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New Suzuki Swift is a nifty little motor

Friday, 26 June 2009

Suzuki has been successful recently at producing good small cars like the Splash, the Swift and SX4 Saloon. Three years back their Swift was named Semperit Irish Car of the Year. That was a petrol version and now the Japanese manufacturer has introduced a 1.3 diesel version of the Swift. When you drive a different car every week the most regular questions I get from work colleagues are: ‘what’s that car like to drive’ and ‘how much does it cost.’ Well the best answer I could give to the first question is, nippy and frugal. The diesel Swift was ideal for city driving and I didn’t have to make many stops for diesel. Suzuki claims that you can get 62.8 mpg, which is impressive. But of course it’s difficult to properly test the mpg when driving in heavy city traffic. Prices for the petrol version start at e13,550, while the diesel model I drove will cost you e16,495. That’s a touch expensive, but on the plus side you do get more fuel economy with the diesel engine and C02 emissions are low, resulting in the car being rated at Band A for road tax, which is only e104. The Swift is built in Japan, Hungary, China and India, but the design team’s first step was to establish a European base where they were able to gain an insight into the European mindset. The Japanese are clearly interested in knowing what Europeans like in their cars. In these days of cutbacks I suppose we all love a bargain and a car that will run smoothly and not give any trouble. All new cars tend to run well and it’s difficult to say after a week what a car will be like in two or three years’ time. I drove a lovely blue colour Swift, but like most cars the interior was predominantly black. So that European ‘think tank’ must have found that we find black interiors most attractive? I think we should have a referendum on that and I would not be voting ‘yes.’ There is space for five adults and plenty of cubbyholes to hold drinks, coins etc. You also get a ‘hidden’ tray under the front passenger seat and if you are not using the cylindrical ashtray for smoking, it too could be used as a storage place. The radio controls are a decent size, but I would have liked a decent sized button to scroll up and down the wavelengths. You also get slave controls on the steering wheel. The boot has a split level effect but even with the divider taken out there is naturally not huge space in what is ultimately a small car. However, you do get a full-size spare wheel rather than the dreaded repair kit. The Swift is covered by a three year or 100,000km warranty. Take a test drive and you may be surprised at what a nifty little motor it is.