Suzuki Swift Review (2005-2010)

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.