There are two petrol engines offered in the Swift. The first is a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 93bhp. It’s not exactly rapid, with a 0-62mph time of 12.3 seconds, and you will have to give yourself plenty of time before pulling out of junctions. However, what it lacks in pace it makes up for with 56.5mpg and emissions of just 116g/km and once you do get up to speed the Swift is more than comfortable on the motorway and is good enough for nipping in and around town. This engine comes with a slick-shifting five-speed manual gearbox – available in three- or five-door guise – or a lacklustre four-speed automatic offered in five-door models only. For outright Suzuki Swift performance go for the 1.6-litre petrol used in the Sport has 134bhp for 0-62mph in a brisk 8.7 seconds and it lives up to its entry-level hot hatch desires by revving freely and powering through its six-speed manual gearbox with conviction. It’s also a relaxed motorway cruiser thanks to its extra grunt.

The diesel option

The 1.3 DDiS engine with 74bhp is offered. It will reach the 62mph benchmark slower than the petrol version at 12.7 seconds, but it does have bit of low-down pulling power to give it the advantage on acceleration. It is quite noisy and, with a premium to pay over the petrol, is best avoided. The diesel option comes with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard. From summer 2013 the diesel was tweaked to return 72.4mpg and lower CO2 emissions to 101g/km. Also from the 2013 facelift, a 4x4 version of the 1.2-litre five-door SZ3 and SZ4 was introduced. The 65kg weight penalty and 25mm ride height increase were at the disadvantage of CO2 emissions which went out to 126g/km.

Parkers recommends

Much as we enjoy the 1.6-litre Sport, the 1.2-litre petrol will be better suited to most driver’s needs with its economy and low emissions, so it gets the nod.

This is the real strong point for this car. Like the model before the handling is sharp and responsive. The stiffer body delivers real agility and a good suspension set-up means it is surprisingly smooth when dealing with rough road surfaces. The steering is well weighted and that gives you plenty of confidence when cornering at high speed but it’s also light enough to make it nippy around town.

The car’s small proportions and excellent turning circle also make this car perfect for city driving.