The original Suzuki Swift was launched in Australia in 1984, and with a zippy 1.3 litre engine, good build quality and attractive pricing, soon became a favourite with consumers. Owners that have kept Swift’s long term have also been rewarded with class leading reliability, and there plenty of originals still on the road today. The new model was previewed at the Sydney Motor Show, in 2004 and released in February 2005. Developed in Europe, Suzuki believe the new Swift will have wide international appeal., it’s available as a five door in Australia, with a 1.5 litre engine with a choice of either manual or automatic transmission It replaces the Suzuki Ignis in the Suzuki model line up. DISLIKES High clutch pedal travel. Can’t hear blinker operation and there is plenty of storage for small odds and ends and a map pocket is in the rear of the passenger seat only.

The glove box is small and fairly shallow. COMFORT Front seat occupants get a supportive front seat that has enough side support to keep you in place through twisty sections of road. Rear legroom is a little tight, and taller passengers will find their knees are pushed into the back of the front seats but is still fine for most trips. The steering wheel is adjustable for reach and I found it quiet easy to adjust the seat and controls for a comfortable driving position. ERGONOMICS Sitting behind the wheel for the first time the driving position feels quite high, the nose of the Swift drops away sharply from the front screen, so the high position helps in parking. Dash design is simple and straight forward, a large speedometer is in the centre of the dash with the tacho positioned to its left. Two smaller dials for fuel and temperature are either side, all the instruments are easy to read. Audio controls are in the leather bound steering wheel, the main controls for the audio system and air-conditioning are positioned centrally in the dash and are easy to use and operate first up. The clutch pedal sits higher in relationship to the brake pedal and as well the clutch take up is towards the end of its travel, making it awkward to operate. SAFETY The base model Swift has front air bags, and the S gains additional side air bags. Front seat belts have pre tensioners and load limiters. Being a new design incorporating the latest thinking in body rigidity the Swift scores well in the EuroNCAP safety ratings with a four star out of five rating for occupant safety. BUILD QUALITY & FINISH Building on the platform laid by the previous generation of Swifts the latest version feels like a much better quality car than the price suggests. The interior treatment particularly to the dash has some real quality touches, and at this price a leather bound steering wheel is not usually found. Externally the new Swift is finished to a high standard. SECURITY The New Swift has remote central locking and an engine immobiliser as standard. The Swift receives a score of 57.5 which is below average for vehicles in its class.

Download Suzuki Swift S Manual (Road Test) PDF