At just over twenty years old the Suzuki Swift reached a huge milestone this year by achieving accumulated global sales of ten million units whilst winning awards across the world along the way.
Now in its fourth generation, I got to spend a week with this multi-award-winning Hybrid supermini, but featuring the CVT automatic gearbox which is available on both grades as a £1,250 option.
Available with eight single-tone colour choices, you have the option of four dual-tone colour choices to make you stand out from the crowd. Swift features excellent visibility, a spacious cabin and ample luggage space.
Standard equipment for ‘Motion’ grade, priced from £19,699 is very comprehensive and includes 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps, navigation, rear view camera, rear parking sensors, Adaptive Cruise Control, wireless smartphone link display audio, keyless entry & start, Driver Monitoring System, Dual Sensor Brake Support (upgraded), Lane Departure Warning and Weaving Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitor and enhanced Traffic Sign Recognition.
‘Ultra’ grade starts from £20,799 and adds 16-inch polished alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning, rear passenger heater outlet and electric folding door mirrors incorporating side turn indicators.
An ALLGRIP four-wheel-drive is available on the top trim level, and this comes equipped with just a manual ‘box. It is priced at £22,049 and is ideal for mountainous living or those who maybe need to tend to animals along loose roads.
This latest Swift is quieter than ever, thanks to sound and vibration adhesive has been applied to the under body to reduce transmission of noise and vibration into the cabin.
Suzuki like to keep it simple, and no matter what grade of Swift you chose, there is just one powertrain available.
An all-new and highly efficient three-cylinder petrol engine with multi-point fuel injection has been developed for the Swift which offers enhanced fuel economy, improved torque and even lower CO2 emissions than before. The maximum power output is 82PS with a slightly higher torque figure of 112Nm at just 4,500rpm, acceleration time to 62mph is improved by 5% to 12.5 seconds for the manual model and 11.9 seconds for the optional CVT.
Fuel efficiency is further enhanced when paired with the self-charging hybrid system powered by a lithium-ion battery with capacity of 10Ah to improve energy recovery efficiency.
Fitted as standard equipment, the 12V Mild Hybrid system is a compact and lightweight unit that incorporates an Integrated Starter Generator (known as ISG) which acts as both a generator and starter motor, the ISG is belt driven and assists the engine during vehicle take off and acceleration and also generates electricity through regenerative braking. The ISG unit has a power output of 2.3kW with a torque figure of 60Nm. Suzuki‘s 12V Mild Hybrid is particularly light weight with the components of the system adding less than 7.0kg to the overall weight of the car.
In situations that require higher fuel use, such as when starting from a standstill or accelerating, the hybrid system helps suppress fuel consumption by providing electric motor assist using electricity generated through regenerative braking. Because the ISG uses a belt drive rather than a conventional starter motor to restart the engine after an automatic engine stop it allows for a quiet and smooth start.
Furthermore, the light and long-life lithium-ion battery has excellent regenerative efficiency, which increases the frequency of engine assists. The battery also supplies power to electrical components for the engine, instruments as well as the audio system.
For the Swift Motion with manual transmission the Hybrid system helps reach a CO2 emissions figure of just 99g/km (WLTP regulation) plus achieve a fuel consumption figure of 64.2 mpg (WLTP) on the combined cycle. CVT models remain extremely efficient with fuel consumption of 60.1mpg and CO2 emissions of just 108g/km.
The audio system for both Motion and Ultra grades has a full colour 9-inch High Definition display that includes the audio control, standard equipment navigation system, rear view camera image and connectivity for both Apple CarPlay and Android devices via USB and WI-Fi.
Apple CarPlay is the smarter and safer way to use an iPhone in the Swift. Apart from making calls it also facilitates receiving directions for optimised traffic conditions, listening to music, accessing email, text messages and more. Android Auto device users can also enable Google Assistant voice commands to access a wide variety of supported apps.
Low cost of ownership is ensured with the inclusion of up to seven years warranty to all Suzuki customers. This warranty is offered free of charge once the car reaches the end of its manufacturer warranty period and is then booked in for its next scheduled service within the Suzuki Dealer network. This warranty stays in place until the next qualifying service and is then simply renewed again up to a maximum vehicle age of 7 years / 100,000 miles – whichever comes first.
I do like small cars, and I have always enjoyed spending time with various Suzuki Swift over the years. It’s well equipped, easy to park, handles great, goes alright for what it is, and offers affordable ownership.
Living semi-rural, the CVT model averaged around 50mpg during my busy week with the car pictured. As an owner of automatics for several years now, I can definitely see the appeal of adding an auto to the range. CVT ‘boxes take a while to get used to when compared to a traditional auto, and if in a rush can make the engine a little vocal, but I feel it’s a ‘box that works well in the Swift.
