The new Suzuki Swift will go on sale on the 1 June priced from £10,999.
Suzuki's Ford Fiesta rival switches to the same platform as the larger Baleno, but it's actually marginally shorter than the car it replaces. It also has a slightly lower roofline but a longer wheelbase. Wider use of ultra-high-strength steels in its construction has contributed to a significant weight saving for the car, with entry-level 1.2-litre-engined versions weighing 890kg, some 120kg less than their predecessors.
Interior space is up by 25% and luggage storage space has grown from 200 to 254 litres. Access is also improved thanks to a body optimised for a five-door layout – the only format available with the new model – with rear door handles hidden ahead of the car’s C-pillars.
The car's base price is £2000 more than the old model but the new Swift gets a significantly longer technical features list.
In entry SZ3 guise it uses a Dualjet 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 89bhp and offers 65.7mpg while emitting 98g/km. Six airbags, air conditioning, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, digital radio with Bluetooth and front electric speakers come as standard inside, and the exterior gets LED day running lights and 15in alloy wheels.
Higher spec SZ-T cars cost from £12,999 and gain the option of a Boosterjet 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with 109bhp on offer. CO2 emissions for the turbocharged unit are 104g/km and combined fuel economy is 61.1mpg. A rear-view camera, 7in touchscreen with MirrorLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, 16in alloys and fog lamps are added to this trim.
Top of the range is the SZ5, which is priced from £14,499 and gets an extra mild-hybrid powertrain option. Using the Boosterjet unit and an integrated starter motor, it can generate electricity through regenerative braking and trims CO2 emissions to 97g/km. Due to its compact nature, the hybrid system adds just 6.2kg to the powertrain’s weight. An optional four-wheel drive system, Allgrip, can be fitted to SZ5 models with the 1.2-litre engine.
A five-speed manual is standard but Suzuki also offers a six-speed automatic with the 1.0-litre engine.
The Swift SZ5 also gets a 4.2in LCD display in place of instrument dials. It comes with new driver assist technology including a forward detection system that uses a monocolour camera and laser sensor that can see in the dark. They first provide the driver with a visual and audio warning when an impact is likely, before triggering autonomous emergency braking that can maximise brake pressure to avoid an impact. The technology offers lane departure warning and high beam assist, and an additional radar device enables adaptive cruise control.
Suzuki is hoping that a focus on core strengths, together with a reappraisal of some long-standing weaknesses, will carry the new third-generation supermini to a 40% sales volume improvement in the UK, which is already the car’s biggest single European market.
Suzuki chief engineer Masao Kobori told Autocar that chassis development on the Swift has been done extensively on UK roads as well as in Spain and Germany, and that the Fiesta had been Suzuki’s key benchmark for the Swift’s handling.
