Suzuki Swift

Gen three maintains the mojo and gets it mostly right

- Byron Mathioudakis

CORPORATE amnesia. It struck Peugeot in the 2000s (when it forgot how to make beautiful and dynamic cars) and the fear in the lead-up to the latest Swift, was that Suzuki might be next, after two generations of stylishness and sass.

It turns out we had no reason to be worried. Chief engineer Maso Kobori revealed that honing ‘fun and sporty’ was his team’s aim when work commenced on the new AZ series in 2013, ahead even of the usual noble pursuits of improved efficiency, refinement, safety and driveability.

Longer and wider than before, with a lower ride height and roof line, the latest Swift sits on an all-new architecture shared with the bigger Baleno, though the suspension (struts up front, torsion beam behind) and steering are tuned for European tastes.