Suzuki Swift Review (2013)

The latest incarnation of the Suzuki Swift was launched in the UK in September 2010 - Suzuki aim to sell around 100,000 vehicles in Europe with 10,000 of those being UK sales.

The Swift is available with both 3 and 5-doors, there are three trim levels SZ2, SZ3 and SZ4 and currently the SZ-L (Special Edition) prices range from £10,799 for the entry-level 1.2 petrol 3dr manual SZ2 and rise to £14,709 for the 1.2 petrol 5dr automatic� SZ4.� We tested the Suzuki Swift 1.2 petrol 5-door SZ4 94PS with 5-speed manual transmission priced at £11,429.

The Swift Sport model is listed as a separate model with prices starting at £13,749.

There is a choice of two engines: a 1.2 litre 94PS dual VVT petrol engine and a 1.3 litre DDiS diesel engine. With the petrol engine there is a choice of a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic transmission - only a 5-speed manual is available with the diesel engine.

Our test car was fitted with the 1.2 litre petrol engine coupled to the 5-speed manual gearbox. It is capable of 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds and has a top speed of 103mph.

According to Suzuki the combined fuel consumption figure for the Swift 1.2 litre is 56.5mpg - on a mixed touring route we achieved 43.6mpg. The CO2 emissions are 116g/km which brings an annual VED charge of £30 in the first year.

Overall the performance was impressive - only on fast ‘A’ roads did the acceleration seem a bit lacking and on the dual carriageway we felt that the Swift needed a 6th gear.