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#TriedAndTested: The all-new Suzuki Swift
18 Jun 2018
Suzuki is targeting millennials with its all-new Suzuki Swift model which it hopes will give them "all the right feels".
What's it like?
The Swift has always caught my eye on the road, perhaps because it's such a cute yet sturdy design. I usually imagined it to be rather swift and smooth on the road - clearly the branding and marketing tactics worked since I had this perception without ever having driven one!
The all-new Swift has improved all over. What is most staggering about it is that it's 10mm shorter than the previous model.
"What, how, really?!" Yes, really. 10mm shorter. You would perhaps not even need to touch the windscreen with the dangling tennis ball in the garage anymore - it would fit easy peasy.
But the length didn't just vanish into thin air. The manufacturer added 40mm to the width of the vehicle and the wheels have been placed right in the corners of the car. All of this gives the Swift a rather bold stance. Or as the manufacturer refers to it, the "distinctive squat stance".
One specific thing that I'm not so fond of, however, is the look of the skinny wheels. For such a bold, muscular looking car, the wheels look a bit sad, in my opinion. But, then again, do you want everything to look perfect, or do you want an easy to handle, fuel-efficient car? Because that's the positive side of having slightly skinnier wheels. Driving around the city and in parking lots, sharp turning at low speeds makes drive experience quite pleasant with skinnier wheels. So, in the end, that's actually a plus.
What about engine and safety stuff?
The Swift retains the K12M engine which is reportedly renowned for its durability, reliability, and frugal fuel consumption.
The K12M four-cylinder engine delivers 61kW and 113Nm and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox in the GA-model, while buyers of the GL-model can choose between the same five-speed manual gearbox or an automated manual gearbox (AMT) with the same number of gears (FYI, AMT is definitely not my cup of tea).
Suzuki claims a fuel consumption of 4.9l/100km in a combined cycle, giving it a real-world range of over 750km on its 37-litre tank. Not bad at all. The car weighs 875kg, which is 95kg lighter than its predecessor, making it one of the lightest vehicles in the upper-B segment.
The new Heartect platform integrates with Suzuki’s total effective control technology (TECT), which applies the same design philosophy and engineering principles by using very high-tensile steel to lighten the body weight, while improving crash safety.
The system was designed to integrate active and passive safety systems, including the two front-occupant airbags, ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and Isofix seat anchors, to create the safest Suzuki Swift 1.2 to date.
What else?
The new Suzuki Swift has already walked away with a couple of noteworthy awards including the RJC Car of the Year in Japan, the Scottish Compact Car of the Year and being named a top-three finalist of the World Urban Car of the Year.
The new dimensions have allowed the designers to increase interior space, especially for rear passengers. Rear passengers now have 23mm of additional headroom (awesome if you, like me, sometimes feel like Alice in Wonderland in a small car's backseat), while front occupants benefit the most from the additional body width with 10mm extra shoulder room.
Luggage capacity has increased to 268 litres. This is a massive improvement of 58 litres over its predecessor and is further benefitted by the fitment of a 60/40 split and foldable rear bench seat on the GL-specification level.
The original Swift silhouette with its bold headlights, blacked-out A- and B-pillars and sloping roof actually mimics the look of a racing helmet, and its width-over-length preference became the foundation of the Swift’s distinctive visual signature. This has been carried over to the newest model.
The rear door handles on the new model is now on the C-pillar - something that also seems to be a trend with manufacturers these days.
Suzuki also launched an all-new Dzire, originally developed alongside the Swift to offer a more family-orientated sedan body shape of the popular hatchback. It is now a stand-alone brand with new styling, a new platform and great value. The new Dzire also offers significantly more boot space than its predecessor. The sedan has 378 litres of boot space, which is 78 litres more than before.
How many bucks?
Suzuki Swift price (incl vat)
- 1.2i GA MT: R159,900
- 1.2i GL MT: R175,900
- 1.2i GL AMT: R189,900
All models are sold with Suzuki’s five-year/200,000km mechanical warranty and a two-year/30,000km service plan.
Conclusion
For a small, sexy, sturdy B-segment car, the new Suzuki Swift is among some of the most affordable cars out there. With over six million units of the Swift sold worldwide to date, I think the numbers speak for itself. I'd predict it's going to be well received by the market and you'd be silly not to take it for a spin if you're in the process of deciding which upper B-segment car to buy.
About Ilse van den Berg
Ilse is a freelance journalist and editor with a passion for people & their stories (check out Passing Stories). She is also the editor of Go & Travel, a platform connecting all the stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry. You can check out her work here and here. Contact Ilse through her website here.
