MORE SWIFT SATISFACTION (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 38

The Swift supermini is Suzuki's most successful model and this sleeker third generation post-2017-era A2L design represented the brand's third try at creating a small car tailor-made for European buyers. Let's check it out as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 12

5dr hatch (Petrol -1.2 Dualjet 90PS / 1.0 Boosterjet / 1.4 Boosterjet)

Historyword count: 371

Unlike some of its competitors, Suzuki has never forgotten the essentials of supermini motoring. Such a car should not only be economical and as spacious as possible but also very affordable, endearingly charismatic and extremely light. Over throughout its model generations, Suzuki Swift models have usually ticked these boxes and in 2017, the signs were that this MK3 A2L version would do so again. This comes perhaps, from the way that Suzuki has always specialised in small cars and continues to do so, often offering a wider selection of options than any other brand. Back in 2017, the Swift was actually one of three similarly-sized contenders that slotted into the company's line-up just above the tiny Celerio citycar and shared the same hi-tech 'HEARTECT' platform, the others being the diminutive Ignis crossover and the more sober-suited Baleno model. This car though, was the most significant of the trio from a sales perspective and had been for the brand for the last couple of decades. Swift sales really took off with the launch of the first of three generations of Swift specifically designed for Europe, the cute RS model of 2004, followed by a MK2 AZG design in 2010. By 2017, more than a million MK1 and MK2 examples of this Japanese supermini had found European buyers. This MK3 version did of course face massive competition in our market, but came well prepared for it. At launch, it was still cheaper than most of its rivals but was also up to 10% lighter, 19% more powerful and 8% more fuel-efficient than its predecessor. Plus from 2018 onwards, there was a flagship 1.4-litre Swift Sport hot hatch model that claimed to be able to out-perform shopping rocket rivals costing thousands more (and was updated with 48V mild hybrid power in 2020). That mild hybrid system, gradually introduced before the 2020 update, was standardised across the range in 2020 too. Throughout this MK3 design's life, there was also an unusual ALLGRIP 4WD variant that delivered all-round winter traction for about 50% less than potential buyers would have had to find for a typical all-wheel-driven small SUV. This MK3 A2L Swift sold until early 2024 - when it was replaced by a MK4 AOL model.

What You Getword count: 258

The design of this third generation A2L Swift represented a recognisable evolution of this model line. It retained the wrap-around windscreen, upright headlamps and smiling lower air intake of its predecessor but delivered significantly different overall dimensions that saw the body shorter, lower and wider than before. At a glance, you'd know this was a Swift, but you'd also appreciate that it was a more modern one. You feel this model's light weight when you slam the driver's door shut, which isn't ideal, but otherwise, by supermini standards, the cabin feels quite nice, providing you're not expecting premium-quality fittings and acres of slush-moulded soft-touch plastic: you're not paying for that kind of thing here and you don't get it. As with Suzuki's Baleno and the Ignis models of this period, the brand decided to style the fascia around a 7-inch colour infotainment touchscreen, which was a standard feature above entry-level trim. This car remained one of the more compact models in the supermini segment when it came to rear seat space. Still, thanks to that lengthened wheelbase and some extra room liberated from the engine compartment, there was here marginally more legroom on offer than there had been before. Out back in the boot, the light tailgate raises to reveal a cargo area space 25% larger than was available in the previous generation model. The 265-litre capacity isn't anything like enough to threaten the segment class leaders from this period in this regard but it was at least enough to get this Suzuki back on a competitive footing.

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