2019 Suzuki Swift: Worth it?

The 2019 Suzuki Swift is a cutely-aggressive looking subcompact hatch that handles like a dream. It’s fuel efficient, and it is a great first car for most. Under the hood, the fourth-generation Swift is rockin’ a K12M four-cylinder 1.2L engine, capable of outputting 82 horses at 6000 rpm, and a torque of 113 Nm at 4,200 rpm. Is it worth getting?

For variants, the 2019 Swift has three, the five-speed manual transmission GL, the CVT GL, and the GLX –which also uses a CVT transmission. They all come with 16-inch allow wheels, and are available in the following colors:

• Pearl Super Black.
• Metallic Mineral Gray.
• Metallic Speedy Blue.
• Metallic Star Silver.
• Pearl Ablaze Red.
• Pearl Pure White.

Exterior

Starting with the exterior of the vehicle, compared to its legacy models, the 2019 Swift looks quite handsome in my opinion. Its size makes it cute; the front bumper, rear bumper, and body lines make it look aggressive.

In a way, I do feel like that the exterior as a whole is the cultivation of European sub-compact designing mixed-in with the Suzuki aesthetic. –Which isn’t a bad thing, by the way!

I like how the rear passenger door handles are integrated into the C pillar, giving the vehicle a sleeker look.

Interior

The interior is where the Swift kind of gets less impressive. You get plastic paneling all around, and no center console? It feels like Suzuki cheaped-out a bit there. I’m also not a fan of the glossy plastic on the sides of the infotainment unit and air-conditioning control knobs, you might be thinking it isn’t a big deal, but glossy plastic scratches very easily, even on more expensive cars. And to put it on something you use every day could be a boo-boo if you aren’t too careful.

I’m also not a fan of the white interior accents. I wouldn’t have minded a metallic trim instead — not chrome, metallic. What also took me by surprise was the steering wheel. It’s a flat bottom wheel that I’m not used to. It’s all good though; it did give the car a sporty vibe. I also like the tactility of the buttons on the steering wheel; they didn’t feel cheap.

Another thing I found weird was that you get electronic door locks but not speed sensing ones. You know, the ones that lock your doors automatically after hitting a certain speed. Yes, it isn’t the end of the world, and maybe I’m just lazy. But I do feel like all vehicles in this day and age built for city-driving should have such a feature, not to mention that this was the top-of-the-line GLX variant.

But who knows, maybe I’m too overly dramatic about these locks. I really can’t get over how you get power folding mirrors, a push-start ignition, and keyless entry, but no speed-sensing locks. It’s just bizarre.

Another thing I found weirdly-annoying was that the auto power window for the driver’s side only automatically retracts down. When rising, it’s basically like all the other power windows. I think that’s weird, am I insane?

So, you do get Android Auto in this car, which is excellent, especially if you’re someone who likes to use Waze and Spotify a lot. The sound system isn’t the best I’ve heard. Although, they can get loud quite quickly. Sadly, the separation in the sound stage isn’t the most obvious thing. But it gets the job done.

Okay, let’s talk about some good things before you guys start thinking the Swift is terrible. I do like the front seats. I like how supportive and comfortable I am in what my brother describes as “semi-bucket seats,” I’m pretty sure they aren’t of course. But yes, I could be stuck in this seat for an extended period of travel. And you do get this satisfying but straightforward pattern on them too.

Air conditioning always felt sufficient in what seems to be a very heated summer, so no complaints there. I am a little bit confused with the styling though. I find it unappealing that the center vents are round while the sides are rectangular.

Headroom is also surprisingly good; I stand with a height of 5’9’’, my brother is 6’1’’ and if he said it was good, I’d take his word for it. Of course, being a sub-compact, the rear seats are a different story. Legroom is average, and cargo space is quite decent for a vehicle in this segment. I want to note that I did feel comfortable enough seated behind my driving position.

For cargo space, you get 242 liters with the rear seats up, and 556 liters when folded down. When the rear seats are down, you also get quite the hump, which can be useful if you have a bunch of stray pet bottles in your boot. Also, you get a cargo cover pre-installed that also acts as a tray.

When it comes to cabin noise, the Swift is not the most silent. It’s average but what I did find dissatisfying was a noise that I could only assume was coming from the suspension. It’s not the most evident noise, but when you hear it going over more challenging Philippine roads, it’s hard to miss.

The Drive

When it comes to the drive, you might think that on paper, or by a first glance that the 2019 Swift is a slow, underpowered but fuel-efficient subcompact. But trust me, you might be surprised with how wrong those statements are. Behind the wheel, I was never uncomfortably ballsy when on the road.

I always felt the right amount of confidence when overtaking and switching lanes, especially when activating Sport mode. The CVT transmission didn’t seem too sluggish, which left me impressed. Turning tight corners never left me uneasy, being in a light sub-compact was just pure fun in its own right.

I also like how you get LED headlights on here too; they get very bright at night, which is how these are supposed to function. And you can even adjust the line of sight coming from the headlights, which I found that neat.

When it comes to fuel efficiency, the Swift is no slouch. On an average day in Manila traffic, coming from home to the office we got a read of 9.8-10.2 km/L. On an open highway, we got, 20.1-22 km/L.

Conclusion

Okay to conclude, the 2019 Suzuki Swift GLX is a more than decent sub-compact hatch, which I can see is perfect for small or starting families. It’s fuel efficient and handles like a dream. It’s more sporty and aggressive styling in combination with its cute and light form factor can surprise you. It’s fun to drive and gets you from point A to B. I do question if it’s enough to stand-out next to the Mazda 2 or Honda Jazz. It surely does have a very competitive price compared to its competitors.

• GLX CVT – PHP 899,000USD 15,319INR 1,298,695EUR 14,591CNY 111,566
• GL CVT – PHP 799,000USD 13,615INR 1,154,235EUR 12,968CNY 99,156
• GL MT – PHP 755,000USD 12,865INR 1,090,673EUR 12,254CNY 93,696

In a practicality stand-point, I do believe that you can spend your money elsewhere, mind you. But if you’re a longtime Swift fan, or just in the market for a new sub-compact hatch; I do recommend that you at least try the Swift out.