Suzuki Swace

Overview

What is it?

Looks strangely familiar, this new Suzuki Swace, doesn’t it? If you were yet to hear about Suzuki’s new badge-engineering enterprise, you’d be forgiven for struggling to place where you recognised the shape from.

As soon as you’re told this is a rebadged Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, though, it becomes extremely hard to spot any styling changes that Suzuki has bothered to make. Spoiler alert if you fancied a game of spot the difference – only the grille and the front bumper have received slight alterations.

Still, the Swace is a very smart looking estate. Maybe we’ve got too used to the awkward image of jacked-up crossovers, but there’s something to be said for the Toyuki’s clean lines and small 16-inch wheels.

Suzuki is keeping things simple on the powertrain front too. The only option is a 1.8-litre hybrid that pairs a 100bhp four-cylinder petrol engine with a 70bhp electric motor, with the two working together to produce a maximum of 120bhp at any one time. That power is sent to the front wheels through our old friend the CVT gearbox, and Suzuki claims that the teeny battery allows EV-only running for ‘short distances’.

You can’t have the Corolla’s more powerful 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain in the Swace, but because it comes with plenty of kit as standard the entry price is £27,499 for the base-spec SZ-T version (more on that later) – that’s compared to the Toyota’s current £25,750 entry point. 

So, what does each party get out of this little deal? Well, Suzuki gets to sell efficient hybrids that bring its emissions figures down, without having to do much work at all, and Toyota gets to increase its ever-growing influence throughout the industry. Oh, and there’s good news for the British car industry, because each Swace will be built alongside the Corolla at Toyota’s Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.

In reality, there’s no way to recommend the Swace or the Corolla over one another. They’re extremely similar to the point of remaining virtually the same car.

If you prefer the Suzuki’s face, buy the Swace. If you want the same car with a more powerful engine, or if the Toyota dealer is closer to your house, then buy the Corolla Touring Sports. Both are well-sorted hybrid estate cars with a well-judged focus on comfort and miles per gallon.

The Swace won’t provide the most engaging driving experience, but there’s a good amount of kit as standard, the materials are all nice enough and it feels well screwed together. 

Plus, even though Suzuki doesn’t plan to sell too many of these things per year (it’s targeting 2,000 during the Swace’s first year on sale), any little boost to the UK’s car building industry is welcome at this time. Good effort.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

A Toyota (nay Suzuki) hybrid wagon is never going to be the most dynamic of vehicles. And sure enough, the Swace doesn’t handle like a Ford Focus estate or provide any real steering feedback at all.

The payoff, though, is a focus on comfort that – especially with the Swace’s small wheels and high-sidewalled tyres – provides a floaty but not overly wallowy ride quality. That’s surely something that potential buyers will prioritise over dynamic ability, so no complaints here. 

The 1.8-litre engine is also fairly quiet and smooth, although trying to push on will result in some rubber banding of revs caused by the non-paddle assisted CVT ‘box. Avoid Sport mode altogether if you value your ears. The hybrid assist means the short 0-20mph sprint is painless enough in town though, and the whole powertrain is fairly refined at motorway speeds. For reference, Suzuki claims an 11.1 second 0-62mph time and a top speed of 112mph.

It’s not a quick thing, then, but it’s not a car that responds well to that kind of treatment anyway. The claim is 64.2mpg on the WLTP cycle and 99g/km of CO2 emissions, and as with other Toyota hybrids the real-world economy won’t be far off. We managed well over 50mpg from a mix of spirited town, country and motorway driving. If motorway miles are your bread and butter, though, a diesel estate would still offer better figures.

Oh, and that EV-only mode? It really is designed for short distances. Think more ‘getting to the end of your road’ rather than ‘last-mile emissions free driving in the city’.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

As is the case with the exterior of the Swace, it’s all very unoffensive in here. It’s also identical to the equivalent spec Corolla estate. 

Luckily that’s a good thing these days, especially when it comes to usability and button placement. There’s everything we ask for; clear and easy to use steering wheel buttons, simple dials and a proper climate control panel that not only looks smart but also allows you to actually change the cabin temperature without taking your eyes off the road. It’ll never catch on…

Bad points? The seats aren’t the most supportive and other estates offer more rear legroom and greater boot space. Here there’s 596 litres of room as standard and 1,606 litres if you flip the rear seats flat. The aforementioned Focus Estate has 608 litres of space back there, and the cavernous Skoda Octavia Estate offers 640 litres.

The Toyota-supplied infotainment system is also slightly less user-friendly than what you’ll find in close rivals. In the Suzuki it deploys an eight-inch touchscreen and remains a little laggy, with some outdated graphics too. Luckily Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard even on base spec versions, and it’s still better than the unit Suzuki uses in the Ignis, the Swift, the Vitara and the S-Cross.

Buying

What should I be paying?

Right let’s get into details. The aforementioned base spec Swace that begins at £27,499 is known as the SZ-T. That comes with a respectable amount of kit that includes dual zone air conditioning, a seven-inch LCD info screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a rear parking camera and active cruise control. Lovely.

The only other trim level is the top spec SZ5. At £29,299, that adds park assist with front and rear parking sensors, a blind spot monitor, wireless phone charging and something called ‘smart’ door locking. For the money it’ll probably be worth the upgrade, although it’s a shame there’s no chance of getting the Corolla’s larger 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain. 

The only real option is a choice of seven different paint colours, with all but the base white costing an extra £600 or £900. The other boxes to tick are well-priced practical bits like cargo netting for the boot, a roof rack and a protective film over the door handles to keep the paint from being scratched by jewellery.

It’s also worth noting that Suzuki is offering a five year/100,000-mile warranty for the Swace – the same as you’ll get from Toyota if you’re buying a Corolla.

Keyword: Suzuki Swace