Suzuki’s Swift currently sells at the rate of over 500 units a month and that figure is growing as the word spreads about its value-for-money factor. Here we list a quick backgrounder and the top 6 things you should know about the current Swift.
Suzuki Auto South Africa first introduced the Swift here in 2008. Until that time Suzuki was known here primarily as a motorcycle manufacturer and also sold a range of outboard engines for speedboats. However, Suzuki had gained an earlier four-wheeled presence here in the 1980s with the early small-engined SJ series off-roader (already marketed as a Jimny in its home country), which was distributed here by General Motors. You can check the Swift family road test here.
With the advent of Suzuki Auto South Africa, a stand-alone dealer network was established and since that time Suzuki has shown steady growth in this country. In 2011 the second generation Swift was launched, while the Suzuki range at that time had expanded to include a number of models such as the Grand Vitara and the Jimny. You can read about the Swift 1.2 GL Pre-Launch road test here.
Suzuki goes the value-for-money route
In the past few years, Suzuki has re-profiled its range here to concentrate largely on value-for-money propositions. Thus the third-generation Swift, introduced in 2018, is offered as an entry-level car. Previously the Swift was a price competitor for the likes of Volkswagen’s Polo, but now it is firmly established as a player where pricing is of primary consideration.
As a quick guide to the Suzuki Swift, we hereby list the important things you need to know about the Suzuki Swift. Note that we don’t include the recently-introduced Swift 1.4 Turbo Sport here, as this is a more up-market performance model. The new 1.4 T Sport costs over R100 000 more than the basic Swift range. We compared the Swift to some of its rivals too.
Top 6 things you should know about the Suzuki Swift
- Pricing. Pricing for the latest Suzuki Swift ranges from R199 900 for the entry GA model to R255 900 for the 1.2 GLX Auto. The cheapest Swift just makes it into the list of the 10 cheapest cars on sale in South Africa. *Pricing is correct at the time of publishing and is subject to change without any prior notice.
- Engine know-how. The latest generation is the third series available in South Africa. Engine sizes of the main-stream Swift models have decreased from 1, 5 litres in the first generation to 1,4 litres in the second-gen car to the current 1,2 litre spec. Again, the turbocharged Sport models are not included here in this comparison.
- Performance on par. Despite less power and torque, performance has largely remained the same. The power dropped from 74 kW in 2008 to 70 kW in 2011 to 61 kW in 2018. The reason that the current Swift’s performance has kept pace is that the overall weight of the car has dropped too. The second-gen Swift weighed just 1 000 kg, while the current Swift weighs in at just 875 kg. This enables 0-100 km/h in the sub-12-second range for the current Swift and a top speed of 170 km/h, the same performance as the second-gen Swift.
- More budget-conscious interior. The latest Swifts don’t have the same perceived quality feel as the earlier models, as these latest cars are produced in India for a more cost-conscious market. Plastics are harder and the door panels are lighter to the touch. However, the build quality is still top-rated. Airbag quantity has also dropped from 6 to 2.
- A real boot. The boot size on the latest Swift is finally competitive. The earlier models were hampered by a boot size of well under 200 litres. The latest boot size has increased to 268 litres.
- Economy. Lightweight plus a well-sorted small-capacity 1,2-litre non-turbo engine equals great fuel economy. Fuel consumption is rated by the manufacturer at 4,9 litres/100 km and you should easily get 5,5 litres/100 km in real-life usage on the manual models.
If you would be keen to try out a Suzuki Swift, you can search AutoTrader for the latest used and new offerings. You can sell your current car quickly and easily with our Instant Offer tool.
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