2011 Suzuki Swift

The latest Suzuki Swift. See the different?

It's Swift by name, but is it Swift by nature? Suzuki is preparing to release an all-new version of its top-selling supermini and we got behind the wheel to find out.

Sporty than previous version.

Set eyes on the the newcomer for the first time and you'll find yourself scanning it for differences from the current generation model. Look closely though and you'll notice the front lights are redesigned, the grille more upright and the tail-lights have a fresh new design. The most obvious update though is a change in proportions, with the new model measuring in at 5mm wider and 90mm longer.

Set eyes on the the newcomer for the first time and you'll find yourself scanning it for differences from the current generation model. Look closely though and you'll notice the front lights are redesigned, the grille more upright and the tail-lights have a fresh new design. The most obvious update though is a change in proportions, with the new model measuring in at 5mm wider and 90mm longer.

The larger body frees up more space in the cabin too, but it's a squeeze to fit adults in the back seats. There's no official word on boot capacity, but the deep storage area looks noticeably bigger than the current generation.

Up front, higher quality materials and a new dashboard design with aluminium accents creates a stylish atmosphere in the cabin. There is still a slightly cheap feel left-over though with scratchy, hard plastics making up the majority of materials.

At launch in September the new 93bhp, 1.2-litre petrol engine fitted to our model will be the only available unit and it can be mated to either an automatic or manual gearbox. Later, in January an efficient 1.3-litre diesel will join the line-up, available only with a five-speed manual gearbox.

On the road the petrol unit can feel a little underpowered, especially with the automatic gearbox. The manual version is an improvement but the Swift has to be worked hard to keep up at motorway speeds. That shows in the official figures too, with the Swift recording 12.7 seconds to 62mph in the manual and 13.5 seconds for the automatic.

The trade-off though is low running costs, with Suzuki claiming 56.5mpg combined and CO2 emissions of 116g/km.

Current version of Suzuki Swift in Malaysia. See the different carefully!

An all-new steering system is well-weighted and responds to even the slightest turn of the wheel. Corner too quickly though and the body rolls slightly, but the soft-suspension set-up means the newcomer rides well.