Suzuki Swift Review & Prices

Suzuki is a bit like Porsche. No, honestly, stop laughing. Suzuki might make small, affordable hatchbacks and crossovers — such as this new Suzuki Swift Hybrid — rather than snorting sports cars, but like Porsche, once it decides on a model, it sticks with the basic design and layout and keeps updating and improving it, rather than re-inventing everything.

In that sense, the new Suzuki Swift is the Custard Cream of small cars. True, there are more exciting, more daring options out there, but you know where you are with a solid, reliable, familiar Custard Cream, and you know it’s not going to be as expensive as all those chocolate-covered alternatives. 

On the outside, the new Swift is very clearly evolved from the old one, with the same cute Mini-esque lights and grille, and the same wraparound windscreen and floating roof. This time around the bonnet is rounder and more obviously placed ‘on top’ of the rest of the bodywork, and there’s a sharper separation between the lower half of the body and the glass and roof. Does it look better or worse? Or just about the same? Yes, to both. 

Inside, there have been some more definite improvements. The Swift’s cabin remains at the cheaper end of things, but the design of the dashboard has been updated so that it looks more modern and technical, and the central touchscreen gets new software which makes it far more easy to use, and more modern-looking, than that of the old Swift. You still get simple, easy-to-read dials for your instruments, and the air conditioning is handled by proper old-fashioned switches. Hurrah for both of those things. 

The Swift’s cabin isn’t the biggest around, but there is enough space for four reasonably-sized adults to get comfortable, although woe-betide anyone who tries to squeeze into the narrow middle rear seat. Don’t go expecting to fit any massive supermarket shops into the boot, either — at just 265-litres, you’re not going to squeeze very many bags in. You can fold the back seats down to get 569-litres of space, but the rear floor isn’t flat as the back seats leave a big lip in the boot. 

For now, the Swift will be offered with just the one engine — a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol, which replaces the previous four-cylinder engine. Suzuki says that it’s a hybrid, but really it’s only a mild-hybrid, so it won’t drive on electric power alone, and it’s actually just a beefed-up stop-start system to be honest. That said, it’s impressively economical — 60mpg is do-able — and CO2 emissions are kept to a trim 99g/km, partly thanks to the Swift weighing only 949kg. That leads to affordable VED road tax of £175 for the first year, and as a company car the Swift should only add around £70-80 per month to anyone’s tax bill in terms of Benefit In Kind (BIK).

With 82hp, the Swift can scramble to 62mph in 12.5secs, which is certainly not fast, but it doesn’t feel too sluggish from behind the wheel. A five-speed manual gearbox comes as standard, but you can have a CVT automatic if you prefer. 

As ever, the Swift feels rather nice to drive. It’s not quite as sharp behind the wheel as a Mini, and it’s not as sophisticated as a Skoda Fabia, but with that light weight and willing engine, you can certainly enjoy it. Just don’t go expecting big-car refinement, nor comfort. In fact, that’s a weak point for the Swift — the ride quality is very stiff, especially around town which is exactly where most owners are likely to spend most of their time. 

A comprehensive review on the Suzuki Swift will come once we've had the chance to thoroughly test the car out, but in the meantime you can see our latest new Suzuki deals and used Suzuki cars for sale. Did you know you can sell your current car through Carwow, too?

The Swift isn’t as cheap as once it was, but prices are still relatively affordable, and it’s well-equipped. The basic Motion model comes with standard adaptive cruise control, a rear camera and parking sensors, heated front seats, wireless phone connection, blind spot monitor, and keyless entry and ignition. 

For around £1,000 more, you can have the Swift Ultra, which comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning with rear vents, electric door mirrors with integrated indicators, and adjustable height seatbelts. If you want the CVT automatic gearbox for either version, that’ll be an extra £1,250. 

Not as cheap as it once was, but still pretty affordable and the Swift is much cheaper than any of its main competitors from Skoda, Toyota, Volkswagen, or Hyundai.