Sunday Drive: Suzuki Swift Hybrid LTD

Sunday, 9 August 2020

Watch how Suzuki's SHVS mild hybrid system works.

SUZUKI SWIFT HYBRID LTD
Base price: $28,500
Powertrain and economy: 1.2-litre petrol four-cylinder, 61kW/107Nm (plus 50Nm electric motor assist), continuously variable transmission, FWD, combined economy 4.1L/100km, CO2 94g/km (source: RightCar).

Apart from the chrome strip in the grille and a few subtle badges, there aren’t many hints this is a hybrid.

Vital statistics: 3845mm long, 1735mm wide, 1495mm high, 2450mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 265 litres, 16-inch alloy wheels.
We like: Comfortable and superbly easy to live with, well-equipped, great ride and handling.

The Hybrid’s 1.2-litre engine is different from the standard Swift 1.2, but gets a 50Nm boost from the electric motor.

We don't like: Not as frugal as it should be, Swift RS is a better buy.

The Suzuki Swift is unarguably one of the best small cars on the market today – the fantastic combination of personality, practicality, frugality and sheer fun make it a deeply compelling option, something that the sales numbers consistently back up.

An electrified Swift feels almost exactly like a normal Swift on the road. And that is good.

So it was something of a no-brainer that Suzuki New Zealand would jump at the chance to get a hybrid version of the Swift on sale here as soon as it could to ride that sweet green wave that buyers are increasingly turning to.

However, that had been a problem in the past, with the only hybrid options being equipped with either a manual transmission or a horrific automated single-clutch manual that was the closest thing to an automatic. And seeing as Kiwi’s only really buy autos, this wasn’t really a viable option.

The Hybrid gives you the same interior as a standard Swift, so it’s nicely laid out and well built.

The Swift’s hybrid system is very much at the mild ‘motor assist’ end of the spectrum.

* First drive review: Suzuki Swift Hybrid

* Suzuki Swift Sport improves its tech game

Suzuki charges $490 for the black roof option on the LTD. Worth it.

* Three's a treat for the all-new Suzuki Swift

However, the latest version now comes with the same continuously variable transmission that the entry-level Swift GL packs, so bring it on, right?

Except, here’s the thing: Suzuki already has one of the cleanest, most frugal lineups of new vehicles in the New Zealand market, so did they even really need a hybrid Swift?

Or, perhaps more to the point, can a hybrid Swift actually do all that much to improve what is already frankly excellent?

While you could easily argue the Swift Hybrid’s reason for existing on a cynical marketing level (it has a hybrid badge on it, so that is a good enough selling point), the biggest problem the Swift Hybrid actually faces is that it quite honestly struggles to convince on that last point.

While Suzuki claims a 15 per cent reduction in fuel usage over the standard 1.2-litre Swift, it has to be remembered that this is 15 per cent of just 4.8L/100km. Or in other words 0.7 litres of fuel for every 100km driven.

In the real world, this translates into a frankly tiny difference in everyday running, particularly when you take into account these numbers are all for cars equipped with a continuously variable transmission, which is a form of transmission that produces excellent fuel economy results in a lab test but struggles to measure up in the real world.

The Swift’s hybrid system is also at the extremely mild end of things, being a small motor assist and little else – there is no electric-only range and nothing in the way of ‘sailing’ at cruising speeds with the engine off, although it will coast to a standstill below 15kmh.

With 61kW/107Nm, the 1.2-litre engine is down on power compared with the petrol-only GL’s 66kW/120Nm 1.2, but peak torque is delivered much lower in the revs – 2800rpm instead of 4400rpm – and those numbers don’t include the extra 50Nm provided by the electric motor.

That lower torque peak and the electric motor assist does actually makes this the best Swift/CVT combo, however, cutting some of the need for flaring and excess revs. Only ‘some’ though.

Around town, the Swift Hybrid is perky and eager, with that delightfully direct steering that is a hallmark of all Swifts and, likewise, out on the open road it possesses all the fantastic handling characteristics you would expect as well.

It always feels nicely tied down and controlled over any surface, while also retaining a pleasantly damped ride – in other words, it is neither too firm, nor too soft. In terms of ride and handling, the Swift is very much a Goldilocks car – just right.

In terms of equipment, the LTD comes with a good haul of standard kit, including Suzuki’s Dual Sensor Brake Support driver-assist system that consists of adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, weave alert, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

Nothing involved in adding a hybrid assist to the Swift changes anything about its accessible, user-friendly nature (and neither should it) and neither does it alter its great driving dynamics, meaning the Swift Hybrid is every bit as good as any other Swift equipped with a 1.2-litre engine and CVT.

But unfortunately for the $28,500 Hybrid LTD that means the $21,990 GL auto. Sure, you can get a GLX Hybrid for $26,500 (there is no GL Hybrid, nor are there GLX or LTD petrol-only models) and both are better equipped than the GL, but the basic performance is the same.

But the biggest problem for the Swift Hybrid is the truly brilliant Swift RS at $25,990 that is just as well-equipped but packs a fantastic 82kW/160Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine and a slick six-speed automatic transmission.

At 5.1L/100km, the RS does appear to use more fuel on paper, but with its more powerful engine not having to work as hard, the real-world difference is generally less than the claimed numbers would suggest.

So is the premium for hybrid really worth it? I would say “not particularly”, but then it doesn’t make the Swift tangibly any worse, so if you really desire a hybrid badge on your already fuel-efficient small car and see the added value in the small fuel savings, then it’s still a great little car.

It’s just there are far better ones in the Swift line up that don’t wear a hybrid badge.