Given the Swift’s broad footprint and relative height, you’d expect interior space to be plentiful. Front passengers have ample head and shoulder room, but move rearwards and the packaging is less effective. With a six-footer in the front seat and another behind, the rear passenger’s knees press against the front backrest. A middle rear three-point belt and Isofix fittings are standard.
The driving position is good, if not exceptional, and some of us had trouble finding a comfortable position for the steering wheel. The seats themselves offer poor lateral support. Although the materials are essentially cheap plastics, the combination of colours, textures and precise fittings give the feel of a more expensive product. This is helped by a clear and intuitive layout. Forward visibility is good, although with such a steeply sloping bonnet judging parking distances takes some practice. Looking back isn’t so easy; the C-pillars are thick and there’s a limited view out of the rear window. All Swifts get electric front windows, heated mirrors, a single CD player and six airbags as standard. The GLX adds air-con, alloys and keyless entry, which isn’t as slick as the systems on some more expensive cars and may simply frustrate many Swift owners.
Luggage space is moderate – bigger than a Fiat Panda’s, but less than a Fiat Punto’s. The rear seats fold flat onto the bases and then pivot forward to create a flat load floor, although this restricts the length of the load bay and leaves an inaccessible space in the footwells.
With a 1.5-litre engine, economy is never going to be city-car frugal. Suzuki claims a combined figure of 43.5mpg, but over a mixture of town and motorway work we averaged 38mpg. Compared with similarly priced rivals, the Swift’s larger engine emits more CO2. Insurance is more than the class norm, too – group six is high for the car’s cost, but it is low for the performance. The less-powerful 1.3 is a more affordable group three.