It's not the biggest name in the car business but Suzuki makes some excellent cars. The new Swift is one of them and it beats many much bigger names for value for money and fuel economy. Our Motoring Editor, Donal Byrne, has been testing it.
It's very seldom indeed that I ever get anywhere near the fuel economy claimed by a car manufacturer for its official consumption. In many cases the difference between the stated figure and a real-life driving cycle results are laughable. So, the first thing to do when reading manufacturers' bumpf is to ignore their fuel consumption claims and read up on-line about the experiences of others when driving the same car. That's what I do before calculating my own test figures.
It's a pleasant surprise then to report that Suzuki's claim for the new 1.0 litre Boosterjet engine, which has what is called a mild-hybrid battery input (a very small one, in other words) is more or less right on the money. Suzuki says the car will do 4.6 litres per 100 kilometres (about 61 MPG in old money).
During an extensive drive - much of it in city conditions - I was getting 4.8 litres per 100 kms (about 59 MPG) and that is better than any small petrol car I have driven in the past two years. It's certainly a lot better than figures claimed for cars such as the Ford Fiesta with the Ecoboost engine. And I think I could have done even better with more long distance driving.
The consumption alone sells the car for me. But there is more. For a small car, it has plenty of space and it even has good strong seats and plenty of head and legroom, even for the taller driver. These may not be the major selling points one thinks of when looking at a car, but they are critical when looking at a small car. Suzuki has managed to stretch this car and gave it a very short overhang at the rear, thus maximising rear interior and boot space. OK, the rear passenger area is not massive but it will take two children in comfort.
And the outside doesn't look half bad either. One of the best looking small cars around at the moment is the Nissan Micra and this car compares well, especially given the massive differential in the development budgets between both these companies.
Then there is the price. The car I drove was €18,995 on the road. That is a very good price indeed and better value than is offered by many Suzuki competitors.
This third generation Swift is a good deal lighter, more powerful (19 percent more powerful) and is eight percent more fuel efficient than the car it replaces. And it all comes from a 1.0 litre or a 1.2 litre engine, depending on your choice - mine was the 1.0 litre. It's perfectly at home in the city - and don't forget the economy - and on the open road, it is very accommodating. There is no lack of pulling power and the gearing is very well set up, not just for the economy but also for smoothness.
There is, however, one major downside. The display screen is too small, the controls too fiddly and the graphics hopelessly outdated.
This is the kind of thing you often see in small cars and is evidence of the budgetary restrictions places on their designers. However, at a time when more and more people are asking themselves whether they actually need a bigger car, they should not be opting for one just because the display system in smaller cars is a Mickey Mouse offering.
Standard equipment on this car includes ABS with brake assist, electronic stability programme, 6 airbags, front seatbelt pre-tensioner & force limiter, foot-protecting brake and clutch pedals, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, child seat tether anchorages, childproof rear door locks, tyre pressure monitor, hill hold control and high beam assist. This is not an exhaustive list of everything on the car but it gives you an idea of what you are getting. You can also throw in air conditioning, LED Lights and heated door mirrors. It's a good package.
Overall, the Suzuki represents good value for money but what you can't buy is a really good reliability record, which Suzuki has. It's a case of sometimes the smaller the name, the better the value.
