Suzuki Swift launched countrywide

The fourth generation of the Suzuki Swift was launched countrywide over the weekend.

The iconic Swift was first launched 20 years ago, with over nine million sold globally since then. The first Swifts hit South African roads in June 2008, and has ever since become one of the country’s top performers.

The chief engineer of the Swift, Masoa Kobori, says in a statement the car has a unique design, which is fun to drive and comes equipped with advanced safety features.

Its exterior features a new grille, lamp design and new 15-inch alloy wheels, while the interior has new seat designs. The performance is better.

Just like the front lights, the rear lights also benefited from the engineer’s attention, while the rear design gives the Swift a distinctive appearance.

The Swift’s specs and price depend on the various models available in the range. The vehicle comes either with 165/80R14 steel wheels or 185/65R15 alloy wheels (depending on the model).

Furthermore, the Swift’s information system is on par with what the driver needs, ranging from fuel economy, quick access to vital information like speed, engine temperature, driving range, as well as other warning indicators as needed. The meter dials and centre liquid crystal display (LCD) also give the Swift that extra sporty feel.

The Swift’s interior storage space is impressive, as the engineers utilised all possible spaces that can be used to store personal belongings.

The turning radius of under five metres makes the car nippy for those times a driver may need to make a U-turn in a confined space.

Unlike the previous Swift generations that came with a 1.2L 4-cylinder engine, the fourth generation comes standard with a 3-cylinder engine, while the engine capacity remains 1.2L. This is proof that the engineers looked much further than just style and luxury, but also considered fuel economy and performance.

The Swift delivers a comfortable 60kW/5700rpm and maximum torque of 112Nm/4300rpm.

Then why reduce the cylinders, one might ask. By reducing the number of cylinders, it reduces friction, becoming more fuel efficient, while advanced technology hardly compromises performance. It also contributes to weight reduction.

The 5-speed manual transmission has a gear ratio that has been optimised for the new engine to ensure fuel efficacy and power delivery. This boils down to an average fuel consumption of just under 5l/100 km (around 20km/l).

The Heartect platform features an extra strong chassis frame that contributes to crash safety, and with less joints, disperses impact energy in the case of a collision. The pedestrian safety mitigating body is designed to help absorb pedestrian head and leg injuries in the event of a collision.

The Swift comes standard with six airbags, to protect both the driver and front and rear passengers, as well as parking sensors and ISOFIX child anchor points for baby safety chairs.

The Swift is available in various models and with different specs, features and other luxuries to fit your style and budget.