The Suzuki Swift has always been on the top of my list to recommend to anyone interested in buying a budget car. There are so many reasons why, but the main ones include the fact that it is well-equipped, drives well and is an overall easy car to like. If you don’t believe me, just look at the numbers; more than 6 million units have been sold since it originally launched. Even the Dzire, which used to be called the Swift Dzire and is essentially a Swift with a boot but is now called Dzire only, sells 28 000 units a month over in India. That is staggering! But back to the Swift, this new model continues to impress. Especially inside the cabin. For a car that costs you R169 900 (on promotion) brand new, you would be forgiven for thinking you were in a car far fancier. A few of my colleagues made comments along the lines that this generation is not as big a jump as was the case with the previous model which was completely modernised. But I don’t think that this is a bad thing. There was no need for Suzuki to make any jumps, they just needed to tweak what is already modern and sophisticated. Like I said, there are so many things to like about the Swift and the Dzire. Look, let’s be honest, the Dzire might not be as handsome as the Swift, but I don’t know many budget cars with boots that do in fact look good. Just think of the Honda Brio Sedan, yuk! Ag no shame, I feel bad saying that about the Honda, beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all. Ya right! Thankfully the Dzire is better looking than the outgoing Swift Dzire and once you are in the driver’s seat you can’t see the car anyway so who cares? Plus, you get that 378-litre boot which is the whole reason you opt for this guy. It’s 26% bigger than before and so you will have no problems fitting a few cases of wine in there. The Swift and the Dzire have the same 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine under their bonnets. Producing 61 kW and 113 N.m of torque these are no power houses, but they are not built to be. These cars are just perfection around the city and if you hit the open road you will be absolutely fine cruising at the national speed limit. It is only if you need to overtake that you will need to take a few precautionary steps and shift down a gear, or three. But that is to be expected in a budget car isn’t it? The upside is that your fuel consumption is just marvellous. A claimed 4.9l/100 km is exactly what you want in these tough times I tell ya. Both are available in two trim levels, namely the GA and the GL, the latter of which includes standard features such as aircon, all-round electric windows, power steering, a trip computer, adjustable steering wheel with audio controls, and a radio system with Bluetooth and USB connectivity. It also has driver and passenger airbags, ABS and Isofix seat anchorage points. Impressed yet? You should be. If you are looking for a budget friendly car and you’re tired of the Volkswagen Polo Vivo (although this doesn’t really compete with it anymore) or the Ford Figo, the Swift or the Dzire are cars worth considering. In fact, at the price, I am not sure you can do much better! PRICING FOR THE SUZUKI SWIFT (Contact your nearest Suzuki dealer for the promotional offer mentioned) Suzuki Swift 1.2 GA Manual R159 900 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL Manual R175 900 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL AMT R189 900 PRICING FOR THE SUZUKI DZIRE Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GA MT R161 900 Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GL MT R177 900 Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GL AMT R191 900
