With a new vehicle brand being introduced to South Africa just about every other month, many with temptingly low price tags, it's an effort to separate the quality cars from the cheap and nasties.
It's a case of "buyer beware", a balance of how downmarket you're prepared to go to buy a car with a cheap price tag and lots of features. Some of the product coming from China and India nowadays is affordable and well-specced but you have to live with dodgy build quality, squeaks and rattles and, in the case of one Chinese car we tested, pungent smells.
But the Japanese-made Suzuki Swift seems to have all the good stuff without any of the bad. At first we ho-hummed when Suzuki announced it was bringing in a range of cars to compete in South Africa's already crowded market, wondering if it could offer something that stood out.
As it turns out, it has.
This Japanese brand is no stranger to local soil - Vitara and Samurai off-roaders were sold here until a few years ago - but the Swift compact hatch and the larger SX4 hatch are the first road cars to be made available here by the new Suzuki Auto SA.
After driving the Swift for a few hours on its recent SA media launch I was impressed and reckoned it stood a good chance of being a finalist in the next SA Car of the Year competition. After subsequently putting the Swift 1.5 GLS through a one-week road test, our opinion hasn't changed.
The Swift's available in three versions, each powered by a 1.5-litre petrol VVT (variable valve timing) engine. The base model is the GL selling for R116 900, the higher-specced GLS comes in manual or auto guise. The GLS five-speed manual tested here is a highly appealing package for R131 900 and impresses on the refinement, economy, safety and equipment fronts, especially as its average competitor sells for up to R20 000 more.
The GLS's safety list is well stocked with anti-lock brakes, emergency pressure assistance, six crash bags and a four-star EuroNCAP crash-test rating (maximum five).
The bells-and-whistles package is also generous: power windows and external mirrors, remote-controlled central locking, aircon, CD/MP3 audio system and alloy rims are just some. The radio/CD audio system (MP3 and WMA compatible) is an integrated, not off-the-shelf, unit and it has supplementary controls on the steering wheel.
A tracking device is also standard, though it must be activated when the car is purchased and requires a monthly subscription.
Roomy enough
Impressive. So we delved deeper to try to find a catch to explain the Swift's competitive price. We couldn't, in terms of refinement or perceived quality. The interior styling's perhaps a little austere, with not too much brightwork to contrast with all the black surfaces, but the cabin finishes are very good and in the same league as market leaders Toyota Yaris and VW Polo.
Cabin space is about par for the course in a small hatch. The rear seat's roomy enough for a pair of adults and though a bit tight legroom-wise it's nothing that will cause deep vein thrombosis. There's mega headroom though, under a quite high roof.
Long spells in the car are made easier with cloth-covered, comfy and reasonably supportive seats and it takes about 10 seconds to master the ventilation and audio controls. Ah, one minor speck on the Swift's otherwise clean report card: the steering's adjustable for height only, not reach.
There's generous space for odds and ends, along with cupholders. The 210-litre boot is smaller than the class average but can be expanded by folding the split rear seats, and it has a handy underfloor compartment which prevents things from rolling about. The spare tyre is a space-saver.
The external styling could be described as chunky and cute, if not quite in the Mazda2's league for appeal. It's neatly finished with good proportions, its 15" alloy rims and fog lights providing a shot of sportiness.
Little road noise
The Swift doesn't exactly live up to its name on the performance front but it's reasonably zippy for a petrol 1500cc, with Suzuki claiming a 10sec 0-100km/h sprint at sea level and 175km/h top speed. The engine's a little lazy at low rpm but gets going with some throttle encouragement.
Refinement-wise there's little to complain about. Open-road cruising generates little wind or road noise and the car feels quite sophisticated, right there in the league of its Japanese rivals and way above some of the cheap and nasties from China and India.
Fuel consumption's pretty good: we measured 7.2 litres/100km, a figure confirmed by the trip data computer.
The suspension's a simple torsion beam axle at the rear, instead of the modern multi-link systems of some cars, but that doesn't seem to hinder the Swift's ride or handling. This light car feels very nimble and has safe, understeer-biased, characteristics.
The ride's a little choppy, as normal for a small car, but not especially uncomfortable. The gearshift's light and smooth and all round it's a pleasant car to drive.
Verdict
The Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLS is an appealing package with high spec and safety levels, impressive build quality, and possibly the best value for money in its class, especially with its foru-year service plan and tracking system. A great effort - let's hope the price can be maintained.
Price: R131 900
Welcome back, Suzuki!