How the Suzuki Swift Fares Against the Segment Leaders?

Even though Suzuki Motors isn’t that prevalent in the Philippines, it has been able to totally dominate the Indian automotive market with its fleet of affordable and fuel efficient cars. Suzuki sure isn’t the market leader when it comes to global sales, but their vehicles are usually the premier choice for first time buyers. One such vehicle that has literally taken the Indian market by storm and is proving to be a tough nut to swallow for its rivals in the Philippines such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda and Ford, is the Suzuki Swift. Although the sales in the compact-hatchback/city-car segment is currently dominated by Toyota Wigo, Honda Brio and the Mitsubishi Mirage. But that doesn’t mean that the Swift will go unnoticed as it has all the features and tech that could make it a market winner. If you are looking for an alternative to the popular market choice in the compact city car segment, here are the reasons why the Swift will be a great choice for you.

1. Interior Comfort

While looks of a vehicle depend on the owner's personal taste, interior comfort is the most important aspect when choosing a vehicle. The Swift certainly scores some extra points when talking about interior comfort over its rivals like Toyota Yaris. Not only the vehicle offers a larger boot space than conventional compact-hatchbacks in the market, but its slightly larger exteriors also makes plenty of room for the occupants. Some of its rivals such as the Jazz does offer better looking interiors, but certainly cannot match the under thigh support provided by the engineers at Suzuki Motors. Apart from this, the buyers also get a nicely sculpted dash with all the modern features such as touch-screen display, start/stop button, audio controls on steering all set in a highly sporty design. However, these features are provided by almost every manufacturer, but Suzuki has employed some really good stuff in terms of quality. Compared to its mid-size hatchback rivals such as the Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz, the Suzuki Swift offers more or less similar seating area.

2. Variety of Engines

Unlike most of its rivals in the market, the Suzuki Swift is offered with a choice of 2 engines for the Philippine market. One is a 1.2-litre K series engine that pushes out 87 hp along with a torque of 114 Nm. The other engine on the bill is a 1.4-litre drivetrain that makes the larger sized vehicle even more fun to drive. The larger mill can make 95 hp and a torque of 130 Nm that literally adds wings to your excursions in the city. Both engines are available with a choice between a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic transmission. This certainly seems like a great move by the manufacturers to provide more choice to the buyers and allowing their vehicle for a more versatile performance. The availability of two engines in any car has become a good trend as the Toyota Yaris also two engine options in the Philippines and hence, this can also prove to be an ace in the deck for the Swift.

3. High End Luxury Features

Being an entry level vehicle, not many people expect their city car to be as loaded as a luxury sedan. But that doesn’t mean you cannot be demanding about the inclusion of luxury features in an affordable cars. Keeping the same notion in mind, Suzuki has certainly put a lot of advanced gadgets in the vehicle that aren’t available in the Swift’s rivals. The inclusion of a start/stop button sure doesn’t add any value to the vehicle but certainly makes it appear more upmarket. The automatic transmission variant for the Swift is also quite affordable as compared to its rivals, making it a much better choice for first timers. Yes it doesn’t offer a CVT like featured on the Brio. But looking at the price difference between the auto-transmission Swift and the CVT Brio, Suzuki are certainly offering a sweeter deal than its competition. On the safety front, the 1.4-litre variants are also offered with ABS and Electronic brakeforce distribution to improve the vehicle’s braking capabilities by a huge margin.

4. Fuel Economy

Suzuki have always played the smart game by presenting their segment contenders with slightly smaller engines to improve their fuel economy marginally against their competition. However, this isn’t really the case with the Swift, which is equally matched in terms of its engine size and output by its rivals. On top of that, Suzuki have also presented the Swift with a larger engine that makes it one of the most powerful city car in this segment. This might mean some bad news for people who love the amazing fuel economy provided by Suzuki cars. But even with these engines, the Swift still keeps its fuel consumption at the down low though its variable valve timing and smart fuel injection technology. For those who care about the swift’s fuel economy, the 1.2-litre mill can make around 17-18 kmpl, while the 1.4-litre mill provides an economy of 12-15 kmpl in variable driving conditions.

The above points prove that despite of being ranked a little lower than its competitors in terms of reliability, the Swift is a much better choice if you’re looking for a city car that drives great. Fuel consumption is surely not Suzuki Motor’s strength this time, but that doesn’t mean the vehicle doesn’t have anything to offer. If there are people are interested in buying the Datsun Go, then the Suzuki Swift is certainly a much better choice.