The Suzuki Swift has quietly been a strong competitor in the budget hatch segment in South Africa, now in its latest guise, sales have been stronger than ever and keeping the Japanese manufacturer ranked high in the monthly NAAMSA stats, rivaling their Japanese counterparts who seem to be stealing all of Suzuki's good models and badging it as their own. I don't foresee this happening to the Swift as Toyota already have a budget hatch of their own in the Vitz, which granted isn't as popular as the Swift but holds its own in the market.
DESIGN
The 2024 Swift keeps the compact, playful silhouette that made earlier Swifts such favourites in SA towns and cities. The new model tightens up the lines: a lower, wider stance, pronounced wheel arches and cleaner side panels give it a sportier, more grown-up look compared with the previous generation. Higher-spec GLX models add LED projector headlights, integrated LED daytime running lights and fog lamps which lift the visual presence after dark and make the car look more premium than its price suggests. Interior styling follows suit a smarter dash layout with a larger touchscreen on GLX trims and pleasant, modern trim materials give the cabin a more up-to-date feel than the car’s compact footprint might imply.
PERFORMANCE
Under the bonnet South Africa gets the new 1.2-litre, three-cylinder Z12E petrol engine that produces about 60 kW and 112 Nm of torque. It’s not a performance car, it’s engineered for low fuel consumption and usable torque across the rev range rather than outright thrust. When it comes to tiny hatches like this, I tend to prefer the 5-speed manual transmission but this particular model was the automatic option with a CVT gear box, which keeps revs low and smooth in urban driving and helps the claimed economy figures sit in the mid-4 to mid-5 L/100 km range. That makes it an economical daily driver for stop-start city runs and steady highway cruising. Real-world feel, the Swift is light and nimble, so it feels lively in town easy to flick into parking spots and to change lanes in traffic. The trade-off is that the three-cylinder character and CVT behaviour deliver a buzzy note at higher revs and the CVT can feel rubber-banded under hard acceleration. If you need brisk overtakes on fast freeways often, the Swift will manage but won’t feel especially rapid; it’s happiest as a commuter and urban runabout. Multiple local road tests and reviews note that the new engine’s torque spread helps low-down response, improving real-life drivability versus a very small high-rev engine.
COMFORT
Inside, the Swift is cleverly packaged: front seat occupants get supportive seats with decent bolstering and visibility is good for city driving. Rear seat space is acceptable for adults on shorter trips but two adults will be more comfortable than three on longer journeys. Boot size is typical for the class — enough for groceries, weekend bags or a stroller but not for large family loads. Higher GLX trims add nicer touches (larger infotainment screen, more audio features, automatic climate control on GLX) that make longer trips less tiring. Ride quality is firm rather than pillowy — it soaks up city potholes reasonably well but can feel choppy over very poor surfaces or at higher speeds. For many South African buyers who split time between city streets and occasional highway runs, the balance will be acceptable; if you do lots of long, rough-road trips you may prefer something with more suspension travel.
VERDICT
Overall the Suzuki Swift automatic is a smart, economical, city-first hatchback with modern styling and sensible equipment — an excellent choice for first-time buyers, urban commuters, and small families who prioritise affordability, running costs and easy parking. It also surprisingly has a lot of safety features, standard safety kit includes stability control/ABS and multiple airbags across the range, and higher trims add parking sensors, bigger infotainment and convenience features (keyless entry, push-button start, cruise control on GLX). These features matter a lot in city traffic and for highway cruising around SA. Pricing of the Swift is really where it wins, in the small hatch market with it starting from R224,900 for the 1.2 MT with automatic transmission starting at R265,900.
SPECIFICATION
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