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The all-new Suzuki Swift MkIV and its very good news if you’re a regular follower of TG, because the Swift Sport has always... Read the TG review inside.

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Suzuki reckons it can steal small car sales now that others are backing out of the game. The new Swift is a refreshingly simple choice if you get past the looks

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Suzuki reckons it can steal small car sales now that others are backing out of the game. The new Swift is a refreshingly simple choice if you get past the looks

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Suzuki reckons it can steal small car sales now that others are backing out of the game. The new Swift is a refreshingly simple choice if you get past the looks

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Suzuki reckons it can steal small car sales now that others are backing out of the game. The new Swift is a refreshingly simple choice if you get past the looks

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"description":"Suzuki reckons it can steal small car sales now that others are backing out of the game. The new Swift is a refreshingly simple choice if you get past the looks"

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.value
Not really that swift, the new Suzuki Swift. Suzuki says it has improved the 0-62mph time by five per cent over the previous generation, but it's like a snail going downhill: helps a tad, but still slow. If you’ve got the manual gearbox the 'sprint' will take you 12.5 seconds.

We’ve only driven the manual Swift in front-wheel drive form so far, and despite being a little underpowered it’s still very good fun. The little three-cylinder is pretty quiet at idle but sounds quite tuneful as it goes up through the rev range.

Perhaps it’s a little strained at the top end of the rev range, but it’s a keen engine and the manual gearbox is really pleasant to use. It’s no Ford Fiesta, but the Fiesta is dead and Suzuki is ready to pick up the slack.

How does it go round corners?

Surprisingly well. The suspension setup has been revised from the previous Swift so that there’s less roll, but thankfully Suzuki hasn’t fallen into the trap of going too far the other way and making it supremely stiff. It feels natural through bends and the steering is light but not without feel.

It’s a very simple thing, this Swift, with no drive modes and none of this adaptive suspension nonsense. Heck, there’s even a manual handbrake. You could very happily jump in it and bumble about town very happily. Find yourself on a B-road diversion and like the old Fiesta, it handles better than it strictly needs to, and more memorably than, say, a Polo or Yaris.

Anything else I need to know?

You really do have to commend Suzuki for getting this thing to weigh under a tonne. The lack of mass helps the whole driving experience, with the Swift keen to change direction and the brakes working well and providing decent feel despite the regen.

Probably worth noting that road noise does permeate the cabin at motorway speeds as a result, but the Swift is only really designed to do the odd long journey.

Is it comfortable?

Again, because it’s light it skips over most bumps and rarely are jolts sent crashing through the cabin. Worth noting that you can only have 16-inch alloy wheels too, so there’s a decent bit of tyre sidewall for more cushioning. The whole car is shot through with a cheery 'hire car in sunny Majorca' for a while.

What about real-world efficiency?

Probably a little bit unfair, but we managed 44.8mpg in the manual Swift on its international launch. That’s obviously some way off the claimed 64.2mpg figure, although our drive included lots of spirited fun on French back roads and plenty of stop-start for photography.

Back in the UK, we were easily able to achieve over 50mpg without much effort while still enjoying the perky handling. You'll be able to eke out 450 miles from less than £50 of petrol.

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.processed
Not really that swift, the new Suzuki Swift. Suzuki says it has improved the 0-62mph time by five per cent over the previous generation, but it's like a snail going downhill: helps a tad, but still slow. If you’ve got the manual gearbox the 'sprint' will take you 12.5 seconds.

We’ve only driven the manual Swift in front-wheel drive form so far, and despite being a little underpowered it’s still very good fun. The little three-cylinder is pretty quiet at idle but sounds quite tuneful as it goes up through the rev range.

Perhaps it’s a little strained at the top end of the rev range, but it’s a keen engine and the manual gearbox is really pleasant to use. It’s no Ford Fiesta, but the Fiesta is dead and Suzuki is ready to pick up the slack.

How does it go round corners?

Surprisingly well. The suspension setup has been revised from the previous Swift so that there’s less roll, but thankfully Suzuki hasn’t fallen into the trap of going too far the other way and making it supremely stiff. It feels natural through bends and the steering is light but not without feel.

It’s a very simple thing, this Swift, with no drive modes and none of this adaptive suspension nonsense. Heck, there’s even a manual handbrake. You could very happily jump in it and bumble about town very happily. Find yourself on a B-road diversion and like the old Fiesta, it handles better than it strictly needs to, and more memorably than, say, a Polo or Yaris.

Anything else I need to know?

You really do have to commend Suzuki for getting this thing to weigh under a tonne. The lack of mass helps the whole driving experience, with the Swift keen to change direction and the brakes working well and providing decent feel despite the regen.

Probably worth noting that road noise does permeate the cabin at motorway speeds as a result, but the Swift is only really designed to do the odd long journey.

Is it comfortable?

Again, because it’s light it skips over most bumps and rarely are jolts sent crashing through the cabin. Worth noting that you can only have 16-inch alloy wheels too, so there’s a decent bit of tyre sidewall for more cushioning. The whole car is shot through with a cheery 'hire car in sunny Majorca' for a while.

What about real-world efficiency?

Probably a little bit unfair, but we managed 44.8mpg in the manual Swift on its international launch. That’s obviously some way off the claimed 64.2mpg figure, although our drive included lots of spirited fun on French back roads and plenty of stop-start for photography.

Back in the UK, we were easily able to achieve over 50mpg without much effort while still enjoying the perky handling. You'll be able to eke out 450 miles from less than £50 of petrol.

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Suzuki Swift review: a refreshingly simple supermini

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Your thoughts on the interior of the Swift will probably align with how you feel about the old-school powertrain. Because yeah, despite Suzuki claiming this is an all-new car, it’s pretty 2010s in here.

Hurrah! A non-minimalist cabin?

In many ways that’s a very good thing. There are proper analogue dials which are nice and easy to read, plenty of physical buttons which are easy to operate on the move, a separate panel for the climate controls which makes it easy to set the temperature, and even a manual handbrake which makes it easy to do handbrake turns in your local supermarket car park. Hurrah! Down with electronic parking brakes.

And yet, there are also downsides. The 9.0-inch infotainment screen suffers from clunky menus, basic graphics and a slightly delayed response time, while the general design is a little dark and dour. Suzuki claims the upholstery is ‘dual-tone’ but we’d argue that combining black plastic with grey plastic does not allow you to use that sort of phrase.

In better news, there is wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard and the new front seats (which are heated as standard even on entry-level models) are soft and comfortable enough.

What about practicality?

Space-wise it’s exactly the same size as the previous generation Swift too, which means you get a 265-litre boot which swells to 589 litres when you fold the rear seats. And there’s no impact on that space if you spec the 4WD version. The rear door aperture is impressively wide so getting into the back isn’t a problem, but those with long legs won’t be blessed with huge amounts of space once they’re in.

The main issue though is the speed limit warning system, which bongs away constantly as it misreads road signs and mistakes speed limits. Every single one of these now mandatory systems is the same, but Suzuki has made it needlessly difficult to switch off. For a start you have to be parked up, and then you’ll need to dive into the confusing menus of the small display between the dials. Argh!

And just one more gripe: some of the Swift’s plastics feel cheap and scratchy. But then again, this is actually a cheap car. And a light one. Click through to the Buying tab for more…

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.processed
Your thoughts on the interior of the Swift will probably align with how you feel about the old-school powertrain. Because yeah, despite Suzuki claiming this is an all-new car, it’s pretty 2010s in here.

Hurrah! A non-minimalist cabin?

In many ways that’s a very good thing. There are proper analogue dials which are nice and easy to read, plenty of physical buttons which are easy to operate on the move, a separate panel for the climate controls which makes it easy to set the temperature, and even a manual handbrake which makes it easy to do handbrake turns in your local supermarket car park. Hurrah! Down with electronic parking brakes.

And yet, there are also downsides. The 9.0-inch infotainment screen suffers from clunky menus, basic graphics and a slightly delayed response time, while the general design is a little dark and dour. Suzuki claims the upholstery is ‘dual-tone’ but we’d argue that combining black plastic with grey plastic does not allow you to use that sort of phrase.

In better news, there is wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard and the new front seats (which are heated as standard even on entry-level models) are soft and comfortable enough.

What about practicality?

Space-wise it’s exactly the same size as the previous generation Swift too, which means you get a 265-litre boot which swells to 589 litres when you fold the rear seats. And there’s no impact on that space if you spec the 4WD version. The rear door aperture is impressively wide so getting into the back isn’t a problem, but those with long legs won’t be blessed with huge amounts of space once they’re in.

The main issue though is the speed limit warning system, which bongs away constantly as it misreads road signs and mistakes speed limits. Every single one of these now mandatory systems is the same, but Suzuki has made it needlessly difficult to switch off. For a start you have to be parked up, and then you’ll need to dive into the confusing menus of the small display between the dials. Argh!

And just one more gripe: some of the Swift’s plastics feel cheap and scratchy. But then again, this is actually a cheap car. And a light one. Click through to the Buying tab for more…

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In the UK there will be just two trim levels for the new Swift. The entry-level Motion grade starts at £19,199 and gets an impressive amount of kit as standard.

For that money you’ll be in a front-wheel drive car with the five-speed manual gearbox, but you’ll be getting LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors and a blind spot monitor. Surely that’s everything you could ever need?

If you do want to step up to the top-spec Ultra grade you’ll be paying £20,299 for the front-wheel drive manual setup, and you’ll get all the kit of the Motion trim plus polished alloy wheels (still 16-inchers), automatic air conditioning, vents for the rear seats and electric folding door mirrors.

That’s it though, so we’d recommend sticking with Motion trim and spending a little bit of extra cash on Cool Yellow Metallic or Burning Red paint (Flame Orange is free, just FYI).

We’re yet to drive the CVT auto version of the Swift, but that will cost you an extra £1,250 no matter which trim level you go for, while the AWD version can only be combined with Ultra trim and costs from £21,549.

In terms of monthly payments, the base-spec car will start at just over £200 per month over three years if you put down a £4k deposit.

All Swifts are covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, but Suzuki now also offers a service-activated warranty that can extend to a maximum of seven years/100,000 miles if you have your car serviced at a main dealer each year.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.processed
In the UK there will be just two trim levels for the new Swift. The entry-level Motion grade starts at £19,199 and gets an impressive amount of kit as standard.

For that money you’ll be in a front-wheel drive car with the five-speed manual gearbox, but you’ll be getting LED headlights, 16-inch alloy wheels, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors and a blind spot monitor. Surely that’s everything you could ever need?

If you do want to step up to the top-spec Ultra grade you’ll be paying £20,299 for the front-wheel drive manual setup, and you’ll get all the kit of the Motion trim plus polished alloy wheels (still 16-inchers), automatic air conditioning, vents for the rear seats and electric folding door mirrors.

That’s it though, so we’d recommend sticking with Motion trim and spending a little bit of extra cash on Cool Yellow Metallic or Burning Red paint (Flame Orange is free, just FYI).

We’re yet to drive the CVT auto version of the Swift, but that will cost you an extra £1,250 no matter which trim level you go for, while the AWD version can only be combined with Ultra trim and costs from £21,549.

In terms of monthly payments, the base-spec car will start at just over £200 per month over three years if you put down a £4k deposit.

All Swifts are covered by a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, but Suzuki now also offers a service-activated warranty that can extend to a maximum of seven years/100,000 miles if you have your car serviced at a main dealer each year.

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The new Swift gets a three-cylinder petrol engine and a manual gearbox. Hurrah!

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.value
It’s worth noting here that we’ve only driven the manual, front-wheel drive Swift so far, so perhaps take that score up there with a pinch of salt if you’re thinking about buying the CVT auto. In our experience things can get a little unrefined with CVTs in previous generation Swifts.

Still, the manual is a welcome inclusion alongside the little three-cylinder engine and it makes the Swift surprisingly fun to drive. It might not have the shift action or steering feel of a Fiesta, but the little Suzuki admirably tips the scales at under a tonne and is all the better for it.

If you’re looking for a simple, small car these days you’re running out of options, but Suzuki has admirably stuck to its “smaller, neater, lighter” philosophy in updating the Swift. Great value for money with the amount of kit you get with the entry-level Motion trim, too.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.processed
It’s worth noting here that we’ve only driven the manual, front-wheel drive Swift so far, so perhaps take that score up there with a pinch of salt if you’re thinking about buying the CVT auto. In our experience things can get a little unrefined with CVTs in previous generation Swifts.

Still, the manual is a welcome inclusion alongside the little three-cylinder engine and it makes the Swift surprisingly fun to drive. It might not have the shift action or steering feel of a Fiesta, but the little Suzuki admirably tips the scales at under a tonne and is all the better for it.

If you’re looking for a simple, small car these days you’re running out of options, but Suzuki has admirably stuck to its “smaller, neater, lighter” philosophy in updating the Swift. Great value for money with the amount of kit you get with the entry-level Motion trim, too.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_against
Beluga whale face, some cheap plastics inside

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_for
Lightweight, value for money, actually quite fun to drive

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_text
The little Suzuki admirably tips the scales at under a tonne and is all the better for it

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.value
It’s the fourth generation Suzuki Swift, or it could be the sixth generation depending on how you look at it. Suzuki itself refers to this as the fourth gen, but that’s because it considers the 2004 iteration as the first ‘global’ Swift and thus the first generation.

Here in the UK, we had two cars called Swift before that, with the first (known as the Cultus in Japan) arriving back in 1983. Not as straightforward an answer as you expected, was it?

So, what actually is the Swift these days?

It’s actually quite a rare beast. You see, this is a new supermini – not an SUV or a crossover – being launched in 2024 with an internal combustion engine and a manual gearbox. This makes us very happy indeed.

Those looks, though?

Yeah, we should probably address that straight off the bat. Although Suzuki refers to this as an all-new Swift, it’s built on the same platform as the previous car so is essentially a heavy facelift. It looks a little like the previous generation too, albeit if that car had suffered an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Poor thing.

Suzuki says the design is “muscular”, but we can’t get over that cartoonish front end. The strange wraparound bonnet line above the new headlights is just downright odd too – it’s there to create a floating cabin section and to make the car look wider, but do superminis really need to look all that wide? We just keep thinking someone has left the bonnet open.

Anyway, elsewhere you get the option of eight different metallic colours and either a black or grey contrast roof if desired. But we're unable to unsee the Swift's uncanny resemblance to a beluga whale from the front, and a house brick from every other angle.

What engines can I have?

Just the one engine, actually. Suzuki is launching the new Swift with a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder that makes a massive 81bhp and 83lb ft of torque. Careful now. Oh, and it refers to the Swift as a hybrid, but all that means is a 12-volt mild hybrid setup that pairs a very small lithium-ion battery with an integrated starter generator (ISG) and regenerative braking.

That ISG helps to run a more efficient start/stop system and also aids acceleration with a teeny bit of extra grunt. Suzuki reckons the whole mild hybrid setup only adds 7kg to the Swift, and it’s a properly featherweight thing that tips the scales at 949kg in base spec with a manual gearbox.

For a car that meets all of 2024's fiendish crash tests, um, head-on, and has all the equipment you could reasonably expect in a supermini, to come in at under a tonne even with half a tank of fuel is a staggering achievement. Well done, Suzuki. Rest of the industry, take note.

[node:field_onward_journey_card-themed]

That manual is standard and has five speeds, but a CVT auto is optional. Stick with the manual though and you’ll even be able to get a top-spec version with four-wheel drive. Though if you want a rufty-tufty AWD Suzuki, we'd go for the charming Ignis (while you still can, Suzuki is killing it off in 2025). Or a used Jimnny. Is any company as consistently good at small cars as Suzuki?

Is it efficient?

In theory it’s very efficient. Suzuki claims 64.2mpg and just 99g/km of CO2 for the entry-level manual car, with the CVT achieving 60.1mpg and emitting 106g/km. In our tests we averaged mid 50s to the gallon when we weren't trying to be light-footed, and over 60mpg when we were. This is a frugal piece of kit.

How much will it cost me?

Great question. There’s more over on the Buying tab of this review, but in the UK prices will start at £19,199. You’ll have to pay £1,250 more if you inexplicably want the CVT gearbox, while the ALLGRIP four-wheel drive version is £21,549.

Suzuki sold an average of 9,400 Swifts per year in the UK during the previous generation’s lifetime, but it has plans to up that to 12,000 per year for this new one. It reckons that 28 per cent of the current supermini market will be up for grabs as competitors like the Ford Fiesta, the Kia Rio and the Nissan Micra fall by the wayside.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.processed
It’s the fourth generation Suzuki Swift, or it could be the sixth generation depending on how you look at it. Suzuki itself refers to this as the fourth gen, but that’s because it considers the 2004 iteration as the first ‘global’ Swift and thus the first generation.

Here in the UK, we had two cars called Swift before that, with the first (known as the Cultus in Japan) arriving back in 1983. Not as straightforward an answer as you expected, was it?

So, what actually is the Swift these days?

It’s actually quite a rare beast. You see, this is a new supermini – not an SUV or a crossover – being launched in 2024 with an internal combustion engine and a manual gearbox. This makes us very happy indeed.

Those looks, though?

Yeah, we should probably address that straight off the bat. Although Suzuki refers to this as an all-new Swift, it’s built on the same platform as the previous car so is essentially a heavy facelift. It looks a little like the previous generation too, albeit if that car had suffered an allergic reaction to a bee sting. Poor thing.

Suzuki says the design is “muscular”, but we can’t get over that cartoonish front end. The strange wraparound bonnet line above the new headlights is just downright odd too – it’s there to create a floating cabin section and to make the car look wider, but do superminis really need to look all that wide? We just keep thinking someone has left the bonnet open.

Anyway, elsewhere you get the option of eight different metallic colours and either a black or grey contrast roof if desired. But we're unable to unsee the Swift's uncanny resemblance to a beluga whale from the front, and a house brick from every other angle.

What engines can I have?

Just the one engine, actually. Suzuki is launching the new Swift with a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder that makes a massive 81bhp and 83lb ft of torque. Careful now. Oh, and it refers to the Swift as a hybrid, but all that means is a 12-volt mild hybrid setup that pairs a very small lithium-ion battery with an integrated starter generator (ISG) and regenerative braking.

That ISG helps to run a more efficient start/stop system and also aids acceleration with a teeny bit of extra grunt. Suzuki reckons the whole mild hybrid setup only adds 7kg to the Swift, and it’s a properly featherweight thing that tips the scales at 949kg in base spec with a manual gearbox.

For a car that meets all of 2024's fiendish crash tests, um, head-on, and has all the equipment you could reasonably expect in a supermini, to come in at under a tonne even with half a tank of fuel is a staggering achievement. Well done, Suzuki. Rest of the industry, take note.

That manual is standard and has five speeds, but a CVT auto is optional. Stick with the manual though and you’ll even be able to get a top-spec version with four-wheel drive. Though if you want a rufty-tufty AWD Suzuki, we'd go for the charming Ignis (while you still can, Suzuki is killing it off in 2025). Or a used Jimnny. Is any company as consistently good at small cars as Suzuki?

Is it efficient?

In theory it’s very efficient. Suzuki claims 64.2mpg and just 99g/km of CO2 for the entry-level manual car, with the CVT achieving 60.1mpg and emitting 106g/km. In our tests we averaged mid 50s to the gallon when we weren't trying to be light-footed, and over 60mpg when we were. This is a frugal piece of kit.

How much will it cost me?

Great question. There’s more over on the Buying tab of this review, but in the UK prices will start at £19,199. You’ll have to pay £1,250 more if you inexplicably want the CVT gearbox, while the ALLGRIP four-wheel drive version is £21,549.

Suzuki sold an average of 9,400 Swifts per year in the UK during the previous generation’s lifetime, but it has plans to up that to 12,000 per year for this new one. It reckons that 28 per cent of the current supermini market will be up for grabs as competitors like the Ford Fiesta, the Kia Rio and the Nissan Micra fall by the wayside.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_we_say
Suzuki reckons it can steal small car sales now that others are backing out of the game. The new Swift is a refreshingly simple choice if you get past the looks

# data.attributes.field_cars_wildcard_text
Suzuki's own range has a yet lighter and dinkier hatchback in its ranks