Suzuki Swift long-term test: report 2

The car Suzuki Swift 1.2 Mild Hybrid Ultra Run by Kiall Garrett, senior videographer

Why it’s here To see if the fourth generation of this small car can mix it with the best in the class, and prove that downsizing doesn't need to mean compromise

Needs to be gobble up motorway miles, deliver hybrid-worthy efficiency and squeeze into tight parking spaces

Mileage 1013 List Price £18,699 Target Price £18,248 Price as tested £20,649 Official economy 64.2mpg Test economy 52.7mpg 

16 September 2024 – Pack it in

Games like Bejeweled, Tetris and Candy Crush have taught us over the years to align shapes, colours and foods to clear space on the board and win the game, and my Suzuki Swift is bringing that experience out from the screen and into real life.

As senior videographer for What Car?, I’ve found loading test cars with my mass of camera equipment to require a similarly tactical approach, and sometimes to be just as worthy of a satisfying applause when I finish. I was interested to see how the Swift would stack up compared to bigger cars I’ve spent time with.

As it happens, the Swift’s relatively modest boot of 255 litres works surprisingly well for me. It's not particularly long, so I’ve found it more difficult to fit large cases into the back without dropping the rear seats. However, beneath the false floor, there's a handy extra section that allows smaller cabin cases and bags to fit snugly, leaving clear room for bulkier gear above.

So although you can’t pack a vast amount in horizontally, packing vertically is definitely the way to go. The boot also doesn’t suffer from any wheel arch intrusion, so longer items, such as tripods and stands, can slide straight along the walls of the boot.

Once everything's in, it's in – and I'm not left with any spare room to open bags or set cameras up; so I often end up with equipment strewn on the ground around the boot, and the parcel shelft used as a makeshift desk for my laptop. Plus, with everything packed tightly, it's rather difficult to access anything without undoing my good work. That's bad news if I realise my packed lunch is in the bag farthest inside the boot, for example.

Still, the Swift is a small car; I wasn’t expecting the storage space of an estate and I'm impressed by just how much I’m able to pack under the parcel shelf. It would be a little better if the rear seats folded flat with the boot floor, but raising that boot floor would cut off another chunk of space; and I’ll take all of that I can get.

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