Suzuki GB celebrates 40 years of the Swift

In the run up to the introduction of the all-new Swift Hybrid this spring, Suzuki has been looking back on the last 40 years of its popular model.

Suzuki is well-known as the small car expert and Swift sales recently passed nine million units since its inception as a globally-focused car in 2004.

The Suzuki Swift was originally marketed in Japan and sold as the Cultus/SA310 until early 1985 when the Swift name was used for Europe and the model launched in the UK. In Japan, the Swift name only became used in the late 1990s.

It was first launched in 1983 at the 25th Tokyo Motor Show and went head-to-head with the Toyota Starlet and Nissan Micra. Very early models utilised a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with leaf springs for the rear suspension.

Later Swifts were powered by a 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine that was noted by media at the time for its smoothness and good fuel economy. The dashboard was a mix of analogue and digital instruments including a gear selection indicator for the optional three-speed automatic transmission.

In the UK, Swift was offered in both three-door and five-door hatchback forms as well as a 1.3GTi three-door model.

1989-2003: Introduced in the UK in 1989, this model was the longest running Swift variant with production spanning over 13 years.

This Swift, with its pronounced wedge styling, had similar dimensions to the first model introduced in 1983 but was redesigned to make better use of the luggage area and cabin space. It featured four wheel independent suspension and was available as both three and five door variants with either 1.0-litre three cylinder or 1.3-litre four cylinder engines.

A 1.3-litre GTi three door was also available with almost 100bhp and four wheel disc brakes and was classed as one of the first ‘hot hatchbacks’ of the era.

On average, Suzuki GB sold around 5,000 units every year of this Swift and it was a popular hatchback with its high standard specification and low fuel consumption - a rare sight on UK roads now with only around 470 examples currently registered.

2005-2010: Launched in the UK in May 2005 and following an 18-month break after the previous model, Swift was the first product of a radical innovation programme.

Much of the chassis development and refinement was based on real-world intelligence gained through extensive road and track testing.

The result was an innovative, sporty and elegant design with international appeal. The stylists deliberately shunned the trend towards ‘one-box’ uniformity, instead producing a design with a distinct bonnet.

This generation was available with either 1.3-litre or 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines and the 1.6-litre Sport three door model was introduced in May 2006.

2010-2017: Introduced in the UK in September 2010 with SZ3, SZ4 and SZ5 grades with optional Allgrip 4WD technology.

At launch, Swift was one of the cleanest petrol engine superminis on the market with emissions of just 116g/km and only £30 in annual VED charges. Seven airbags included as standard.

Versus its predecessor, Swift 1.2-litre was even more economical with fuel consumption on the combined cycle 56.5mpg for the manual transmission model, an improvement of 7.8mpg over the previous 1.3-litre unit.

The 1.6-litre Sport model with six speed manual transmission was introduced to high acclaim early in 2012.

2017-2023: This Swift, on sale in the UK and Republic of Ireland since June 2017, then facelifted for 2021 model year with revised front-end styling, higher standard specification and even further emphasis on safety equipment levels.

All models were fitted with Suzuki’s enhanced 12V Hybrid system. Available in SZ-L, SZ-T, SZ5 and 1.4-litre Sport grades.

Suzuki launched the Swift in May 2017 in the UK and Ireland with 2WD and Allgrip optional 4WD, it was then facelifted for 2021 with a new 1.2-litre enhanced Hybrid engine as well as further standard safety upgrades.

Available as standard for all Swift models, the upgraded 12V Hybrid system is a compact and lightweight unit that incorporates an Integrated Starter Generator (known as ISG) which acts as both a generator and starter motor.

The 1.4-litre Sport model with six speed manual transmission was introduced in May 2018 and a 48V Hybrid application for even greater economy and lower emissions was added in 2020.

Meet the Swift in North Devon at County Suzuki in Barnstaple – visit www.countygaragegroup.co.uk for more information.