Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 141

S

uzuki Swift prices start
at $15,990 for the base
1.2-litre/fi ve-speed manual GL.
A CVT transmission adds $2000.
Swift Sport, with a 1.4 litre
turbo/six-speed manual, is
$25,490; a six-speed auto also
adds $2000.
The mid-spec GLX Turbo
tested here, with a 1.0-litre
three-cylinder turbocharged
engine and a six-speed
automatic, is $22,990.
Ouch. That’s a big ask for
a small car. You can get into
a next-size-up base-model
Hyundai i30 or Toyota Corolla for
that sort of money.
It won’t be as well-equipped
as the Suzuki, though, which
has seven-inch touchscreen
infotainment with navigation,
voice control, an SD card
slot, USB, Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto connectivity.
Voice control works reasonably
well for simple phone and audio
manoeuvres but when I asked to
enter a navigation address, it told

me that wasn’t possible in this

country. So you need to stop and

do it manually on the screen.

Simple instrumentation

in a cute, retro-sporty-look

dash doesn’t include a digital

speedo. Covered storage is

limited to the glovebox.

In GLX, you get a contoured,

fl at-bottom, leather- wrapped

steering wheel and gearshift

paddles. Material, fi t and fi nish

quality is excellent, as expected

from one of the few small cars

still made in Japan.

While low roofl ines and coupe-

style profi les are the current

design fashion, Suzuki has kept

the traditional box-on-wheels

hatch shape for the new Swift so

when you hop in, the high roof and

upright windscreen give the cabin

a lovely sense of space and light.

You sit high, with clear vision

in all directions. Tall drivers can

get comfortable and the seat is

properly supportive.

Back-seat legroom is more

generous than the knees-up

squeeze common to this class and

four adults can travel comfortably.

The boot has a deep well and an

extended stepped fl oor via the

60/40 split-fold rear seat.

You feel the car fi dgeting on

rough city streets because the

suspension is quite fi rm, but

only big whacks jolt the cabin.

On the open road, the Suzuki is

reasonably comfortable, though

choppy bitumen can cause some

body and steering shake.

Safety specifi cation in GLX

includes a rear camera, forward

collision warning, automatic

emergency braking (from speeds

up to 100km/h), speed limiter,

radar cruise, lane departure

warning and weaving alert that

will buzz you if it thinks you’re not

in compete control of the car.

Collision warning is

oversensitive in town, but radar

cruise works well in freeway

traffi c and will hold a set speed.

Swift has a sporty, enjoyable

character and decent handling,

with strong grip, sharpish though

slightly vague steering and

powerful brakes.

Suzuki’s one-litre, three-

cylinder turbopetrol engine has

strong numbers for this class,

surprising pulling power at low

revs, a bit of a fl at spot in the

midrange and plenty of zip up

top. It’s quiet in cruise mode;

under power, it makes pleasantly

gruff and growly noises. The

expected three-cylinder engine

vibration is well-suppressed.

It doesn’t really matter how

or where you drive, you’ll get

5-6L/100km, on premium

unleaded.

The six-speed automatic heads

straight for the high gears in Drive,

which is fi ne, but Manual mode

changes up too early and down too

late, when it decides — so it’s not

really Manual mode at all.

Although it’s comparably priced,

Swift GLX isn’t quite as polished as

the class-leading Mazda2 GT and

VW Polo Comfortline.

S SUZUKI SWIFT FROM $15,990

THINGS WE LIKE

 Fun to drive, with zippy

performance and sporty handling

 Strong safety credentials

 Loaded with standard equipment

 Spacious, comfortable cabin

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Expensive, short warranty and very

high servicing costs

No voice control for navigation

Manual mode isn’t manual at all

Ride can get a bit fi dgety on rough

roads

Runs on premium

SPEX

Made in Japan

1.0-litre three-cylinder turbopetrol/

six-speed automatic/front-wheel

drive

82kW of power at 5500rpm/160Nm

of torque from 1500-4000rpm

0-100km/h N/A

4.3L/100km highway; 6.6L/100km

city; 95 premium; CO2 emissions

are 119gkm

Warranty: Three years/100,000km

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, rear camera, forward

collision warning, automatic

emergency braking, speed

limiter, adaptive cruise, lane

departure warning and weaving

alert, Bluetooth, navigation, voice

control, Apple CarPlay, Android

Auto, leather-wrapped wheel, 16-

inch alloys

Redbook future values: 3yr: 53%;

5yr: 38%

Safety

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall



STARS

compare with ...

Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Mazda2,

Š koda Fabia, Toyota Yaris, VW Polo