Suzuki Swift review

Although all its major controls fall to hand and the gearlever’s location feels natural, getting comfortable behind the wheel of the Swift isn’t quite as easy as you might think. Although all models offer plenty of movement in the driver’s seat, including height adjustment, SZ3 and SZ-T only provide height steering wheel height adjustment. Only on range-topping SZ5 models can you make in-and-out adjustments for steering wheel reach. Most alternatives, including the Fiesta, have such adjustment as standard across the range.

Forward visibility is good thanks to the Swift’s tall windscreen and slim front pillars, but the view over your shoulder is more restricted, due to its narrow rear side windows. Helpfully, there’s a rear parking camera included on SZ–T models and above, but acoustic parking sensors don’t feature anywhere on the Swift range.

Entry-level Swifts have a DAB radio and Bluetooth but no centre screen, making the interior seem a tad old-school. We recommend moving up to SZ-T grade to get a 7.0in colour touchscreen. It comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink, which can display your smartphone sat-nav apps on the car’s screen.

Thanks to logical menus it’s pretty easy to use the system but there are some flaws: its graphics look dated and are of low resolution, and many of the on-screen icons are small and tricky to hit accurately while driving. 

At the top of the range, SZ5 also adds Suzuki’s own sat nav, but we did find that there was noticeable lag when inputting an address. We suggest sticking with the smartphone mirroring found on lower grades.

Interior quality has never been one of Suzuki’s strong points and the new Swift does little to change things there. Everything inside is solidly screwed together, but the plastics are all hard, shiny and unattractive. Sure, hard plastics are common in this class – the Skoda Fabia only just outshines the Swift here – but we’ve come to expect nicer textures and soft-touch surfaces at common contact points such as the top of the dashboard. 

You may want to pay a little extra for the optional coloured-plastic accents across the dash and around the door handles: they help to brighten things up.