Suzuki swift (1.3 and 1.5), any good?

Mr_Sukebe

Mr_Sukebe

Mr_Sukebe

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My mother is thinking of replacing her Jazz with a Swift as she now doesn't need the space/functionality of the Jazz.

The reviews on Parkers seem very positive on the Swift, and one year old ones can be bought for a reasonably sensible price.
Anyone with real experience care to comment on them?
 
Someone on here had one as their first car...can't remember the name, they have a CTR now so I'm sure they will be around ;)
 
My Fiance has recently bought one and loves it to bits. Obviously she doesn't know a lot about cars but it is her third car and by far her best. I am insured on it and do drive it on the odd occasion and for what it is, is a good car. She has the 1.3 engine and for her needs has enough power to do what she needs.

Had no problems with it so far, not even any rattles to be heard. For the money it is a good car and doesn't feel as cheap as some other cars for the same price.
 
Hxc said:
Someone on here had one as their first car...can't remember the name, they have a CTR now so I'm sure they will be around ;)
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That could be me...

I had a 57plate 1.5 Swift and it wasnt too bad, desperately lacking a 6th gear on the motorway, but other than that I cannot think of any bad points, the handling was very good, with nice feedback, easy to maneuver, with great all around visibility, interior was nicely put together and ride was comfortable... The kit, ABS, aircon, MP3 stereo all worked well and at the price its pretty much unmatched.
From the research i did before buying its only real competition are the Mitsub Colt (Ghastly interior) and the MINI (Ghastly pricetag)

The only reason i sold mine was because it was too slow for my liking. The little 1.5 is 100bhp iirc, which is nippy when thrashed, but, a toy compared to the CTR ive got now. :cool:

Hope that helps and if you have any more specific question fire away. :)

Even thrashing the 1.5 i was averaging 38mpg.
 
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The little swift is a good car, it is good looking and fun to drive although its build quality lets it down quite badly. The swift sport I had (sport has the same interior as the standard swift but with a slightly different finish) rattled and creaked after doing only a few hundred miles. It didn't matter how many times these niggles were 'sorted' they always come back.

The plastics used in some places are quite frankly pathetic although on the flipside it does make it cheap.

The little engines have to be thrashed to get anything out of them but when you do it can put a smile on your face.

Fuel economy wise well I never found my sport to be that frugal averaging somewhere around the 30mpg mark which for a 1.6 isn't too good, although this may be due to the fact that to get anywhere fast you have to wring its little neck. The 1.5 should be slightly better although by how much I don't know.
 
If you're looking at swifts, look at the Mini One/Cooper.

Much better fuel average.. I get 42mpg of mine.
 
Thought about the Yaris?

Drove one for a weekend, wasn't exaclty nice to it and it averaged 47mpg!

Bit of a wierd driving position and it feels a bit cheap. O and the speedo is horrible in it. But my Granda thinks its great.
 
[TW]Fox;12478424 said:
Nothing fundamentally wrong with the Swift.
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Thought there was gonna be another line there - "although there is nothing fundamentally right with it either"!

They look like cool little cars. Love the look of the Sport model, looks great in black or silver!
 
I used to drive an old style one and considered the new one when I got my new car last year (until circumstances altered my requirements). Considering I'm 6'2 and 17 stone, that little car (with a 1.0l engine) used to get me about the place with unexpected speed (and it wasn't even uncomfortable). I did get a few comments from people who thought I had to unfold myself out of the driver's door, but I never noticed :D

And in three years (I got it two years old) the only thing which needed replaced was the exhaust (which cost an enormous £110!). I really liked that little car....if they just updated the car and kept the feel then you're on a winner :)

Oh, and the thrashing comment was true for me......but lots of fun - that little car stuck to the road like glue!
 
The last couple of years I have been on holiday I have hired an 07 and 08 Swift (1.3) and had a good couple of weeks each time to get to know it.

Both times I came away thinking what a cracking little car it is. I really enjoyed driving it actually, seems to beg being caned. Firm handling with little body roll, feels nicely planted and has lots of grip. The handling really surprised me actually, it's quite capable, inspires confidence and is great fun through the twisties. I hammered it all holiday and didn't get it out of shape. Very enthusiastic little 1.3 engine with decent power output (around 93bhp IIRC) and a nice tone. Although it pulls cleanly from low revs, you really need to screw it to get the best out of it, but that's half the fun. The 1.5 engine seems a little pointless however when you've got the 1.3. Gear changes were solid but reverse can be a pain in the arse to get in sometimes. Brakes seemed sharp and interior seemed quite solid. Not sure how well spec'ed they come as standard, but both times the model I drove had AC, electric windows + mirrors, CD player with steering wheel controls etc.

I was impressed with the whole package, it is a very surprising little car. If I absolutely had to buy a new super-mini in that bracket I would go for the Swift.
 
I've got a 1.5 swift and I have to say they are great fun to drive. The build quality is ok, and the older models do have a problem with thin paint, but they are fantastic fun to drive. Good fun to throw into corners and pretty nippy from starting - has often put a few mini's & small hatches on their arse.

Much cheaper than mini's from the outset, but deprecite quicker - depends how long you will keep hold of it really
 
[TW]Fox;12480088 said:
Completely true although in many ways offset by the lower depreciation. Just do what West has done and take out such a huge loan you cant afford to buy some 40 quid stripes until pay day :p
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:D I love reading your "west" posts.

Are you not going to suggest a 5-series Fox? :D:cool:
 
Oi, stop baiting him about the M & B words... it's not your turn ;P

The Mini has some suspect build quality from those I know with them (including bits dropping off trim wise). Most of the driving instructors can't wait to get rid of them either if that helps you at all ? That said they are still supposed to quite fun to drive, personally i've not driven one but they are surprisingly cheap now so worth considering if they fall in the budget.
 
I'm learning in a turbo diesel one, its pretty good, just the engine sounds a bit dodgey when its over 3k rpm, needs another gear too. the rest of it is quite nicely kitted out. If I'm going to be really picky the gears are a bit clunky not as smooth as my mums golf. but yeah its good, nd a reasonable amount of poke
 
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I got a Swift Sport about six weeks ago. Can't really fault it. Think most people have covered the main points, fun car to drive. Seems to stick to the road like glue. If that is the size of car your looking at, out of all the cars I test drove it came down to the swift and mini.
 
Thanks for the feedback chaps, most appreciated.
My mother is fairly unlikely to be driving it like a hot hatch, so performance is fairly unimportant and the 1.3 seems to make a lot of sense.
The depreciation point is a very valid one. Their first years depreciation seems pretty awful, meaning that a one year old car with very little mileage can be had for a £3k saving, making the price difference between the Swift and the Mini to be massive.

My biggest concerns were about reliability, and no one appears to have had significant issues, so that's cool. Better take her to out local dealer the next time she's around.
 
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