The Suzuki Swace is a well-built, spacious and affordable family car that offers superb fuel economy.
Part of Suzuki’s tie-up with Toyota, the Swace is, in essence, a rebadged Corolla estate. That’s no bad thing, however, because the latest Corolla is an impressive car.
Whereas Toyota offers lots of options with the Corolla – hatchback or estate body shapes and numerous powertrains – Suzuki keeps things simple.
The latest Swace comes in estate guise only and with just a single engine choice, a petrol-electric hybrid. Given the lack of options, what is on offer better be good. And it is. For a start the Swace is slightly cheaper than the equivalent Corolla, with prices beginning at around the £27,500 point.
It pairs a 1.8 litre petrol engine with an electric motor and battery for a combined 138bhp. That’s enough for a 0-62mph time of 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 112mph.
It’s not a plug-in hybrid so you don’t need to worry about hooking it up to the mains every night. Instead the battery takes energy that would otherwise be wasted in braking or coasting downhill and uses it to power the electric motor.
This system generates some pretty impressive economy figures. The Swace’s official fuel economy is 62.7mpg. However the Swace is one of a short list of cars that not only matched but improved on their on-paper figures in real world driving.
After a week and about 500 miles my test car’s trip computer was reading just shy of 64mpg. That’s exceptional for a mid size estate and makes the Swace a very cheap car to run. CO2 emissions of just 102g/km put it in one of the lowest company car tax bands as well.
On the road with the Suzuki Swace
The Swace is not a dynamic driver’s car in the way that the Ford Focus is. Instead it’s smooth, comfortable and very easy to drive.
I took mine up the A9 to Pitlochry and on a long trip up to Aberdeenshire. It’s a relaxing car to spend a few hours in. The suspension soaks up bumps, steering and accelerator are light and easy to use, and wind and road noise are kept well in check. If you put the foot down to overtake, the CVT gearbox causes the engine to whine but otherwise progress is fairly serene.
It’s easy to find a comfortable driving position thanks to plenty of adjustment in both the seat and steering wheel. There’s even adjustable lumbar support to prevent the old back getting sore on long drives.
You get an eight-inch infotainment system that has smartphone compatibility. It’s not the most intuitive system out there but hooking my iPhone up to the car bypassed that problem nicely.
All Suzuki Swaces are well equipped, with even entry level models getting dual-zone air conditioning, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry and start and LED headlights.
My test car came in top spec Ultra trim, which added a wireless phone charger, brighter headlights, leather trim and front and rear parking sensors.
The Swace scores highly when it comes to practicality. There’s enough room in the rear for average sized adults and there are plenty of storage cubbies for odds and ends. The interior is well put together and all the switchgear feels built to stand the trials of family life.
At 596 litres the boot is very big indeed. In this class only the otherworldly carrying capacity of the Skoda Octavia eclipses it.
I enjoyed my time with the Suzuki Swace. It may just be a Toyota with another name but at least the Suzuki badge makes it a less common sight. It’s also a thoroughly decent car. Prices are reasonable, it’s easy and comfortable to drive, has a huge boot and real-world fuel economy is exceptional.
It’s a car that makes a lot of sense.
Facts
Price: £30,799
0-62mph: 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Economy: 62.7mpg
CO2 emissions: 102g/km
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