Equipment

The Suzuki Swift LE includes a range of features to set it apart as a special model, with 15-inch alloy wheels, keyless start, climate control, uniquely styled Alcantara interior trim, fog lamps, side mirror-mounted indicators, remote folding side mirrors, and the requisite 100th Anniversary badging.

According to Suzuki, all of this adds up to an extra $5000 of value.

What’s missing? Not a lot. It’s an excellent package. Some form of auxiliary or USB connectivity would have been welcomed (who burns MP3 CDs anymore?), but other than Hyundai, it’s not a feature offered in most cheaper small cars.

That said, the absence of cruise control was an annoyance; it’s a limited edition model, shouldn’t something as ubiquitous as cruise control slide across from ‘optional extra’ to the features list?

For safety, the Swift LE offers driver and front passenger airbags (if the LE had been based on the Hatch S, side and curtain airbags would have featured as well - sadly not), as well as ABS, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Brake Assist, and Vehicle Stability Control.

The Drive

Powered by a naturally aspirated free-revving 1.5 litre petrol engine, the Swift develops 74kW at 6000rpm, and 133Nm of torque at 4000rpm.

It’s a very sporty sounding engine, but that small amount of torque arriving at a relatively high 4000rpm means the Swift has its work cut out in any attempt at a quick launch. It’s fair to say of course that the regular Swift isn’t a performance car, but with that sporty styling, more than a few will want to try.

Get up above 4000rpm though, where you can feel the torque winding up, and the driving experience becomes more at one with the hatch’s sporty styling. Explore the rev band, and you can easily shuffle things along at the head of traffic.

While the Swift LE can be had with either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic, it was the manual that we tested, and it was a treat to use, with precise and smooth changes.

Cluch take-up between first and second proved to be a little tight with not quite enough room to play with, but further up the gears, it levels out nicely.

We took the Swift LE for the drive from Melbourne to Benalla in Victoria’s north-east, and the varying surfaces of the Hume and the secondary roads running off it, offered a good opportunity to get an idea of how the Swift manages NVH.

It’s fair to say the Swift is a quiet car, all round. Wind noise is low at freeway speeds, while only the rougher sections of road caused much in the way of tyre noise. The engine, working at around 2700rpm at 100km/h, has longer legs than some of its competitors, and goes about things with a muted rasp (and with mechanical vibration reasonably well-isolated from the cabin).

As for handling, the Swift is quite a bit more composed than you’d expect. Expectations of a car’s handling in this class can be pretty low, but that’s not a perspective shared by Suzuki.

With MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the rear, the Swift offers a firm ride, quite composed in the corners (surprisingly tight, actually) but soft enough to absorb bumps and uneven surfaces comfortably. It is nicely balanced, fun to row along and will tuck-in nicely if giving things a bit of stick.

Despite the Swift’s great handling, the front vented disc brakes and rear drum brakes can’t be described as more than adequate with relatively weak initial grab and stopping power not up with the best in the sector. This means you won’t spend too long in the twisties stretching things out.

Of course, in regular daily driving, they’ll do the job safely and well.

Best of all, and here we can be thankful for that 1.5 litre engine, the Swift manages a fuel economy of just 6.3 l/100km for the manual, and 6.7 l/100km for the automatic.

The Verdict

Before all this ACCC pricing hoo-ha, I could have told you the Suzuki Swift LE five-speed manual can be had for $17,490 plus on-road costs - only a grand more than the regular model, and a lot of car for the money.

Whatever it ends up costing you (call your local Suzuki dealer for a more specific figure), the latter part of the above paragraph remains true. The Suzuki Swift LE, and the regular Swift, really is a great car for the money.

And, in a hotly contested small car class (where it’s perhaps easy to spend too much for too little), the Swift is far from the worst choice you could make.

The brakes may not be the best for the more enthusiastic drivers, and the engine may lack the down-low power for those ‘eager beaver’ traffic light drags, but its a very balanced and appealing contender.

For style, and for the totality of the package, yes, a lot about the Swift has winner written on it.

Mike Likes

• You get a lot for the low spend
• Firm but compliant ride
• Tight and composed in the corners
• Smooth, precise gear changes
• Simple, utilitarian dash design
• Unique sporty styling

Mike Dislikes

• Useable torque is too far up the range, not enough of it
• Brakes useless for spirited driving
• Storage space with the back seats up
• Simple, utilitarian dash design