TMW - The Suzuki Swift is one of those cars thats just brilliant at everything it does.

The Suzuki Swift, can be summed up in one word - AWESOME - this car, the 1.0 litre 3 cylinder automatic has so much runt that you would be forgiven for thinking that the car had a far bigger engine. 

The car is an all new version, taking the brand into the future, along with the Ignis and Baleno, the brand has a reputation for beng the best small car maker in the world, and with its current range of cars, you can easily understand why it has this rep, the Swift, just oozes quality and safety, becasue this car is so full of safety features it would put a far more expensive car to shame.

The 1.0 litre boosterjet auto comes in at £16,334, which includes the beautiful Burning Red Metallic paint, from the outside, there are hints of previous Swifts, as they dont want to move it too far away from the car that preceded it, but they wanted it to be a model on it's own, the lines of the car flow nicely from the front to the back, with the "hidden" door handles in the back doors, you feel like you are in a coupe rather than a five door hatchback.

The lines continue to flow around the back, including the rear lights, the car from the outside looks to be compact and small, but like other Suzuki's the interior of the car belies the fact it is a compact car, you have loads of room inside.

The seats are very supportive and comfortable, and the touchscreen and all the buttons, dials and switchgear are all close at hand and you never feel as though you have to stretch or spend too much time looking away from the road to press a button etc.

Once you have managed to get the steering wheel and seats into position, you amazingly find yourself with quite a bit of space in the rear for passengers, i would say that you can get five adults in this car, because you can, but you probably wouldn't want to go to far fully loaded two adults in the back would be a better bet, they would have sufficient room, and be comfortable.

This car comes with a raft of safety equipment, the main one being the cruise control, which is adaptive, this means that the car will detect a car ahead and automatically slow down to match the flow of traffic, and in the case of an emergency, the car will brake to a stop, even in heavy traffic, the car will alert you if you are too close to the one in front, with either an audible warning or if set, it slows/stops its self.

the car is so easy to drive with very light power steering, just put it into drive and off you go, no hassles, no worries, the touchscreen is basic, and follows the same system as found in other Suzuki's, the sat nav is easy to operate and is very quick and accurate, unlike some i have had, which seems to run about half a mile behind the car, Suzuki has it just right.

You get few creature comforts inside the car, i felt that it could have done with an arm rest, but thats just a personal choice, and does not detract from an ideal car, the rest of the interior has plenty of storage pockets etc, to keep all your bits and pieces in, from a dent sized bottle of drink to the cup holders that will take a small bottle or cup.

The fuel consumption for the Swift as per the brand's numbers are :-

• Urban - 44.1mpg
• Extra Urban - 65.7mpg
• Combined - 56.5mpg

I managed to get in combined driving situations about 49 mpg, according to the display in front of you, and i do believe that this is achievable, it is very "swift" in getting to the speed limits your require, and sometimes it can be too quick getting there, thats how brilliant the engine/auto box work together, the car has a 114g/km rating, not the best especially for a small car, but it does beat a lot of other cars, especially as the top speed is 118mph, i dont think i would be happy doing this speed in this car, without the assistance of Adaptive cruise control, and brake assistance.

The car comes with loads of extra kit for the asking price, these include :-

• ABS with EBD & Brake Assist
• ESP
• Six Airbags
• Seatbelt Pretensioners
• ISOFIX Child Seat Anchorages
• Childproof Rear Door Locks
• Tyre Pressure Monitor
• High Beam Assist
• Remote Central Locking
• Push Button Start/Stop
• 4.2" Touchscreen
• Electric Windows All Round
• Power Steering
• Tilt & Telescopic Adjustable Steering Wheel
• Gear Shift Indicator
• Auto Air Conditioning
• 16" Alloys
• Tinted Rear Windows
• Navigation System

The Swift will follow the Baleno and Ignis and become a really popular car, the swift has been a big hit in the UK throughout its many body styles, and this new one deserves to be an even bigger hit with UK Buyers, than ever before.

CONCLUSION

Would i have one, if I were in the position of wanting a small car with lots of safety and oodles of interior room, then yes, this car ticks all the boxes and many more too, the pricing at £16k is not the cheapest, but you do get an awful lot for that money, and for that reason alone i would have one, unfortunately i have just purchase a new car, so i am not looking, but if i were, this would be within the list of cars to consider, and you should consider it too, you would be daft to ignore this car.

The All-New Suzuki Swift, the best ever swift comes with deposit allowance and a loyalty bonus for existing owners.

• All-new Swift – Now on sale in the UK.
• Available as a Five-door model only, priced from £10,999 for SZ3 model.
• £500 finance deposit allowance offered on SZ-T and SZ5 two-wheel drive with 2.9 per cent APR finance.
• £500 loyalty offer towards Accessories for existing Suzuki owners.

The all-new Swift went on sale last week and Suzuki is pleased to announce the availability of its attractive PCP finance offers. Personal Contract Purchase is an ideal way for customers to take delivery of a new Suzuki with a very low deposit and low monthly payments too. Suzuki Financial Services is also offering a £500 deposit allowance with 2.9 per cent APR finance on SZ-T and SZ5 two wheel drive models until the end of June.

Taking an SZ-T with 1.0 Boosterjet engine as an example with the £500 deposit allowance on offer, no further deposit is required and payments are then spread over 48 months at £185 per month with an APR of just 2.9 per cent. 

Monthly payments can be lowered to £159 per month for the SZ-T if a small deposit of £1,163 is made. As with any PCP agreement, an optional final payment is required to keep the car which for this model is £4,645.

Moving to the top of the range SZ5 1.0-litre Boosterjet 2WD with the £500 deposit allowance, just £1,305 is all that is needed as a customer deposit followed by 48 monthly payments of £179 and an APR of 2.9 per cent. The optional final payment for this model is £5,153.

For even greater fuel efficiency, the SZ5 2WD with manual transmission is equipped as standard with SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) as standard. In situations that require higher fuel use, such as when starting from a standstill or accelerating, SHVS helps suppress fuel consumption by providing electric motor assist using electricity generated through regenerative braking. Because the system uses a belt drive rather than a conventional starter motor to restart the engine after an engine stop it allows for a quiet and smooth start.

The six speed automatic transmission equipped SZ5 is also included in the low rate and deposit allowance offers with a customer deposit of £1,543 required followed by 48 monthly payments of £199 .

Suzuki has introduced a new and comprehensive Accessories programme to enable customers to fully personalise their new Swift. As an introductory offer Suzuki will contribute £500 towards these to all existing Suzuki car owners. The only stipulation is that customers must have had a Suzuki car in the same household for at least 90 days and the accessories are ordered at point of purchase.

Specification Highlights

Standard equipment for all Swift models in the range is comprehensive and the SZ3 model with 1.2-litre Dualjet engine and manual transmission includes six airbags, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, DAB radio with Bluetooth and four speakers, rear privacy glass, LED daytime running lights, 15-inch wheels, body coloured door mirrors and front electric windows.  

Pricing

1.2-litre SZ3 Dualjet - manual transmission	£10,999
1.0-litre SZ-T Boosterjet - manual transmission	£12,999
1.0-litre SZ5 Boosterjet SHVS - manual transmission	£14,499
1.0-litre SZ5 Boosterjet  - automatic transmission	£15,849
1.2-litre SZ5 SHVS ALLGRIP - manual transmission	£15,499

The latest round of Euro NCAP results cover four cars which gain four or five stars.

Today, Euro NCAP releases the results of four new cars.  The MINI Countryman and Škoda Kodiaq are both awarded a five-star rating.  

Nissan’s new Micra gets four stars with standard equipment and five stars with the optional safety pack (1).  The Suzuki Swift is rated as three stars as standard and four stars with the optional safety equipment.

All cars reach the five star levels for adult occupant protection, child protection and pedestrian protection.  The differences come in the fitment of advanced driver assistance systems.  

The Škoda Kodiaq is equipped as standard with an AEB system that detects pedestrians as well as other cars.  The Kodiaq’s five-star rating continues Škoda’s recent good form: all recently tested Škodas have been rated as five stars. 

The MINI has AEB car-to-car as standard and pedestrian detection as an option.  Nissan put AEB pedestrian and lane assistance in the option pack (‘Euro NCAP 5* Pack’) of the Micra, nudging the four-star rating with standard equipment into five-star territory with the option pack fitted.  

Only the Suzuki Swift does not offer AEB pedestrian, with AEB car-to-car in its ‘Radar Brake Support’ option pack.

Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen, said, “Euro NCAP started rewarding AEB pedestrian systems last year and we have seen a rapid uptake of the technology.   

We hope to see as fast an adoption of AEB systems that detect cyclists when tests of those systems form part of the rating next year.  

For twenty years, Euro NCAP has been pushing manufacturers to fit new and better safety technologies: originally, such things as airbags and pre-tensioners and, nowadays, advanced driver assistance systems that will form the building blocks for the automated vehicles of tomorrow.”

The new generation Swift moves the goalposts so far forward that it has the competition running for the hills.

• All-new Swift – on sale in the UK from 1st June 2017.
• Available as a Five-door model only, priced from £10,999 for SZ3 model.
• Strong CAP residual value forecast of 41 per cent over three years / 60,000 miles for SZ3 model.
• 90hp 1.2-litre four cylinder Dualjet engine offers CO2 emissions of 98g/km and 65.7mpg for manual transmission model.
• 111PS 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet turbo engine offers CO2 emissions of 104g/km and 61.4mpg for manual transmission model.
• Boosterjet engine now available with Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid system (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) offering CO2emissions of 97g/km.
• Global Swift sales of 5.4 million units since 2005.
• Manufactured for Europe at the Sagara plant in Japan.

Ahead of its launch date of 1st June, Suzuki is pleased to announce competitive UK pricing for the all-new Swift. The range starts with the SZ3 and pricing is as follows.

Its good news for customers if they want to replace their Swift after three years too as industry leading residual value specialists CAP have set a forecast retained value of 41 per cent for the SZ3 after three years or 60,000 miles – a higher mileage than many Suzuki owners would cover. 

1.2-litre SZ3 Dualjet - manual transmission	£10,999
1.0-litre SZ-T Boosterjet - manual transmission	£12,999
1.0-litre SZ5 Boosterjet SHVS - manual transmission	£14,499
1.0-litre SZ5 Boosterjet - automatic transmission	£15,849
1.2-litre SZ5 SHVS ALLGRIP - manual transmission	£15,499

Metallic paint is a £485 option and dual tone metallic paint is £650. 

The SZ-T model is only slightly behind at 39 per cent which places Swift significantly ahead of its main competitors.

Specification Highlights

Standard equipment for all Swift models in the range is comprehensive and the SZ3 model with 1.2-litre Dualjet engine and manual transmission includes six airbags, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, DAB radio with Bluetooth and four speakers, rear privacy glass, LED daytime running lights, 15-inch wheels, body coloured door mirrors and front electric windows.

The SZ-T model is available with 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine and manual transmission adds rear view camera, Smartphone link display audio, 16-inch alloy wheels and front fog lamps glass.

SZ5 adds auto air conditioning, 16-inch polished alloy wheels, satellite navigation, Advanced forward detection system, keyless entry and start and rear electric windows. The SZ5 is available with a six speed automatic transmission as an option.

At just 3,840mm long, the new Swift is 10mm shorter than the outgoing model, while its wheelbase is 20mm longer, creating more interior room including 25 per cent more luggage capacity at 265L, or 54 litres more. It is also 15mm lower and 40mm wider, further accentuating its low and wide stance. Additionally, the European Swift has a wider front and rear track than the Japanese Domestic model.

New-generation platform ‘HEARTECT’

The new Swift rests on a new-generation platform “HEARTECT” that delivers enhanced fundamental vehicle performance due to being light and highly rigid. This new platform is now 30kg lighter than before which has contributed to the car registering a kerb weight of just 890kg (SZ3 model) - 120kg lighter overall for the whole car.

The next generations of Swift from Suzuki gets its debut at Geneva, and its a cracker.

• All-new Swift – on sale in the UK and Republic of Ireland from June 2017.
• Up to 10 per cent lighter, 19 per cent more powerful and 8 per cent more fuel efficient than outgoing model.
• Available as a Five-door model only in SZ3, SZ-T and SZ5 grades; pricing to be announced in May 2017.
• 90hp 1.2-litre four cylinder Dualjet engine offers CO₂ emissions of 98g/km and 65.7mpg for manual transmission model.
• 111PS 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet turbo engine offers CO₂ emissions of 104g/km and 61.4mpg for manual transmission model.
• Boosterjet engine now available with Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid system (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) offering CO₂ emissions of 97g/km.
• Third all-new model utilising Suzuki’s ‘HEARTECT’ lightweight platform strategy – kerb weight of just 890kg for SZ3 model.
• Available with ALLGRIP ‘AUTO’ 4WD system.
• Global Swift sales of 5.4 million units since 2005
• 1 million sales in Europe since 2005, 127,000 in the UK.
• Manufactured for Europe at the Sagara plant in Japan.

Following on from its launch in the Japanese domestic market late last year, Suzuki Motor Corporation now unveils the new European Swift at the Geneva Motor Show as its all-new global supermini. 

It carries forward the Swift DNA while adopting completely new styling and a performance-enhancing extremely light body with advanced safety technologies. 

The result is exterior European flair complemented by a sporty and functional interior, nimble and agile driving, and enhanced peace of mind.

In addition to its stylish exterior design in a compact size of just 3,840mm long, the new Swift  features excellent visibility, a spacious cabin and ample luggage space. 

The development goal was to create an all new hatchback styling that is undoubtedly Suzuki. Swift is a very popular and important car in the range and has reached 5.4 million sales globally in less than 12 years, faster than any other Suzuki model.

New-generation platform ‘HEARTECT’

Under the ‘SUZUKI NEXT 100’ plan announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015, Suzuki  developed a new platform strategy for its future models and the Swift is now the third model (following Baleno and IGNIS) to adopt this new generation platform and be introduced in Europe.

The new Swift rests on a new-generation platform “HEARTECT” that delivers enhanced fundamental vehicle performance due to being light and highly rigid. A comprehensive overhaul of the underbody’s structure and component layout resulted in the adoption of a highly rigid frame that enhances collision safety.

This new platform or underbody of new Swift is now 30kg lighter than before which has contributed to the car registering a kerb weight of just 890kg (SZ3 model) - 120kg lighter overall for the whole car.

The new Swift is 10mm shorter than the outgoing model, while its wheelbase is 20mm longer, creating more interior room including 25 per cent more luggage capacity at 254L, or 54 litres more than the outgoing model. It is also 15mm lower and 40mm wider, further accentuating its low and wide stance. Additionally, the European Swift has a wider front and rear track than the Japanese Domestic model.

Key dimensions

Length: 3,840mm

Width: 1,735mm;

Height: 1,495mm (2WD) 1,520mm (4WD)

Wheelbase: 2,450mm;

Track: front/rear: 1,520 – 1,530mm/1,520 – 1,525mm

(Dependent on Grade / Tyre Size)

Behind the New Swift: Aspects of Styling Innovation

Development of the new Swift’s exterior design was based on the concept of a “bold evolution of Swift’s DNA”. While resolute efforts were made so that the new Swift would inherit the model’s characteristic styling, elements that needed refreshing were boldly transformed to innovatively evolve the new car.

Enhanced carry-over elements include strong shoulders, blacked-out A-pillars and vertically arranged front and rear lamps. Swift now offers a more emotional appearance together with a muscular and well-grounded look. The body is shorter, lower and wider, while a wide and aggressive front grille, supporting bumper grille character lines all express strength.

The look of a low centre of gravity is further established by blacked-out pillars that create the appearance of a floating roof. Pillar-mounted door handles add both style and a sporty flair while a high-tech look comes in the form of LED signature illumination used in the headlamps and rear-combination lamps (SZ5 model).

Smarter packaging

During interior design, lowering the seating positions has ensured sufficient head clearance (the same as for outgoing Swift for the front seats) and added 23mm vertical and lateral space for the rear seating positions. The front seats have been moved outwards by 10mm which has increased the centre-on-centre distance between them by 20mm.

Other interior features include a centre console turned five degrees towards the driver, front seats with optimised shape and spring position with heightened side bolsters. The steering wheel is of new design ‘D’-shape section and an LED auto air conditioning panel is also fitted (SZ5 models):

Adopting Suzuki’s new generation platform strategy minimised the size of the engine compartment which has enabled maximising the space available for cabin occupants and luggage.

Development of New Swift - Put Through Its Paces in Europe

In order to suit the needs of European customers, Suzuki knew that simply designing and developing the new Swift in Japan would not be sufficient. So it turned to the roads of Europe, where teams of local evaluation drivers helped to hone the new car.

Testing of the chassis, which is the centrepiece of the new Swift’s evolution, commenced in January 2016 in the United Kingdom and Germany. Covering a total of more than 6,000 miles, the teams tested as many as 90 different suspension prototypes in an effort to meet the need for optimum steering feel together with providing supple and agile suspension for British roads.

Specification Highlights

Standard equipment for all models in the range is comprehensive and the SZ3 model with 1.2-litre Dualjet engine and manual transmission will include six airbags, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, DAB radio with Bluetooth and four speakers, rear privacy glass, LED daytime running lights, 15-inch wheels, body coloured door mirrors and front electric windows.   

The SZ-T model available with 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine and manual transmission adds rear view camera, Smartphone link display audio, 16-inch alloy wheels and front fog lamps glass. SZ5 adds auto air conditioning, 16-inch polished alloy wheels, satellite navigation, Advanced forward detection system, keyless entry and start and rear electric windows,

Boosterjet technology.

After the debut of the 1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet in Baleno in June 2016 and S-Cross in October 2016, this engine technology is now extended to the new Swift. Offering the same level of power and torque of a much larger capacity normally aspirated engine (1.7-1.8-litre), it delivers an effortless drive and genuine driving pleasure. This unit has an output of 111PS and is Direct Injection turbocharged (DITC). It is a very compact engine and offers 170Nm of torque available from 2,000rpm through to 3,500rpm for manual transmission.

1.2-litre Dualjet

Suzuki first introduced its 1.2-litre (K12C) Dualjet technology in 2014, initially in the Swift and then in Baleno in June 2016. In summary, Dualjet incorporates Suzuki’s renowned engine technology and uses twin fuel injectors for improved fuel economy. Utilising Dualjet design that positions the fuel injectors very close to the engine inlet valves allows for a finer fuel atomisation. The maximum power output is 90PS with a torque figure of 120Nm at 4,400rpm. Acceleration time to 62mph is 11.9 seconds for the SZ3 2WD and 12.6 seconds for the SHVS ALLGRIP equipped model. 

SHVS.

The SHVS mild hybrid system is a compact and lightweight system 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. In new Swift, SHVS is available together with Boosterjet for the first time and results in CO₂ emissions as low as 97gkm.

The energy assistance provided during acceleration enables the SHVS to be known as a mild hybrid system which is ideally suited to a compact car and adds just 6.2 kg to the overall weight.

4WD (ALLGRIP AUTO)

The new Swift adopts Suzuki’s ALLGRIP ‘AUTO’ four-wheel drive system and is available as an option on the SZ5 model with 1.2-litre engine. First introduced in the previous generation Swift in 2014 this is a well proven and simple fully automatic and permanent four-wheel drive layout which transfers additional torque to the rear wheels when required via a viscous coupling.    

Advanced Forward Detection System

The new Swift SZ5 features Suzuki’s first use of an advanced forward detection system that combines a monocular camera and a laser sensor for advanced safety functions, including autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and high beam assist. It also uses millimetre-wave radar to enable adaptive cruise control.

The advanced forward detection system monocular camera excels at mid to long distance detection and also recognition of traffic elements including pedestrians and lane markers. The laser sensor excels at monitoring shorter distance hazards and also night vision detection.

Dual Sensor Brake Support (DSBS) – SZ5 Grade.

The advanced forward detection system supports numerous safety technologies, among which is collision-mitigating Dual Sensor Brake Support (DSBS). With DSBS, at vehicle speeds from approximately 3mph to 62mph and if the system determines a risk of collision with a forward obstacle, it issues both an audio and visual warning. If there is a high risk of collision with a forward obstacle and the driver panic brakes, the system deploys brake assist, increasing braking force. If the risk of a collision increases even more the system applies full automatic braking in an effort to avoid the collision or reduce damage.

Advanced Multi-information display.

The SZ5 model is equipped with a 4.2 inch high-definition colour LCD display that shows a range of information including engine output and torque data, fuel consumption, average speed, acceleration and brake operation as well as driving G-force tracking. For the SHVS model an energy flow diagram is also included.

Display audio system with navigation and smartphone connectivity

The audio system for both SZ-T and SZ5 models has a Smartphone Linkage Display Audio  (SLDA) with a large seven inch touch panel display that enables intuitive operation and can also be used when wearing gloves. A three dimensional navigation map makes landmarks easy to distinguish and the system also allows the driver to use certain smartphone applications with MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection.

The all new Swift goes on sale in the UK on June 1st 2017 and further media information will be published closer to the launch date.