Creating a global car to meet the very diverse needs of a wide range of customers is no easy task but Suzuki with their Swift three and five door 'supermini' sized hatchbacks have been really successful achieving no less than 63 global Car of the Year titles.
Selling in 124 different countries and built in seven different manufacturing sites, including Hungary for European versions, the new Swift comes to market with Suzuki adopting the motto of 'more Swift'.
That means not getting it wrong so the new Swift has the same classless styling but significantly updated.
It is more gown up, slightly larger in all dimensions and so it offers more interior space, especially rear seat legroom, it is lighter and stronger, better equipped, has more fuel efficient modern engines, it is more comfortable with slightly more performance.
If it isn't broke don't fix it is another motto that could apply.
Suzuki Swift Prices
Priced from £9,995 up to £13,245 the 1.2-litre, three and five door 1.2-litre petrol versions, which account for around three quarters of UK sales, are just about arriving in dealerships now and these will be followed by a 1.3-litre turbodiesel engine option in the Spring of 2011.
Specification levels remain SZ2, the best selling SZ3 and SZ4 but all offer improved levels of equipment and electronic stability control is now standard fit on all versions.
Engines and performance
Core to the many changes is a new Euro 5 1.2-litre, four cylinder petrol engine which replaces the previous 1.3-litre unit.
This new engine has Dual VVT, variable intake and exhaust valve timing, which allows it to respond to the varying loads placed upon it.
Auto Stop Start is available for some markets but not the UK as yet because the improvement in exhaust emissions does not make it a viable option - for now.
The new petrol engine produces 93bhp, it was 91bhp, torque is now 87lb ft, it was 86lb ft, the Combined Cycle fuel economy is now 56.5mpg for the manual transmission models, an improvement of 7.8mpg over the previous 1.3-litre unit.
Exhaust emissions are 116g/km which are 24g/km or 17% better than the previous engine. That means £0 First Year road tax and then £30 per year after that.
For company car down-sizers the Benefit-in-Kind tax is an attractively low 10%. Top speed is a modest 103mph and 0-62mph takes a sedate 12.3 seconds.
For the record the 1.3-litre, 78bhp turbodiesel engine option comes along next Spring and this Fiat MultiJet based unit will offer similar improvements with the headline figures being 109gm of CO2 emissions, down from 119g/km and 67.3mpg instead of 62.8mpg.
No prices are yet available but the diesel option for the previous Swift cost an extra £720.
The new petrol engine might be fuel efficient but it is no ball of fire. It is very sluggish at the bottom end of its rev range so it needs working hard to get reasonable performance from it, plenty of gearbox use is required.
That will not be a concern for many loyal Swift customers I know, but there are better new direct injection petrol engines of the same size on the market.
At higher speeds on motorways for instance the engine gets noisy, indeed it is vocal most of the time and this fact is highlighted because the new Swift in every other way is such a quiet and smooth riding car.
However in real life conditions this petrol engine is fuel efficient with 45.2mpg being recorded during my international press launch test drive using motorways and hilly country roads in Germany.
Although the 1.3-litre turbodiesel engine will not be with us for a while we did get the chance to put it through its paces and it is certainly more responsive although the top speed is the same.
It offers a better quality of driving, better flexibility at low speeds, better pick-up from low speeds and more mid-range response. This unit actually showed us how good the driving and handling dynamics of the new Swift are.
Fuel economy was 59.6mpg so it will be a choice of how much a new Swift owner values a better and more responsive drive as to whether they go the petrol or diesel engines route.
I'd go for driving quality and pay more for the diesel unit, save on road tax as it is £0 for each year and the extra 14mpg is another bonus.
Drive
With either engine the new Swift is agile, very comfortable for a car of this size and the suspension really ironed out the bumps and potholes but they were not nearly as bad in Germany as they are in the UK. Handling and driving comfort wise, the new Swift is a real 'smoothie'.
Equipment
The latest Swift is also well equipped; seven airbags and electronic handling is standard on all models as are electrically operated front door windows and heated electric door mirrors, remote central locking and a stereo radio/CD player with USB port and six speakers.
SZ3 model gains include alloy wheels and air conditioning. SZ4 versions gain auto air conditioning, fog lights, push button start, cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, automatic headlights and rear privacy glass.
The interior is modern and smart although not the plushest in this competitive sector but it is pleasant enough. Rather like the new Swift itself but add in cute, distinctive and comfortable.
Suzuki Swift MILESTONES
Suzuki Swift 1.2 SZ4 5-Door manual.
Price: £12,245.
Engine/transmission: 1.2-litre, four-cylinder, petrol, dual variable valve timing, multi-point injection.93bhp,m 87lb ft from 4,800rpm, 5-speed manual gearbox.
Performance: 103mph, 0-62mph 12.3 seconds, 56.5mpg Combined Cycle, (45.2mpg actual), CO2 116g/km, VED road tax First Year rate £0 then £30 per year, BIK company car tax 10%.
Insurance group: tbc.
For: : More space, more refinement, more fuel economy, agile handling, very good ride comfort, well equipped, high safety levels.
Against: : Dull but efficient petrol engine.