Given its 1.5-litre 101bhp four-cylinder engine, the Swift’s headline figures – 0-60mph in 10.1 sec and a top speed of 111mph – are impressive. For the price, they are exceptional. To get similar performance from a Ford Fiesta, for example, you’d need a Zetec S, which is over £2500 more expensive.
On the road the engine does need to be worked to give its best. Although happy enough at high revs, the 16-valve unit can sound thin and become rather coarse-sounding above 4000rpm. Still, there is enough torque to operate happily below this limit; 50-70mph in top takes 15.1sec, 1.5sec faster than a 1.4-litre Fiesta. Suzuki has tried to improve refinement and economy by fitting the Swift with a top gear that pulls 23.7mph per 1000rpm, which means that at 70mph it is at a reasonably low 3100rpm. A snappy, precise and well-weighted gearchange means keeping the engine in its sweet spot is satisfyingly easy.
There are no complaints about the brakes, which provide a positive and well-weighted initial bite and progressive feel. Anti-lock brakes with EBD are standard across the range. Steering that at 3.2 turns lock to lock is appropriately direct makes the Swift easy to thread through town. Despite what at times feels like a firm ride, the Swift is adept at smoothing even severely undulating surfaces. Things deteriorate with more irregular intrusions, though. Although the body is never thrown off course, road imperfections are certainly heard and sometimes felt, especially in the back.
While driver entertainment is not a priority for a supermini, the Swift performs remarkably well. There’s plenty of roll, which has you expecting understeer, but lift the throttle slightly and the Swift’s tapered nose does the opposite and turns sharply for the apex. One downside to this is that it highlights the electric power steering’s poor feel. Even at a moderate pace there’s too much slack around the straight-ahead, while at motorway speeds the assistance is overly light.