2008 Suzuki Swift ST review from Indonesia
"Great comfort, design and economy, a little more trunk size would have been greater"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Squeaky on the rear end, perhaps in the rear seat. Gone when I changed the upholstery.
General comments?
The swift that I own is the Completely Knocked Down version, assembled in Indonesia. Unlike its predecessor (CBU from Japan), many options are gone, e.g. airbags, ABS, EBD, fog lamp. The quality of upholstery is downgraded, probably to reduce the cost to around USD 1400 from initial price of USD 1700 for CBU version (on the road). Dark colored interior and upholstery is not so comfortable to sit on, and the plastic panel brings noise when driven on harsh surface.
Anyhow, the design of the structure is still Italian, so it still retains the goodness of Swift as positively reviewed all around the world. The fact is, as I tried the Swift and Jazz; noticeably the Swift is much more comfortable, and as I tried at high speed, it's still firm and the steering is pretty accurate.
The size-wise, the Swift cannot beat the Jazz, particularly for the trunk size. Clearly European design neglects the needs for trunk space, but it is still better than the Yaris.
The 1.5 l VVT engine is strong enough to handle this size of car, easy on overtaking. The fuel economy could reach 15 km/liter on semi urban (not highways), but on city trips, it drops to only 11km/l.
With 17" alloy wheel fitted, it looks pretty much like Mini Cooper :-)
Recommended reviews
| A great little car - well done Suzuki! |
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| 2006 - Swift DDiS turbo diesel Stylish and good value, but not as good as the more expensive rivals I tested |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2007 |
| Year of manufacture | 2008 |
| First year of ownership | 2008 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.5 VVT Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 2840 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 5750 kilometres |
| Previous car | Hyundai Atoz |
| Date of Entry | 6th October, 2008 |