Suzuki - Swift

1992-03 

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Aside from its rock-bottom price and mechanical reliability, there's little to recommend this Suzuki Swift. It's sparsely equipped, cramped inside, so-so to drive and it lacks safety features now considered essential. It was long overdue replacement when the last cars were sold in 2003.

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	Cheap to buy and run
	Reliable and nippy
	Reasonable boot space
	Cramped interior
	Hard to park with no power steering
	Heavy body roll

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The most common Swift is the 1.0. It's cheap to insure, easy to service and fairly nippy, so there's there's little reason to choose the mildly more powerful 1.3. The 1.3 GTi is quick, but hasn't been sold since 1998 and many have been modified by owners, so cars in good and original condition are increasingly difficult to find.
Both three- and five-door models are cramped and there's very little head- or legroom in the back. Seats are thin, spongy and lack support. Bootspace is reasonable, but a high lip makes access difficult. The narrow shape means that three-door models only seat four.
The majority of Swifts lack power steering, which can make hard work of parking. There's heavy body roll through corners, the gearchange is stiff and there's lots of engine and wind noise. Although mechanically sound, and unlikely to break down, the budget-spec interior is easily damaged.