Suzuki Swift Review (2005-2010)
Suzuki Swift cars for sale
3.0
Expert review
Pros
Entertaining to drive on B-roads or around town
The 1.6 Sport makes a really fun warm hatch
Very economical diesel
Cons
Old-fashioned cabin plastics
Not very roomy in the back or boot
Some reliability issues with the 1.3 petrol
The CarGurus verdict
There are several reasons you might consider buying a Suzuki Swift and none of them involve it being the best car in its class. For starters there’s the way it looks; smart, distinctive and yet unpretentious. Then there’s the fact that because it was great value when new, it can also represent a good buy now. It was also popular with older buyers when it was new, so there’s a fair chance it won’t have been abused by its previous owner. And there might be one for sale on your doorstep.
The Swift doesn’t excel in any area. Somehow, though – and despite its sometimes harsh ride quality and old fashioned cabin plastics – it comes across as a very appealing little car. It’s maybe not ‘first choice’ material, but if you do end up with one you won’t feel short-changed.
What is the Suzuki Swift?
The supermini sector of the car market is awash with good quality products from the mainstream manufacturers, and against that background the second-generation Suzuki Swift represents an interesting alternative. It's on the smaller side for a supermini, but that also means it's very easy to drive and park, as well as light, which in turn helps with fuel economy.
You'll have to make do with a small boot, but the 2005-2010 Swift is still a really intriguing option for budget motoring. If it's a newer model you're after, check out our review of the 2010-2017 Suzuki Swift.
How practical is it?
While the Swift isn’t as spacious inside as some rivals, at least one 6ft 5in tall owner reports fitting comfortably, and this despite the Suzuki having quite a high seat. Indeed, this seating position is one of the reasons why Swift is popular with older drivers.
The shape of the back seat in the three-door model discourages carrying a third passenger in the rear, and although the five-door’s back seat is better suited to that task, it’s a tight squeeze when there’s someone in the middle. The boot is also on the small side at 213 litres, although the Swift does have a 60:40 split/folding rear seat across the range.
What's it like to drive?
Compared with potential rivals its engines aren’t as refined, its ride quality not as sophisticated and its cabin less roomy, and yet it still has a certain sparkle from behind the wheel that makes it appealing, and some owners are smitten by its styling.
When it was a new car, the Suzuki Swift reviews were positive, too; it’s worth noting that in 2005 the Swift was Japan’s Car of the Year, an accolade also bestowed upon it that year by the UK’s influential Car magazine.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
When it was launched onto the UK market in May 2005, the Swift was available with just a pair of petrol engines, both derived from Toyota motors – a 89bhp 1.3 and a 1.5-litre producing 100bhp. Early the following year the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre diesel turbo joined the line-up, and a few months later the range was topped by the 123bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine that powers the three-door-only Suzuki Swift Sport model.
When new, the Swift was extremely good value, Suzuki saving costs not only by buying in its engines, but also by skimping on the quality of the car’s cabin materials. It’s not overly cheap-looking inside the Swift, but if you’ve ever sat inside a VW Polo or Renault Clio, for example, you'll certainly notice the difference. It's getting on in years a bit now, so don't expect any modern features like Bluetooth or satnav.
Despite its shortcomings the Swift is an easy car to like, and certainly worth a look if want an honest, unpretentious small hatchback.
Suzuki Swift running costs
The Swift is of an age now where it makes little sense taking it to a franchised dealer for servicing or repairs, although it is worth noting that Suzuki’s servicing plan for cars up to 15 years old includes a full service for around £230 and a major one for £280. You can use those prices as a benchmark to judge charges at independent garages; with a quick online search we found that some independents charge from £160 for a full service, £245 for a major one, and from £125 for an interim.
Service intervals for the Swift are every 9,000 miles, but given the age and likely high mileage of many of the cars out there, an annual check-up, and at the very least an oil service, is a sensible precaution. As with ordinary servicing it pays to shop around for the sort of age-related maintenance tasks that the Swift is likely to require. A new clutch, for example, will cost you between £270 and £390. A fresh set of front brake discs will set you back £125 to £175, with new pads another £70 to £85 on top of that.
Unless it has recently been replaced by your Swift’s previous owner, you may need a new battery. That’s around £65 to £120 depending on where you shop, but you can save yourself a few quid by fitting it yourself. Opt for quality brand tyres and you’re looking at between £75 and £120 each, although the budget brands start from around £50. And as if you needed warning, try to avoid your Swift being hit front and rear at the same time! Its one-piece bumper design is expensive to replace, and if you have to do both of them you could be looking at a bill of up to £4,500.
Fuel economy amongst the petrol engines is pretty good. Thirstiest is the 1.6-litre unit in the Sport, but even that gives an MPG figure of 40, while the 1.5 lifts that figure to 46mpg and the 1.3 petrol to 49mpg. The 1.3-litre diesel turbo is, of course, the most economical in the line-up, its official combined figure standing at 63mpg. Annual Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) ranges between £30 and £240, while the Swift sits in groups 10 to 20 for insurance, depending on the model.
Suzuki Swift reliability
Not much goes wrong with the Swift’s engines, but there are several reports of the 1.3-litre petrol unit overheating at speeds of around 70mph, but not at slower speeds. Despite intensive investigation in a handful of these affected cars, the problem was never properly diagnosed and in one instance the owner scrapped his car.
A more commonplace problem is failure of the electrically assisted power steering. In some cases the assistance vanishes when steering in one particular direction, and in others, both directions. The problem can be intermittent, which is alarming part-way around a corner. In some instances the issue has been traced to a fault in the wiring loom where it enters the cabin from the engine bay.
Another electrical gremlin concerns the keyless entry and start system, where the ignition switch inside the car refuses to turn and release the steering lock. Retrieving the key blade from inside the key fob allows you to get going until the problem – most likely a failed security module – is cured. A few owners have also had the speedometer die on them. In one case this was simply a detached wire on the back of the dial itself, but in others it was the speed sensor gone awry down near the gearbox.
High mileage examples of the Swift are starting to suffer from worn bearings inside the manual gearbox, and while the shift was notchy when new, be wary of any car where it’s difficult to actually select a gear. Clutches are tired by now, too, and if the biting point on the pedal is quite high in its travel, a replacement clutch probably isn’t too far away.
Age is also taking its toll on the dampers, and wheel bearings are nearing the end of their lives, too. Excessive or uneven rear tyre wear may be down to a batch of rear axles that were incorrectly manufactured and aren’t properly aligned. There’s also a yellow sticker on the rear axle warning you not to place a jack under the axle, as that can throw out the suspension alignment.
Some Swifts suffered from a rattly dashboard, but that should have been sorted by now. However, rattles from the electric front windows – and a tendency for the glass to drop slightly on the move – means a bolt inside the door has worked loose.
- While some superminis have a bewildering number of engine options and trim grades, the Swift keeps things simple; for most of the years it was sold, that is. The 1.3-litre petrol is the GL, the 1.5 petrol the GLX, the 1.6 is the Sport, while the 1.3-litre diesel is called DDiS. However, for a few months at the end of its life, the 1.3 petrol became available in SZ2, SZ3 and SZ4 grades of trim, the 1.5 in just SZ4, and the diesel in SZ3.
- As standard the 1.6-litre Sport model was equipped with 195/45 R17 tyres. That’s a modest enough tyre size but unfortunately not one that is commonly kept on the shelves of Britain’s tyre centres and for that reason many original owners swapped to 205/45 R7 rubber. The tyre’s circumference is close enough to original spec that the speedometer reading isn’t much affected, and they’re easier to get hold of. The two sizes of tyre are similarly priced, too, at between £75 and £105 each for quality brands.
- Surprisingly for a car that sold in comparatively small numbers, in June 2009 Suzuki launched a range of accessory wheel and tyre combinations for non-Sport versions of the Swift. Also odd is the fact that the wheels have German place names; the 16-inch wheel is the Bremen, while the 17-inch versions are the Frankfurt and Leipzig. Originally these wheels were fitted with Pirelli PZero Nero tyres, which is a rather costly tyre for a budget hatchback.
- If you want to squeeze the most miles from a gallon: Even the 1.6-litre Sport has an official combined fuel consumption figure of 40mpg, but unsurprisingly it’s the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel turbo that is the least thirsty of the Swift range, capable of a claimed 63mpg. Most efficient of the petrol engines is the 1.3, which manages 49mpg.
- If you do a lot of mixed motoring: The 1.3-litre petrol engine is OK for nipping around town, but if your weekly driving encompasses A-roads and motorways as well, then the 1.5-litre petrol is the better bet. It has more torque than the 1.3 as well as being more powerful, and while a bit noisy at motorway speeds it’s otherwise more relaxed and easier-going for long trips.
- If you want a sporty Swift: Look no further than the Swift Sport, which is more a warm hatch than a hot one, yet still capable of 0-60mph in 8.9 seconds. Its 1.6-litre petrol engine produces 123bhp, while its chassis features firmer springs and dampers and electronic stability control. The ride quality of the Swift Sport is even harder than that of the standard models, so go for an extended test drive to make sure you can live with it.
- If you fancy a fancier Swift: Unlike most supermini makers, Suzuki didn’t go mad with special editions of the Swift. The most notable of just two of them is the SZ-L, launched in September 2009 and of which only 500 were produced. Based on the 1.3 GL five-door, the SZ-L has chrome trimming inside and out, air-con, 15-inch alloy wheels, protective side mouldings, and model-specific paint colours including Cool White, Cosmic Black and Supreme Red pearlescents, and Silky Silver metallic.
