Hazendal Wine Estate was the lush venue where Suzuki Auto South Africa launched its new Fourth Generation Swift. It put on quite a show, featuring a “flash-mob” song and dance and an interesting slideshow.
Suzuki compared the value proposition of the new Swift with the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Hyundai Exter, Polo Vivo and Mahindra XUV 3XO. Apart from the i10, the top Suzuki model, the fully equipped GLX, matches or beats the base models of the direct competition in terms of price and value. This suggests the new Swift will be a, if not the, best seller in South Africa, like the outgoing model. Since 2004 Suzuki has sold more than 9 million units of its popular B-segment hatchback worldwide, with typical monthly sales in South Africa exceeding 1 100 units. Expect sales of more than 1 200 per month soon, supply permitting.
At first glance the new Swift does not look dissimilar to the old one; however, the new body is much more angular and has sharp edges, especially compared to the previous very rounded car. Brendon Carpenter, the Brand Manager, pointed out during the launch that the new car is much more aerodynamic, partly due to the edges and also because the whole car now has an underfloor plate (which also makes it quieter). This will also help with fuel consumption, especially at highway speeds. Overall, it is a good change on the outside, better technically, but still recognisably a Swift.
The easiest way to distinguish the new car is by the rear-door handles, which have been moved back to their traditional place below the waistline, from the window in the C pillar.
Suzuki claims running costs as low as 98c per kilometre and a combined fuel consumption figure as low as 4.4F/100 km or 22.72 km/F – an 11% improvement over its predecessor. On our evaluation run over Sir Lowry’s Pass and the Franschhoek Pass, the consumption was around 5.5F/100 km, still pretty good as it’s quite a climb and the car only had a few hundred kilometres on the clock and still needed to loosen up a bit.
The new model looks like the previous car but is very different inside and out. The width of 1 735 mm gives it a squat but pleasing stance and contributes to its cornering abilities. It gets the new Z12E 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine making 60 kW at 5 700 rpm and 112 Nm of torque at 4 300 rpm, which, together with its relatively light weight of 945 kg and either a five-speed manual (with an Engine Auto Stop/Start system) or continuously variable transmission (CVT), delivers fair but definitely not sporty performance. The recalibrated suspension (MacPherson strut front, torsion beam rear) with optimised geometry gives it a solid, planted feel on the road. It has a 37 F petrol tank. No complaints here.
The interior has been reworked and upgraded. It now has a wrap-around dashboard design with horizontal air vents and centre controls angled towards the driver, much snazzier than the outgoing car.
On the GLX model, you get a 9-inch infotainment screen and digital instrumentation as well as climate control.
There are 60:40 split folding rear seatbacks. Rear legroom is adequate.
In general, the interior has been brought up to date and seems well thought out with enough storage places and everything where it should be.
From a safety aspect, every Swift comes standard with six airbags (front, side, and curtain); ABS brakes with EBD, Brake Assist Function, Electronic Stability Programme, and rear ISOFIX anchors. In addition, all occupants now have access to three-point seat belts (two front, three rear) with audible/visual reminders.
The base GL is really stripped down and is more of a bare model, I think aimed to a certain extent at claiming a starting price under R220 000. The GLX models, however, are superbly balanced between specifications, luxury, and value and still under the magic R290 000 mark. I think they are worth the extra cash, especially if you are going to keep the car a long time, which many Swifties do.
The leather steering wheel, audio control, and hands-free phone control, LED projector + Guide me home/lead to vehicle light, daytime running lights, and rear-view camera are all worthwhile to have, I think.
The above is in addition to the equipment in the entry-level and manual-only Swift GL, which has projector headlamps, digital air-conditioning controls, front and rear electric windows, electrically adjustable and folding side mirrors, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, an alarm with central locking, and rear parking sensors.
The mid-range adds a 7” touchscreen with smartphone functionality, rear-view camera, and fancier wheels.
The basic 1.2 GL manual is R219 900; GL+ manual is R239 900, and GL+ CVT is R259 900. The well-equipped GLX manual is R264 900 and the CVT: R284 900. Pricing includes a two-year/30 000 km service plan and a five-year/200 000 km promo warranty.
