Suzuki Swift long-term test

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 4650 List Price £18,699 Target Price £18,248 Price as tested £20,649 Official economy 64.2mpg Test economy 55.7mpg Private price now £14,117 Dealer price now £14,256 Running costs (excl. depreciation) Fuel £563

2 December 2024 – Swiftly here, swiftly gone.

If I can borrow my car's name to help some up the past five months in my little Suzuki, I'd say things have certainly gone “All Too Well”. In fact, you could even say they were beyond my “Wildest Dreams”. That’s right, 4000 miles in the Suzuki Swift have officially made me a Swifty. Just maybe not in the sense you might be thinking.

I mentioned in my first report that this ‘all-new’ Suzuki Swift didn’t seem all that new from the outside, and neither did it in the way it drove or in the way it felt from behind the wheel.

In my early miles with the car, I was a tad nervous that the sole 1.2-litre petrol engine with mild hybrid assistance might prove a little too weedy for my needs, being endowed with only 82bhp and 83lb ft of torque.

However, in real-world use, this wasn't an issue, because the Swift felt nippy in town, and dispatched long stretches on the motorway easily enough. It’s not exactly lights-out-at-Silverstone when joining a slip road, but it doesn’t feel too sluggish getting up to motorway speeds. I liked the light steering and slick manual gearbox, too – in fact, my only real complaint about the Swift on the road has been the noise in the interior on the motorway.

It’s not the engine noise, which fades into the background peacefully enough at a cruise, but rather the wind and road noise which finds its way inside the car. At fast speeds a droning cacophony of Tarmac and gusty wind echoes around the interior like a full-pelt performance from the London Symphony Orchestra in a concert hall. So even though the performance and ride is absolutely fine, long journeys can feel a bit tiring because of the incessant noise. And there's only so much the stereo can do to drown that out.

Remember, though, that this isn’t a mile-munching luxury car. It’s a small car. And it nails many things that those types of cars should, including helping me to save money with low running costs. And while my car only receives small amounts of electrical assistance from its mild hybrid setup, that did allow the engine to coast a little longer, start a little later and get me up to speed a little quicker. And those tiny moments added up to some nice savings on fuel.

Indeed, the Swift managed to return around 55.7mpg over the course of my time with the car. This isn’t the official figure of 64.2mpg, but I don’t feel short-changed by the real-world figure I’ve achieved since the car has lived a tough life in big city traffic and regular trips along the motorway network. And eking out around 390 miles between each brimming of the tank meant I wasn’t constantly stood by a pump at a service station, either.

As any regular reader of my long-term reports will know, practicality is always a primary concern for me, because I carry around a lot of kit for my job as What Car?'s senior videographer. From flight cases to soft camera bags and tripods, I carry the lot.

Given that brief, you might assume the Swift’s 265-litre boot would not be suitable for my needs, but the truth is it’s been surprisingly impressive. Indeed, it managed the tasks that were thrown at it admirably and I’ve almost never had to resort to the emergency option of folding down the rear seats to fit more equipment into the boot. 

The Swift's boot floor is very low, and it’s a shame it’s not height adjustable for when my load is a little less and I don’t want to heave things over the loading lip at the boot entrance, but the parcel shelf has come in very handy as a mobile work station/hot chocolate holder on video shoots.

So the Swift itself has been great – but do I regret the way I specced it?

Well there wasn’t much choice to start with. The Swift offers only two trims and one engine. The only options on top of that were black alloy wheels, a roof bar, protective matting and some exterior decals.

I chose the range-topping Ultra trim, the main benefit of which was giving me adaptive cruise control to make those longer motorway treks a little less taxing. But to be honest, entry-level Motion comes with enough standard equipment, including the infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, heated front seats and a rear-view camera. So if I were to have my time with the Swift again, I would probably save the extra £1100 and stick with Motion trim.

This small car did everything I needed it to do, then, while helping me to save money in the process. And while there were a few niggles, I would happily welcome one onto my driveway again. For this Swifty, then, this has been a real "Love story".

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