Suzuki is not a major manufacturer as far as the UK market is concerned, and as a result it tends to fly under the radar. I haven't checked this, but I would imagine that its products tend to be bought in this country mostly by people who happen to live close to, or historically have a good relationship with, their nearest Suzuki dealer. But I've lost count of the number of conversations with fellow journalists in recent years which have at some point included the words, "you know, that Swift really is a great little car".It became a still better one in September 2010, when the revised Swift was launched. There have been several changes to the exterior - though they're all quite minor, so you might not notice much difference - and Suzuki has also, as we'll see, worked on the performance, fuel economy, road behaviour and safety.Despite all this, there are a few problems. Suzuki has kept going with its tapering window line design, which means that visibility becomes increasingly inadequate the further back you go. Luggage capacity with the rear seats in place is 211 litres, which compares badly with that of the Swift's most popular supermini rivals. The Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo all offer at least 280 litres, and although they're all slightly longer than the Swift it's worth noting that even the Ford Ka manages 224 litres despite being nine inches shorter.That small boot isn't easy to access, either, since the tailgate is narrow and the sill high. And it's not as if the lack of cargo space is at the expense of rear passenger room, since there isn't a great deal of that either - which is surprising, since Japanese manufacturers are usually good at that.If you don't need to carry four adults or a lot of luggage, though, the Swift becomes very appealing. At present, all versions currently use the same 1.2-litre petrol engine (though a 1.3 diesel will be along in 2011). Its maximum output is 93bhp, which is a great deal for a non-turbo 1.2 - more than half as much again as some other similarly-sized units can manage. You have to rev it up to 6000rpm to release the full potential, and realistically you're probably not going to do that, but there is more than enough performance at much lower engine speeds. It's impressively quiet, too, though perhaps it only seems to be because of the considerable amount of road noise that's allowed into the cabin.Combined economy on the EU test is 56.5mpg, a healthy 7.8mpg improvement over the old and slightly less powerful 1.3-litre petrol engine previously used in the Swift. It's a realistic figure, too. According to the trip computer I averaged 53.3mpg over 600 miles during this test without trying, and if this is an even vaguely accurate figure it should be easy enough to hit 60mpg. CO2 emissions are officially 116g/km, which once again knocks the old 1.3 for six and means that Vehicle Exise Duty is just £30 per year.(A quick aside: all the above figures assume the car has a five-speed manual gearbox. Automatic transmission is available as a £1000 option on five-door versions of the SZ3 and SZ4.)Apart from the practicality issue, it's all looking good so far, but to me the best bit about the Swift is the way it drives. When the new car was launched, Suzuki spoke of "exhilarating, sporty handling", and although this overstates the case it's not too far wrong. As all good road cars should, the Swift has soft but well-damped suspension, and although there's quite a lot of body movement (verging on the hilarious if you try to push on really hard through a tight corner) the Swift hangs on very well, and rides smoothly over all but the most treacherous of road surfaces.It's also very easy to drive, both in the country and in the town. That's because all the major controls - most of all the steering, but also the brakes, clutch and throttle - are smooth but precise. Jerky driving is difficult to achieve, and kangaroo starts all but impossible.In modern Suzuki fashion, there are three trim levels called SZ2, SZ3 and SZ4. SZ2 is the most basic, its most impressive features being heated door mirrors, a USB port and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. The SZ3 model tested here costs £1000 more, for which you get 16" alloy wheels and manual air-conditioning. A further £800 buys you the SZ4, whose standard equipment includes automatic air-conditioning, Bluetooth-integrated audio with music streaming capability, electric rear windows (the front ones are electric on all models), push-button start, automatic headlights, cruise control and, in the case of the five-door, rear privacy glass. Five-door models cost £450 more than three-door ones do.Regardless of trim level, all Swifts come with ESP and seven airbags as standard, which is not bad going for a range which starts at just under £9995 for the SZ2 three-door (the increase in the VAT rate to 20% in January is bound to send that car up into five figures unless Suzuki can find a way of doing something about it).The Swift also performed exceptionally well in Euro NCAP's crash test programme, achieving five stars overall and scoring the highest marks for adult occupant protection and the third highest for child occupant protection among all superminis. This applies to the 2009 model, but since the current Swift is structurally the same car it can be assumed to have an equally impressive level of safety. Engine 1242 cc, 4 cylinders Power 94 bhp @6000 rpm Torque 87 ib/ft @4800 rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 56.5 mpg / 116 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 12.3sec Top speed 103 mph Price From £11182.00 approx Release date 01/09/2010
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