Ever heard of the ‘frequency illusion’? It’s when you buy a new pair of shoes and - suddenly - everyone seems to be wearing the same ones. Or you hear a politician on TV using the phrase ‘to be clear...’ and within days it seems they’re all saying it (or maybe, irritatingly, they are...).
Same thing happened while I was test-driving Suzuki’s latest little Swift in London; overnight I saw them everywhere although, admittedly, mostly the older model. It was, after all, introduced 40 years ago and nine million have been sold globally.
Having whizzed around in the 1.2-litre Hybrid Ultra version for a week I understand the appeal. In London it’s almost perfect; small, nippy, easy to park, reasonably commodious inside despite its compact outward dimensions - and fun to drive.
The fourth generation of the Swift isn’t my favourite visually. It’s lost some of the hot hatch-style ‘punch’ of previous models in favour of tamer, metropolitan lines but fortunately it retains some of its cheeky car-about-town look.
Flower power
It’s a four-door with a hatch and (for its size) a decent boot which we put to the test by visiting a garden centre and easily cramming in sufficient compost and plants for a makeover we’d planned, with room to spare. And there was still sufficient power, despite the extra weight.
The interior is functional and crisp rather than being particularly stylish and there’s plenty of hard-looking plastic, but the nice big 9-inch display screen and carefully chosen ‘brightwork’ (on the steering wheel, around the manual gear lever and on the air vents) lighten things up. It is a bright and breezy enough place to be.
I never did achieve the perfect seating position (it’s a ‘notched’ lever rather than a wheel for adjustment on the back rest) but the adjustable steering wheel (up and down as well as in and out) did help.
Singing in the rain
Any other niggles? The electric windows are a little glacial in their movement and the (lightweight) doors need a good shove to ensure they’re properly closed. After rainfall, when parked on a camber, droplets ran off the roof when the doors were opened and splashed onto the seats. But these are - really - observations rather than faults. Press the starter button and the engaging little three-cylinder engine sings into life, providing plenty of smooth power, rather a nice sound and more than sufficient accelerative ability for a little car.
The manual, five-speed gearbox too is smooth, the steering light and easy, while all controls fall nicely to hand. A CVT ‘auto’ gearbox is available as an option. Particularly impressive in this small town-car - a town-car that’s also happy on big, open roads - is its ride quality; it’s plush in town, if a little bouncier on faster roads. Pick the right (not overly slow) speed and it glides neatly over sleeping policemen, dispatching poor road surfaces with more grace than many larger cars.
You can see why the designers junked the ‘chunkier’ looks; there now seems to be more glass, with the car’s ‘shoulders’ lower to the ground, increasing visibility. This makes it safer in traffic, particularly at junctions, and easier to park.
Beginners who can afford it would find it an easy, unintimidating car, even in swirling city traffic. More seasoned drivers will enjoy its balance of fun, agility and relative economy.
It’s a self-charging ‘mild hybrid’ (there’s no plugging in), under-bonnet tech feeding in extra power from the battery (regenerated from braking) when needed, for instance when pulling away or accelerating. This system is partly responsible for the Swift’s CO2 figure of just 99 g/km and claimed combined consumption figure of 64.2mpg. But it won’t run purely on electricity, as with some ‘full’ hybrids.
Torque faster
The new Swift engine offers just a little more torque than that of the old model, while being eight per cent more fuel efficient and propelling the car to 62mph almost a second faster. Suzuki say they have worked hard to improve the refinement of the new model, along with its aerodynamics. It does feel fairly refined; only on faster, poorly-surfaced motorways do noise levels slightly intrude, as would be the case with many cars.
Apple CarPlay (and Android) are standard, as are heated seats. The seats are supportive enough, but I’d have liked extra lumbar adjustment on the driver’s side. Legroom in the back is OK, headroom fine.
A car with 81 bhp can’t really be called sporty, but - with its nimble handling and nice steering that offers plenty of feedback - it sometimes feels that way. It all adds up to a fun package.
There are two trim levels, Motion and Ultra. Even on the lower-spec Motion the 9-inch infotainment screen is included, along with adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitor and so on. Ultras also get automatic air-con (it’s manual in the Motion), electric folding mirrors and front seat belt height adjusters. While the Motion model starts at £18,699, the Ultra starts at £19,799; you don’t get an awful lot of extra for the additional cash.
In London, where 20mph limits have spread even to roads that really don’t need them (surely reducing their impact on roads that do), choosing the ‘right’ gear in the Swift can be problematic at times. Second gear feels too revvy - and slightly lurchy at this mind-numbingly low speed on major roads - while third can feel a little too ‘chuggy’, especially when driving uphill. It can be distracting.
Otherwise, this Swift is a heap of fun; the ideal small city car. If you order one, go for the premium blue, for an extra £750. It looks fantastic (especially with the black roof), and took the Japanese paint designer seven years to come up with. Worth the wait? I think so.
The Facts
New Suzuki Swift 1.2 Hybrid Ultra
Price: £19,799 (range starts from £18,699)
Top speed: 103 mph
0-62 mph: 12.5 seconds
