The all-new 2018 Suzuki Swift - Stylish yet sensible

Suzuki has recently launched the new 2018 Suzuki Swift in the Philippines. This is the fourth generation model that looks stylish, comes with a lot of changes but the Swift image still evident. So, today we are going to give you details of what we think of latest Suzuki Swift 2018.

Exterior

The new Swift 2018 is based on Suzuki's HEARTECT platform, which is used in the all-new Dzire as well. This means the new car is wider and roomier, but a little shorter in length to maintain its Swift proportions. Now, you get a more European design with curves added at the right places. The grille has been changed to give the car an imposing look. It's finished in a honeycomb pattern and enclosed with a chrome trim border. It gets all new sharp upswept headlights with neatly curved LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) adding to the whole appeal. On the sides, the door handle on the C-pillar gives a distinct character to the car, also they give way to the new floating roof design. No contrast colour roof options available as yet, but seeing the design it might be introduced in the near future. On the rear, the new all-LED taillight protruding out in line looks very masculine and nice. The boot space in the Swift 2018 is upped by 58 litres.

Interior

Looking at the dash of the new Swift cabin you will find many new inclusions. Present in the driver’s arena is a new flat-bottom steering wheel that features three neat sets of control buttons and is wrapped in soft fabric. The climate control knobs with round dials look stylish, especially the centre one which has temperature and fan speed display. The touchscreen comes as a standard feature in the new Swift. While the lower variants get a seven-inch screen, the top-end trim gets an eight-inch display. The dashboard has been changed which gives a sense of room and length in the car. A new start-stop button is provided as standard in all variants.

The seats are better and comfortable than before. The passenger seat offers an enhanced sense of enlarged headroom and legroom.

Engine

The new Swift built for the Philippines will be powered by a 1.2-litre gasoline engine. While the exact power and torque figures are not yet revealed by the manufacturer, we can safely assume that it will be somewhere in the range of 84 PS and 108 Nm as available in Thailand. The all-new Swift will be available in a five-speed manual and a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Safety

In terms of safety, the 2018 Swift will offer dual SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), side impact beams, ISOFIX child seat anchors, security alarm, and an immobilizer. The reverse camera and the rear parking sensors are available only in the top-spec GLX trim.

The all-new 2018 Swift will be available in 3 variants:

• Swift GL MT at Php 755,000
• Swift GL CVT at Php 799,000
• Swift GLX CVT at Php 899,000

In terms of the overall quality and fit-finish, the all-new Swift has lots of positive things going for it. The new hatch is certainly an improvement over the outgoing model.