25/10/10

• Price£12,245
  
• We like...Value
• We don't...Weak engine

If you hit upon a winning idea, stay with it. That’s exactly what Suzuki decided when it came to re-shaping its Swift supermini. The car the company had been selling for the past few years was a winner: zippy, fun to drive, tough and useful.

Suzuki has shifted no fewer than 55,000 of them here since the May 2005 launch. To succeed, its replacement needed to be all those things and more. No surprise then the company played it ultra-safe and came up with the car you see here. In case you’re still wondering, it is all-new. And, yes, it is a dead ringer for the car that went before.

But if Suzuki has lovingly re-crafted the car yet altered its appearance so little, it has at least moved it ahead in pretty much all the key areas: performance, weight, safety, exhaust emissions and fuel economy.

Inside, it’s longer, wider and taller. And though it’s still not the biggest among rivals it is now roomy enough to take five grown-ups - at a squeeze. Now there’s seven airbags to protect and ESP (electronic stability programme) that steps in to halt a skid before it develops.

Swifts come with three or five doors. If you regularly need to carry passengers it’s worth spending a little more for the extra openings: the five-door is far easier to enter and exit. The cabin on our range-topper SZ4 test car (the SZ3 is the mid-model, the SZ2 the entry) is grey-black throughout, lifted by detail splashes of chrome across the dash.

It’s not as classy inside as a Volkswagen Polo but then few small cars are: the doors shut with a clang not a ‘ker-thunk’. But the plastics and fabrics used look as if they’ll last, while generous equipment levels rerstore the balance. Digital air conditioning, alloy wheels, keyless entry and privacy glass are among the treats.

On the move it rides competently, responding easily to its wheel and pedals which feel light and progressive. It’ll run quietly at close to the motorway maximum, although you’ll pick up a deal of tyre rustle and wind roar, too, from around the top of its screen.

For now the only petrol motor available is a 1.2, although a there’s also a 1.3 diesel, which we haven’t tried. If past form is any guide, most will pick the petrol and at 56mpg overall it’s careful with fuel while its 116g/km of CO2 output is good. But the payoff is that it feels weak – you’ll need to drop down a couple of gears and use all its power to keep pace with other traffic on a busy A-road or motorway.

Should you buy one? If you like the previous Swift, you’ll love this because it gives more in pretty every department. It’s well equipped, nicely built, smart and very well priced. Only the engine lets it down – but if that’s unlikely to worry you, it’s a fine choice.

• Engines1.2 petrol
• Power93bhp
• 0-60 mph12.3secs
• Economy56.5mpg
• CO2g/km116
• Insurance groups9
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags7
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: