger, steering wheel-mounted paddle-type gear shifters, automatic climate control, rear air ducts (but not vents) under the front seats, plus electric-folding door mirrors with built-in indicator lamps.

Base-grade Swift Hybrid models get 16-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, while the Hybrid Plus and GLX feature 16-inch alloy wheels, fancy polished ones for the GLX.

This is a very good question, especially when safety tends to cost extra at this end of the market.

All 2024 Suzuki Swift models get a reasonably strong safety suite, including with LED headlights and auto-dipping high beam assist, traffic sign recognition (aka real-time speed limit updates), adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) via a new dual-camera brake support system.

Lane departure warning, prevention and weaving alert are designed to keep drivers on the straight and narrow, while rear parking sensors and a rear-facing camera make busy car parks less stressful.

Every model is also fitted with electronic traction and stability control, anti-lock brakes and six airbags, including side curtain airbags for both rows but no front-centre airbag as found in the Toyota Yaris.

Rear cross traffic alert (warning drivers of approaching cars on its reversing route) and a blind spot monitor are not offered on entry-level Suzuki Swift models, only for higher-grade Plus and GLX versions, which is disappointing.

Independent safety authority ANCAP has not yet tested the new Suzuki Swift.

Suzuki Automobiles Australia managing director, Michael Pachota, told carsales he “hopes” the car will get a maximum five-star safety rating.

“I’m waiting on advice from Suzuki Japan in regards to where it’s going sit from an ANCAP perspective and we’ll go from there,” he said.

So the jury’s still out on that front.

Suzuki has done a commendable job dragging the 2024 Suzuki Swift into the modern era considering it rides on a carryover platform architecture.

As well as installing twin forward-facing cameras for more accurate adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking, the new 9.0-inch central screen looks great and includes sat-nav and a digital radio tuner, not to mention Android Auto (wired) and Apple CarPlay (wired and wireless) connectivity.

One thing that would’ve really given the Swift a leg up in the tech department, but is not available in Australia, is the Suzuki Connect system. This connects car and smartphone via an app to enable remote monitoring, a battery check, live vehicle tracking, a locator system to find the vehicle in busy car parks, auto locking and more.

It’s also missing a digital instrument cluster, but to be honest it gets the job done just fine with twin analogue dials bisected by a small but detailed trip computer complete with hybrid energy flow displays, which is a nice touch.

The 2024 Suzuki Swift range has condensed its powertrain line-up from three choices to just one: a new-ish Z12E mild-hybrid unit.

The new-to-Australia 1.2-litre three-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine produces 61kW and 112Nm – less power (-5kW) and torque (-8Nm) than the previous entry-level K12D engine – but adds an integrated starter generator (ISG) to reduce fuel consumption.

The ISG draws energy from a 12-volt lithium-ion battery located under the driver’s seat, which is separate to the regular lead-acid battery. The car can also recharge both batteries under deceleration.

The ISG’s remit includes stop-start functions but also chimes in with a bit more power and a lot more torque (2kW/60Nm) to boost performance when you nail it.

On the flipside, it can reduce the strain on the petrol engine when cruising and accelerating from standstill to reduce fuel consumption.

According to the manufacturer, the new 2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid yields fuel savings of at least 17 per cent while reducing CO2 emissions by around 20 per cent, and although we didn’t match the claimed 4.0L/100km combined-cycle fuel consumption figure, we weren’t far behind with 4.2L/100km.

That rose to 4.5L/100km in the last few kilometres of the launch drive after we started testing standing-start acceleration, but even then it’s not a shabby outcome.

If only the same could be said for its standing-start acceleration…

For the record, the car’s non-hybrid 1.2-litre predecessor used fuel at a claimed rate of 4.8L/100km.

The 2024 Suzuki Swift retains its fun-to-drive personality, and although straight-line performance is modest at best, its light 950kg kerb weight helps it dart around town with the dexterity of a hummingbird.

The new Swift is a barrel of fun blasting through empty roundabouts and tracking through tight corners, the chassis tuned for driver engagement and vivaciousness, not just bland A-to-B transport.

There’s not too much body lean through corners as the car responds quickly and deftly to steering input, and while a bit more engine oomph would never go astray, the car retains its cheeky persona and will put a smile on your dial more often than not.

The CVT transmission is competent but uninspiring, and while top-spec GLX models get manual override gear selection via steering wheel paddle shifters, they’re about as responsive as a sedated slug.

The manual gearbox, on the other hand, delivers a far more engaging interface with the engine. Sadly, it’ll be largely relegated to rental fleets as the vast majority of private buyers prefer the seamlessness of an automatic transmission.

All models have one of the quietest, smoothest and most seamless engine stop-start functions ever, to the point where I had no desire to turn it off – which is rare.

Chief engineer of the fourth-generation Suzuki Swift, Masao Kobori, and his team have done a fine job improving vehicle refinement, the Swift now feeling more planted, less rickety and paper-thin than before. Part of this is due to the extra sound-deadening materials used, while a new suspension tune also reduces noise, vibration and harshness.

Ride comfort is acceptable, the suspension and tyres absorbing most of what inner-urban Melbourne can muster up right now, including dodgy highway seams, shoddy roadworks, rutted surfaces and heavily patched-up bitumen.

The Swift certainly feels in its element in the suburbs and exurbs, the mild-hybrid boost working well at lower speeds and the genial seating position and upright windows providing very good outward vision, which makes everyday driving just that little bit easier.

The upgraded safety suite is welcome, but the lane keeping systems are basic at best and shouldn’t be overly relied on.

It’s nice… for a budget car.

There’s no leather upholstery or power-operated seats in the 2024 Suzuki Swift’s compact cabin, but there’s enough USB ports and a rather pretty 9.0-inch touch-screen that looks like a Trinitron monster TV.

Perhaps that’s a little unfair because front seat occupant space is surprisingly good, with ample headroom, legroom and shoulder-room even for bigger, boofier types.

The cloth seat upholstery is underwhelming but the seats are supportive and comfortable and have slightly sporty side bolsters.

However, getting back to the touch-screen, we reckon most people will bypass it completely where possible and just hook up Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

The menu system is not intuitive and the back-end computing power is lacking, which means it sometimes takes a fair while to switch between menus and systems and load them up.

There’s also some fairly cheap and scratchy dash plastics and a lack of incidental storage doesn’t help things, although these are largely expected at this end of the market.

The two-tone colour palette adds a stylish, upmarket ambience to the cabin and the physical temperate controls look and feel good. The steering wheel is a carryover component from the previous Swift, along with a few other items, but the overall look and feel is pretty schmick.

Back seat passenger space is suitable for two passengers, affording reasonable headroom and shoulder-room, although legroom is pretty tight. Amenity is crummy with no air vents, fold-out arm rests or USB ports.

Boot space has improved by around seven per cent to 265 litres, opening up to 589 litres when the rear seats are folded down. But, again, amenity is lacking with only one bag hook, no tie-down anchorages and no spare wheel, just a tyre inflator/repair kit.

The new 2024 Suzuki Swift has arrived with compelling price points, improved equipment levels and grin-inducing dynamics.

The mild-hybrid powertrain is welcome, and although it won’t result in huge fuel savings, it does appear to make a mild difference – hence the name, eh?

Brandishing a fresh but recognisable new look – half the battle with first-car buyers – the upgraded tech and safety systems bring the Swift into the modern era, and with plenty of sparkle and fizz, there’s more than enough good stuff to get buyers buzzing.

2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid Plus at a glance:
Price: $28,490 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol
Output: 61kW/112Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 4.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 90g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested