New Suzuki Swift prime example of why brand’s stock keep rising

It’s easy to see why Suzuki is one of the country’s fastest growing brands and are consistently challenging VW for second spot behind runaway leaders Toyota.

The Japanese carmaker continues to bring great value-for-money cars to market that have a reputation of being reliable, frugal and easy to drive. Cars like the new fourth-generation Swift 1.2 GL+ CVT that I spent a week with. Well, my daughter spent a week with.

I will get to that in a moment, but first a quick overview of the exterior changes. With over 9 million in global sales in the bank since the Suzuki Swift was first launched in 2004, the manufacturer was adamant that they were not going to change the styling too much and force customers to look the other way.

Suzuki Swift sticks to familiar looks

The Swift you see here is immediately recognisable as the Swift you saw before … and my daughter paid it no attention either way. But what she was meant to notice was the restyled headlight clusters with L-shaped signature lamps, an oval radiator grille with a piano black finish and a new bumper featuring a more pronounced lower intake.

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The iconic blacked-out A and B-pillars remain, while hidden door handles from before having been changed back to more conventional units to aid with useability. A sculpted tailgate with spoiler, high-level brake light, and 3D LED tail light clusters completed the picture that is the new Suzuki Swift.

Moving inside, there have been changes too as expected. There is a new wrap-around dashboard design with horizontal air vents and centre controls, a multifunction steering wheel, metre instrument cluster and analogue dials with a segment LCD display are the first to greet you. Settling into the black fabric seats you get the chance to look around and suss out all the little storage areas like front door pockets, a console box tray for your smartphone, cupholders front and rear for your Stanley, and water bottle holders in each door.

Easy to drive

The perfect mix for a young lady who seems to move her entire room to her car just to go to gym for an hour.

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I doubt any of these details meant too much to her because she never said a word about them. What she did rave about after her first drive in the Suzuki Swift, and became the reason she wouldn’t give the keys back, was how easy and light the car was to drive. And how the how the needle on the fuel gauge didn’t seem to move. She became the perfect reminder why people love their Suzukis so much.

The car weighs in at just over 900kg, is married to a good suspension, and a rigid chassis that gave her that easy, light feeling. As much as I hate Constant Variable Transmissions (CVT), she was quite okay with it as she spent most her time commuting around the suburbs.

Frugal sipper

She also had no issue with the new three-cylinder 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine that replaced the old four-cylinder unit. Producing only 60kW of power and 112Nm of torque, you are never going to win any traffic light wars. But you are going to win at the petrol pumps, because her average for the week was just 4.9-litres per 100km.

ALSO READ: PODCAST: All-new Suzuki Swift sticks to just the right recipe

This made me happier than her because until she starts her first official adult job in 2025 after having completed her degree, the Bank of Dad still gets the privilege of handing over the petrol card under the guise that she is still a student.

The Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+ CVT retails for a suggested R259 900. The price includes a two-year/30 000km service plan and five-year/200 000km promotional warranty. It should be top of your shopping list if you are looking for functional, easy going transport that does not cost you and arm and a leg to run.