Suzuki Swift Review

If you're in the market for a small hatchback that won't break the bank to buy or run, the Suzuki Swift should be right near the top of your shopping list.

When the latest fourth-generation of the Japanese-built hatchback appeared in 2024, it raised a few eyebrows – and not just because of its new monobrowed face (seriously Suzuki, please move the bonnet shutline). No, Suzuki ditched the Swift's previously popular turbocharged engine choice, replacing it with a single non-turbo 1.2-litre engine that dropped down to 82hp, relying on mild hybrid tech to give it some gusto. And with a 0-62mph time of 12.5 seconds, performance isn't a strong suit of the Swift – but the ease with which you can achieve fuel economy of 70mpg is well worth the power cut.

Inside, the latest Swift gets a cabin that still features plenty of hard plastics, but with some new textures and light-coloured, diamond-dented trim pieces that do a lot to lift the ambience. A standard-fit nine-inch infotainment screen may be running on the same processor as Noah's calculator, but the inclusion of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto means you can avoid its laggy native menus. 

The Swift is packed with useful tech as well. Even entry-level 'Motion' models get radar cruise control, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, heated front seats and the aforementioned smartphone connectivity systems. The top-spec 'Ultra' model adds alloy wheels, automatic air-con, front occupant seatbelt height adjustment and a few other niceties.

Rear-seat space is decent in the Swift, and you'll fit two tall adults side-by-side without any drama. That said, a Skoda Fabia is roomier back there – and the Czech car also has a bigger boot than the Swift's boxy-but-average 265-litre hole.

The Suzuki Swift is, then, a great car at a great price. Its niggles are limited to the fact it's only available with a five-speed manual or noisy CVT automatic gearbox, and the fact you'll hear quite a bit of tyre and wind noise at motorway speeds. Otherwise it's an economical, reliable hatchback that weighs just under a tonne and is remarkably fun to drive as a result.

The latest Swift gets a swathe of light-coloured plastic across the dashboard that really helps lift the mood over the previous version's cabin, which made the inside of a prison look like a Brighton nightclub. Build quality is good, though there aren't any luxurious soft-touch materials in the cabin. With a new list price of just under £20,000, that's a fairly reasonable exclusion.

Everything in the cabin is sensibly laid out, with physical controls for the air-con (manual air-con on entry-level models), and some buttons tucked on the lower half of the steering wheel for things like your lane-keep assist and to hang up on unwanted callers. The driver's display consists of traditional analogue rev-counter and speedo dials, with a slim monochrome screen in the middle to show you everything from the workings of the mild hybrid system to your fuel economy or just a big digital speed readout.

Every version of the Swift gets a nine-inch infotainment screen plonked atop the middle of the dashboard. It's easy enough to use, but it does take a while for the system's processor to respond to your touches, which does get a bit frustrating. Make use of the standard-fit wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and you'll not notice quite so much lag. The screen also shows you the reasonably low-resolution output from the Swift's standard-fit reversing camera (which is coupled with rear parking sensors).

The front seats are also heated on all models, though you'll want a top-spec version if you want the decadent pleasure of adjusting the height of the driver's seatbelt.

Perhaps the only real negatives in the Swift's cabin are the lack of a wireless phone charger (you'll have to make do with either the USB-A or USB-C connections), and the fact there's no centre armrest.

At 3.86m long, the Swift is about 14cm shorter than the Ford Fiesta, Dacia Sandero and Skoda Fabia. But it still has practicality where it really matters – in the back seats. Our 6'3" test subject could sit behind his driving position with his knees just brushing the soft back of the driver's seat. Headroom and foot room are also decent for tall adults.

The rear doorbins are limited to cylindrical holes that can only hold small bottles of water, and there aren't any places to charge your devices in the back seats. Nor is there a centre armrest, and the middle seat isn't going to be comfortable for adults on long trips.

Front-seat practicality is far better, with a roomy glovebox, more useful doorbins, cupholders and storage trays aplenty. 

Hopping back to the boot, you'll see where the Swift's diminutive dimensions see it drop to the back of the supermini class. Boot space of 265 litres is some 125 litres shy of the class-leading Skoda Fabia, and slightly more humble than the space in a Fiesta. That said, the Swift's load space is boxy and big enough for a large suitcase, with a small hook on the left-hand side for keeping one or two bags of shopping upright.

The Swift comes with one engine choice, along with the options of an automatic gearbox and four-wheel-drive.

The engine is a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder unit with 82hp. The Swift's bootlid may proudly display a 'hybrid' badge, but this is purely a mild hybrid system, with a small electric motor boosting the engine's torque output slightly and reducing emissions. Acceleration up to 40mph is perfectly adequate, with the stretch to 70mph taking a bit longer than you might expect, with a 0-62mph time of 12.5 seconds and official fuel economy of 64mpg (though we saw 70mpg after a long motorway schlep).

In day-to-day driving, however, the Swift is just as fast as you need it to be. The five-speed manual gearbox will have you sitting at about 3,500rpm at 70mph, but the engine noise doesn't annoy in the cabin.

The Swift can also be ordered with a CVT automatic gearbox. This drops the 0-62mph time to 11.9 seconds, but knocks 4mpg off the fuel economy. 

More useful if you live somewhere prone to icy winters is the option to outfit your Swift with Suzuki's 'Allgrip' four-wheel-drive system. It works well in the dinky Suzuki Ignis, and makes the Swift one of the only small hatchbacks to have a four-wheel-drive option. It comes with a manual gearbox only.

The Swift's featherweight bulk of just under 1,000kg means it's a surprisingly enjoyable car to thread down a twisty road. It has plenty of grip and a bit of body lean, but it steers far better than you might imagine, with a satisfying gearshift action and a light clutch that won't annoy you in stop-start traffic.

At motorway speeds it's quite a noisy car, with a bit more wind and road noise than you'd find in every rival save for a Dacia Sandero. Thankfully the Swift has standard-fit radar cruise control to help take some of the sting out of long drives. 

The biggest flaws in the Swift's driving abilities are a sometimes spongey-feeling brake pedal, and the fact that the speed-limit warning bong can only be disabled by holding both trip meter stalks behind the steering wheel for three seconds, then twisting one of the stalks to scroll through a hidden menu. It's a long procedure that you'll have to repeat every time you turn the car on, and naturally you can't do it on the move.