From strength to strength: Even more so after 20 years
It’s November 2004 and the all-new Suzuki Swift concept has just been launched at the Paris Motor Show. Fast forward exactly 20 years and the iconic Swift is one of Suzuki’s top sellers, and now in its fourth generation. We recently got to experience this new generation by taking it through the bustling City of Cape Town as well as the picturesque Overberg and Cape Winelands.
Gathering several Junior World Rallying championships and event victories, the Swift has grown to be a no-brainer when it comes to the balance between practicality, maneuverability and fuel efficiency. It is no wonder then that the Swift sold a total of 1179 units during October (985 of which were the new 4th generation), a record-breaking month for Suzuki SA, in which it sold more than 6000 units.
Such is the success of the Swift, that it sold a mammoth 86 000 units in South Africa (9 million globally) since its inception and we think this latest generation will exponentially catapult these sales figures.
Reflecting on our recent excursion with the Swift range, Suzuki listened, went back to the drawing board and came back stronger.
Why the hype?
The small compact hatchback segment is becoming increasingly competitive. Just think of recently new or updated models in the market, such as the Hyundai Grand i10, Kia Picanto, Hyundai Exter, Volkswagen Polo Vivo, as well as the Mahindra XUV 3XO. Each good cars, with different offerings.
Safety concerns is, however, the key focus for the new Swift, with each model in the range (R219 900 – R284 900) offering a staggering 6 airbags, making the Swift the clear leader in terms of safety.
Secondly, the entire Swift range will also include electric windows.
These might not seem like much, yet when compared to said competitors, will prove to be a much better value offering at a near identical price to the previous Swift generation range.
The model line-up
Three model variants will be sold, with the entry-level specification only being sold as a manual, while both the GL+ and GLX models will be sold as either a manual or an automatic CVT.
The entry-level GL model already comes with considerable additions (usually seen as optional extras with other manufactures), such as 14” steal wheels with covers, halogen projected headlamps, electrically operated and adjustable fold-in mirrors, digitally controlled air-conditioning, a driver side seat height adjuster, luggage area shelf, hill hold control, and auto stop-start.
In addition to this, the GL+ models will feature 15” alloy wheels, a 7” touchscreen, wireless connectivity, and a reverse camera.
The top of the range, GLX models will feature 15” diamond cut alloy wheels, a 9” touchscreen radio, a 4.2” multi-information colour screen, LED projector headlamps with LED fog lamps, , with LED daytime running lights, automatic climate control, keyless entry, cruise control, a 9” touchscreen and automatic folding side mirrors.
The ride
Our launch course took us through a combination of open- and bustling town roads, as well as passes, tight and twisty hairpins, bumpy roads, and bumper-to-bumper traffic; covering all aspects of what this car will be used for. There was even a brief gymkhana stint, testing the nimbleness of the Swift.
We were fortunate to experience both the GL automatic, as well as the GL+ manual, with both performing astonishingly well. The new generation (even the entry-level GL models) feels much more premium inside.
Thanks to its light kerb weight (lower than 945kg) and its HEARTECT platform, the car and its steering feels much more direct. The new MacPherson front struts and rear torsion beam also perfectly absorbed the bumpy roads in the Overberg region.
A completely new 1.2L, 3-cylinder engine (dubbed the Z12E) also produces 60kW (@ 5 700rpm) and 112Nm (@4300rpm), which might not sound like much, yet produces an abundance of power, even on the long and steep passes.
We were especially surprised by the effortlessness of the 5-speed manual gearbox.
Overall the ride quality of the fourth generation Swift has improved tremendously from its predecessor.
Lastly, Swifts have always been great with fuel efficiency and with the fourth generation, Suzuki claims an astonishing figure of 4.4L / 100km or 22.72km/L. Even with the 25c fuel increase seen in November, this will still result in less than R1 per km.
While our figures of 5.6L/100km in the automatic and 4.9L/100km in the manual was somewhat higher, it must be said that we encountered a lot of traffic, where the stop/start system in the GL+ greatly helped. We figure we can even get a lower consumption on the open road, but we will test this later.
What about the safety?
As already stated, each of the Swift models will feature 6-airbags; something that’s currently unheard of and usually only found in the high-end models.
Along with this, each model will also feature ABS with EBD, Brake assist, Electronic Stability Control, ISOFIX anchor points, as well as three point seatbelts for each of the maximum 5 passengers
The new Swift range is proving to be the ideal small hatchback, with an abundance of safety features, practicality, as well as a low fuel economy. There is a clear reason why almost 1000 units were sold even before the official media launch, and we think this is only the beginning of far greater sales.
The new Suzuki Swift range is priced as follow (each with a 2-year / 30 000km service plan, and a 5-year / 200 000km warranty):
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL manual: R219,900
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+ manual: R239,900
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+ CVT: R259,900
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX manual: R264,900
- Suzuki Swift 1.2 GLX CVT: R284,900