Suzuki Swift hatchback

Drive

There's two engines available in the Swift– a 1.2-litre petrol engine across the range, and a 1.3-litre turbodiesel in mid-range SZ3 spec. Both engines can be paired with either a five-speed manual gearbox or an automatic. The latter makes the Swift easy to drive but feels much slower than the accurate manual gearbox. The steering is precise, making it easy to place the car on the road and there's plenty of reassuring grip.

Comfort

On the whole, the Swift deals well with rough road surfaces, making for a comfortable and relaxing drive. Only the biggest potholes will send a jolt through the cabin. At city speeds it's quiet, but at motorway speeds there is a lot of wind noise and the small engine begins to sound strained. The diesel is noisy around town, but for a car with this price-tag it's still relatively quiet.

Reliability

The Swift's cabin feels solidly built, with no flimsy feeling switches or buttons. Some of the plastics that cover the dashboard are low quality though and feel rough to the touch. It also looks slightly boring too, with large expanses of dark plastic. Six airbags, including side, driver, passenger and curtain airbags make the Swift a safe place to be. Watch the Suzuki Swift crash test here. All models also come equipped with anti-lock brakes and stability control as standard. Suzuki finished 29th our of 35 manufacturers in the 2010 Driver Power survey, suggesting their old models don't have a great reliability record. There have been no faults to report on this new model yet though.

Practicality

There's plenty of room for passengers in the front and rear, but there's not enough room in the boot. At 211 litres it's not as spacious as the Skoda Fabia or Renault Clio. Space can be boosted by folding the rear seats down in a 60/40 configuration. In the cabin there are plenty of cup holders and clever storage pockets.

Value for money

Although SZ2 models are the cheapest, they also come well-equipped. Front electric windows, heated door mirrors and audio controls on the steering wheel are all standard. Mid-range SZ3 models start at £10,995 but are the most sensible choice, adding manual air-conditioning and 16-inch alloy wheels. Range topping SZ4 models come with automatic air-conditioning, Bluetooth and tinted glass but cost £11,795. While the diesel comes in at a hefty £12,890, and does without the starter button and cruise control of the flagship model.

Running costs

The 1.2-litre petrol engine is capable of 56.5mpg on the combined cycle, making sure it's cheap to fuel. Thanks to CO2 emissions of 116g/km it's only £30 a year to tax too. Go for the automatic gearbox though and fuel economy falls to 50mpg  pushing the Swift into the £90 a year road tax bracket. The 1.3-litre diesel engine is the cheapest to run, claiming 67mpg and even lower CO2 emissions, meaning it only costs £20 a year to tax.