An Overview of the New 2010 Suzuki Swift

December 2010

Suzuki Motors’ handsome Suzuki Swift has been a consistent bestseller in the compact car segment in the Australian marke - and for several good reasons. The Japanese automaker certainly made its Suzuki Swift so well-packaged in all its variants, offering potential buyers great value for their money. Moreover, the Suzuki brand has been known for its innovative engineering and high standard manufacturing qualities. All these point to one thing - the Suzuki Swift is one good car.

The RE4 is a special edition Suzuki Swift model and according to Suzuki, it was inspired by the manufacturer’s sterling performance at the Junior World Rally Championship. The Suzuki Swift RE4 is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder multi-point injection engine that produces 74 kW of power at 6,000 rpm and 133 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. This hatch which comfortably seats five passengers, comes loaded with lots of added perks such as keyless start, climate control air-conditioning, sports seats with Alcantara upholstery, side mirror indicators, fog lamps, rear spoiler and new alloy wheels wrapped in 185/60 R15 rubber. On the safety front, standard features include dual driver and passenger airbags, central locking, brake assist, front-ventilated disc brakes, anti-lock brakes and electronic brake force distribution.

Moving over to the value-packed Suzuki Swift S model, it is an equally competent and smartly packaged car that will attract small car-buyers with its driving dynamics and a reasonable price tag. Under the hood is Suzuki's 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that generates 74 kW of power and 133 Nm of torque. This wicked powerplant pushes the 'S' to 100 kph in just 10.2 seconds. The engine is mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed auto. As for the extra amenities that come with the 'S', there are front, side and curtain airbags, a single CD in-dash system, large wrap-over headlights, fog lights, and alloy wheels.

For car shoppers who want a little more than the standard Suzuki Swift and a decent street racer, then the Suzuki Swift Sport is the perfect choice. The Sport differs from others in its class as it is a five-door hatchback. It steps up from the standard Swift with its twin-cam 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine capable of 92 kW of power at 6,800 rpm and 148 Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm. The Sport also spins hard thanks to some nifty final drive ratio changes with 3,500 rpm translating to a top speed of 105 kph in the five-speed gearbox. As for driving impressions, gear shifts are precise and despite the large wheels, the hot-hatch accelerates with high degree of comfort. The Swift Sport may not be a rocket, but it is spritely, fun to drive and delivers a sense of style without necessarily breaking the bank.

The Suzuki Swift has been around for quite some time but in spite of the introduction of new rivals in the market, it remains as Australia’s favourite small car and more importantly, it has established itself as the benchmark for compact cars in the country because it is wieldy, well engineered and absolutely offers good value for money.