Suzuki Swift Hatchback (2010 - 2017) 1.2 SZ-L (Nav) 5d Owner Review

My wife and I needed to purchase a second vehicle for commuting purposes and the Suzuki Swift SZL came up for sale at a very good price. The car we bought second hand was a 2016 model car, first registered in 2017 and was low mileage.

Our test drive was much better than we expected for a 1.2 litre petrol. We were used to driving bigger engine diesels with lots of torque, so whilst we understood that the car would drive differently, we were very impressed with the quiet, flexible and smoothness of the Suzuki's little engine.

The cabin was far more spacious than we thought it would be for a super mini, with good visibility, large windscreen and a great airy feel. Seats are comfortable enough, I'm 6 foot and 16 stone so I had no issues with support or leg room. Rear passangers have room too, provided they're not expecting loads of leg room. Easily enough space for 4 adults.

Hills don't present issues like you might expect for a small engine, provided you allow the engine to rev and use the gears. About town, the car feels lively and light with acceptable levels of acceleration. The car grips well on roundabouts and bends so is surprisingly agile on the 185/55/R16 tyres.

Feedback from the electric power steering is acceptable rather than like Lotus-like, but it's not vague as some might describe it. Steering is light enough for parking and isn't scary at motorway speeds either.

On longer runs, the Suzuki ticks along happily cruising at 70mph with plenty of revs to spare should you need it. The cabin at these speeds isn't exactly quiet, but in no way is it unpleasantly loud. Road noise varies from tyre to tyre. On the Continental tyres it comes with, road noise is appreciable as the tyres wear down and grip is surprisingly good. Ours frequently returns 53mpg. On shorter runs about town, it still averages around 45-50mpg depending on urgency, which is very good in my opinion.

Handling wise, this car really does very well - it's agile and goes where you point it. Bumpy corners sometimes unsettle the car, but in no way detract from the cars overall appeal. On new Hankook Ventus Prime 3 tyres, the car grips even better in my opinion.

Bump handling on the car, the suspension feels plush, which on a small car is a welcome surprise - even with 4 adults onboard.

Things to watch out for: Squeaky door hinges on front doors and stone chips are a common issue on the rather steep/blunt windscreen.

The battery is small, so don't leave the lights on or play the stereo loudly for ages with the engine off, otherwise you'll need a jump start!

To sum up: I love this car. It's greater than the sum of it's parts