Suzuki Swift 4x4 ON THE ROAD

Review & Photos by Rob McSorley

So you are looking for a motor with added traction for those slippy rural tracks and icy British winters but you don’t want a big car and the associated running costs. What do you buy? 

You could pip for one of the many crossovers that are available with four driven wheels which would probably make perfect sense. But if your budget won’t stretch towards £18,000 there is only one option - Fiat’s dinky Panda 4x4. 

Well now there is another contender. Suzuki has very recently refreshed the Swift and have added a 4x4 version to the range. Suzuki has offered a four-wheel-drive Swift for quite a few years in other markets but now it’s available in the UK. We managed to get our hands on one of the very first to see how good it is.

Visually the changes to the popular Swift supermini are pretty hard to spot. There’s a reprofiled front bumper with integrated LED daytime running lights, a revised grill, new wheel designs and turn signals integrated into the wing mirrors on the top SZ5. It's no bad thing that the changes are minimal as the Swift still looks fresh with its massive front lights, floating roof and pert little rump.

The 4x4 version is differentiated from the rest of the range with a ride height increase of 25mm, black wheel arch and sill extensions and metallic skid plates front and rear. They are made of plastic though so are for show only.

Inside there are new seat fabrics but you would be hard pressed to notice them. The rest of the interior is the same as before so is well laid out, easy to navigate and is reasonably appealing but a little sombre - if acres of black trim is your thing you will love it. The trim looks better than it feels with an abundance of thin, hard plastics throughout.

At least the cabin is pretty spacious in the front with lots of headroom and rear passengers don’t fare too badly. For such a small car the seats are nice and large and very supportive and comfortable. The boot though is quite a bit smaller than a Fiesta at 211 litres and has a very high lip.

The 4x4 is available only in SZ3 and SZ4 trims - our car is the latter. It comes very well equipped with cruise control, electric windows front and rear, keyless entry, 16 inch alloy wheels, digital climate control and 7 airbags. Suzuki currently has a VAT-free deal on the Swift range - excluding the Sport - which makes this model yours for just £13,165 - usually £15,739. It’s certainly a lot of car for the money.

There is only one engine to choose from which is a 1.2-litre, 4 cylinder petrol unit serving up 92 bhp. With only 87 lb ft of torque at 4,800 rpm you really need to work the engine hard to make any sort of progress. 0-60 mph takes a leisurely 13.4 seconds and it feels it. The extra running gear on the rear axle weighs 65 kg so is partly to blame. The engine is however smooth and reasonably refined.

The rest of the driving experience isn't much different from other Swifts. The steering is light but sharp and offers plenty of feel. The 5-speed gearbox also has a precise action and well spaced ratios. Despite the extra ground clearance it still handles brilliantly with surprisingly little lean, excellent agility and absolutely oodles of grip. It also rides very well cushioning occupants beautifully from poorly surface roads.

The Swift’s four-wheel-drive system is pretty simple consisting of a viscous coupling and does without any selectable settings for different conditions. It means that the 4x4 is ideal for muddy country lanes and snowy conditions but little more. Despite the additional ground clearance the rear running gear hangs low under the car limiting the Swift’s off-road ability.

The penalty for the additional traction is smaller than we expected. Emissions are up by 10 g/km to 126 g/km and fuel economy down by 5.2 mpg to 51.3 mpg combined. We managed 45 mpg over a range of different conditions which is pretty good. Furthermore VED only costs £105 per year which is hardly a big price to pay.

Tech Data

Price as tested: 13,116
Engine: 1.2 litre 16v 92 bhp - 0-62 mph: 13.4 secs - Maximum Speed: 103 mph
Economy: 43.4 mpg (urban) –57.6 mpg (extra-urban), 51.3 mpg (combined) - Emissions: 126 g/km (Band D) - VED (12 months): £105
Dimensions: Length: 3,850 mm - Width: 1,695 mm - Height: 1,535 mm - Wheelbase: 2430 mm
*data from Suzuki UK

DriverVIBE Verdict

By adding a 4x4 variant to the UK Swift range Suzuki instantly has a rival to Fiat’s Panda 4x4.

The Swift 4x4 drives brilliantly, has a decent interior and comes with plenty of standard equipment - especially in SZ5 trim. There are also good levels of space for passengers. With running costs only marginally higher than the two-wheel-drive variant the penalty for the vastly improved traction in slippery conditions is well worth it.

It’s only let down by a small boot, breathless petrol engine and a cabin that is a little on the cheap side. However the latter is easily forgiven as the Swift 4x4 represents superb value-for-money costing just over £11,000 for the mid-spec SZ3.

Crucially the Swift 4x4 is cheaper, better equipped and nicer to drive than the Panda 4x4 so is definitely worth considering.

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