Suzuki Swift

[rogerchiangmai]

Have been mulling which car to buy and found following this topic very helpful. Did a test drive, liked the car more than I thought I would, went back and ordered a GL Auto.

Agree the fuel consumption comments above, not really an issue, wife definitely prefers an auto, and to be honest so do I, Its just that bit easier around town, and although I was a manual driver for a long time I've changed to liking the convenience of the autos, but its a personal thing. I like ABS, but agree in a small car, fairly light it's not as critical, but who knows one day on a wet road something unexpected happens and the brake system makes the vital difference. The top version GLX was tempting, mainly as it has 2 airbags, and the wheels look nicer. The other extras didn't really inspire me though, and you have to draw the line somewhere so I didn't think it was value for money.

Waiting list now up to 10 months for auto version, as at November 2012. We are beginning to see more on the roads though, and its getting a good reputation.

Thanks again all for all the helpful posts.

[fredlk]

I ordered mine (White Pearl GLX) on 29th march this year and was told 4 months delivery. I took delivery on 21st July.

I love it. I have had all manner of cars before and my last was an Audi A4 2.4 V6. Getting into the Suzuki was not such a big difference believe me.

I get on average - mostly driving in town traffic - 16.7 kilometres per litre on Shell Fuelsave Gasohol 91.

The top speed is over 160 km/h which I reached quite easily and it was on almost 6,000 r.p.m. There might be another 5 km/h in it.

I've driven about 3,000 kilometres so far and there are no rattles or squeaks, no problems whatsoever. The first service at 1,000 kilometres cost if I remember correctly 1,200 Baht.

It's a great car. I could have had it sooner if I'd ordered black and the Swift in black looks fantastic but a black car in Thailand isn't for me.

[mjj]

We took delivery of a Swift GL manual about 1 month ago and this is my mini review. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, but it might be worth while remembering that I have been driving a pick up for the last 2 years.

The engine is surprisingly spritely and has a good raspy sound above 3,500 rpm, but the characteristics of the engine seem to be at odds with its city car role. Yes, I know it's just a 1.2 Eco car, but the engine just feels too slow low down in the rev range. When you hit about 3,500 rpm it perks up and can be quite nippy. Throw in some nice corners and it really is a fun drive for the boy racer type like me. The engine seems to want you to cane it, unlike the Mazda 2 auto I drove that just seemed to scream in agony. This is all good, except its not really what the car was designed for is it? Surely for a town car you want low down power for the quick getaway and not have to rev the nuts off it.

The gearbox is easy with a light clutch making it a very simple car to drive. The steering is very responsive especially after driving the truck, visibility is obviously good making this a good car to learn to drive in. In fact after about 3-5 hours of teaching mrs mjj to drive it she is going out by herself in it. The only other driving she has done was driving around the mooban in the truck about a year ago.

The design and function of the car is pretty good. The keyless entry system (that I thought was just an unnecessary gimmick) is marvellous. You can just put your key in your bag or pocket and forget about it. Just push the button on the door handle and the car locks or unlocks depending on what you want. I can't stress how much I think this is a fantastic invention! The only obvious annoyance about the car is the rear parcel shelf.

It doesn't have string attaching it to the car so when you open the boot it stays down. No problem, just tilt it up as it has the normal hinge system. However I always forget to put it back in the normal position and just shut the boot, so when you get back in to drive its blocking your rear view!

Build quality seems ok, but you do need to give the doors a bit of a shove so the dont half close. It definitely doesn't have the vw 'thunk' when you shut the doors.

The fuel consumption has been around 16kmpl. I live in a town which has a mixture of slow city driving and moments going over 100kmph. I have seen indicated 160 without too much fuss although I doubt it will go much faster.

Oddly, if I was to go on a long drive I would prefer the Suzuki rather than the pick up. It's quieter, more comfortable and a nicer environment. But for stop start driving I prefer to take the pick up because of its low down oomph, plus it actually is noticeable that other drivers play the size matters rule in the town. In the past month more cars and trucks have pulled out in front of me than in 2 years of driving the pick up.

Overall, I'm happy with the car and more importantly mrs mjj is happy with the car.

[culicine]

We took delivery of a Swift GL manual about 1 month ago and this is my mini review. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, but it might be worth while remembering that I have been driving a pick up for the last 2 years.

The engine is surprisingly spritely and has a good raspy sound above 3,500 rpm, but the characteristics of the engine seem to be at odds with its city car role. Yes, I know it's just a 1.2 Eco car, but the engine just feels too slow low down in the rev range. When you hit about 3,500 rpm it perks up and can be quite nippy. Throw in some nice corners and it really is a fun drive for the boy racer type like me. The engine seems to want you to cane it, unlike the Mazda 2 auto I drove that just seemed to scream in agony. This is all good, except its not really what the car was designed for is it? Surely for a town car you want low down power for the quick getaway and not have to rev the nuts off it.

The gearbox is easy with a light clutch making it a very simple car to drive. The steering is very responsive especially after driving the truck, visibility is obviously good making this a good car to learn to drive in. In fact after about 3-5 hours of teaching mrs mjj to drive it she is going out by herself in it. The only other driving she has done was driving around the mooban in the truck about a year ago.

The design and function of the car is pretty good. The keyless entry system (that I thought was just an unnecessary gimmick) is marvellous. You can just put your key in your bag or pocket and forget about it. Just push the button on the door handle and the car locks or unlocks depending on what you want. I can't stress how much I think this is a fantastic invention! The only obvious annoyance about the car is the rear parcel shelf.

It doesn't have string attaching it to the car so when you open the boot it stays down. No problem, just tilt it up as it has the normal hinge system. However I always forget to put it back in the normal position and just shut the boot, so when you get back in to drive its blocking your rear view!

Build quality seems ok, but you do need to give the doors a bit of a shove so the dont half close. It definitely doesn't have the vw 'thunk' when you shut the doors.

The fuel consumption has been around 16kmpl. I live in a town which has a mixture of slow city driving and moments going over 100kmph. I have seen indicated 160 without too much fuss although I doubt it will go much faster.

Oddly, if I was to go on a long drive I would prefer the Suzuki rather than the pick up. It's quieter, more comfortable and a nicer environment. But for stop start driving I prefer to take the pick up because of its low down oomph, plus it actually is noticeable that other drivers play the size matters rule in the town. In the past month more cars and trucks have pulled out in front of me than in 2 years of driving the pick up.

Overall, I'm happy with the car and more importantly mrs mjj is happy with the car.

Thanks for the review. Any plan on mods? I'm not sure how to give it more low end shove; perhaps a free flowing header and full exhaust system might help, as I listed in another post. You can add a k&N reusable air filter too that might help, but just a fraction. I also found the test drive of the cvt gave slow acceleration when i gently pushed the accelerator...such a difference from my 2.0 civic. It needed a decent prod...it was almost as if the engine was snoozing like a lap dog, and it needed a prod to wake it up You fuel economy isn't bad - out friends cat was getting only 12 km/l as she was always taking short trips around town - until I thrashed it down the highway to return with 17 km/l:) I think 20 would be no problem on the highway proper.

If you're interested in body kits and other pieces, check out: http://www.thaisuzukiswiftclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=556.0

[mjj]

At the moment it is mrs mjj's car, so no mods. However after a while we might go for some 17 wheels and tyres and hopefully there will be some more engine mods for it. As I like the car I might steal it if decent engine upgrades can be had without being ridiculously expensive, then we will be back to buying mrs mjj a new car. 5555

One thing I forgot to mention was the lack of ABS. This was something that concerned me before we bought it, but I have had to do an emergency stop (tw4t pulled out in front of cars ahead, everyone swerving and breaking) and am happy to report no lock up and excellent stopping power - put the abs pick up to shame.

[culicine]

At the moment it is mrs mjj's car, so no mods. However after a while we might go for some 17 wheels and tyres and hopefully there will be some more engine mods for it. As I like the car I might steal it if decent engine upgrades can be had without being ridiculously expensive, then we will be back to buying mrs mjj a new car. 5555

One thing I forgot to mention was the lack of ABS. This was something that concerned me before we bought it, but I have had to do an emergency stop (tw4t pulled out in front of cars ahead, everyone swerving and breaking) and am happy to report no lock up and excellent stopping power - put the abs pick up to shame.

While you are not into mods, Runstop have a promotion on at the moment at the motor show - rear disc conversion + free enlarged front rotors, 19K or so. Problem is you need the 17" wheels for them to fit...but as you said the brakes seem good enough, especially as the engine power is not huge anyway, so probably big rotors would be overkill. I'll keep an eye out for Unichip or another piggy back to become available, but I think for these small non turbo engines, the small power increase justify the cost. Note I've seen a video of a brio do 0-100 in about 17.7 seconds, with some minor mods, so some power is there to be had, but usually NA mods are relatively expensive.

[Geratul]

This morning got a call from my Suzuki dealer to inform me that my car will be delivered at the dealer the coming 2 weeks from now and that the car will be delivered to me in January. I ordered my GLX version in Snow White Pearl the first week of June this year, so in my case 7 month delivery as agreed.

My neighbour went to a dealer last week. When he wants a GLX version he has to wait till november/december 2013! A year delivery time? My god, I will skip in that case for sure. Who likes to wait a year... 7 months for me is already long actually. When he wants a manual he needs to wait 6 to 7 months, because the manuals also got a waiting list due to rising demand.

Really, hope Suzuki can do something about this horroble delivery times.

Edited December 17, 2012 by Geratul

[jomtien2000]

Just a small update from me.

I ordered my Swift last year at the end of August and delivery was after nearly exactly 4 months on December 26. I choose the GL MT model (5-speed manual transmission) over the GLX model because I wanted to add some aftermarket rims and... I don't like automatic. All I can say is: it was a good decision.

The car by itself is perfect for me. I have nothing to add to review of mjj a few posts above. Fuel consumption is like I expected. I use E20 and got 19.8km/l driving a 750km distance on the superhighway with an average speed of 100km/h. In town it's around 16km/l.

The 1,000km service (oil and filter change) was ฿1,357.

A few days ago I upgraded my suspension and wheels. Now its even more fun to drive.

BTW, i created a fan page on Facebook about my Swift with pictures of all modifications, gas stats and other informations.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/White-Suzuki-Swift-Thailand/244050782393951

[mjj]

Just an update on the Swift relationship.

Nothing has gone wrong and everything is tickety boo. The Suzuki was bought for the wife, but I have started using it more and more. In fact it has made me realise how much I missed driving a car as opposed to a boat (Pick-up).

At the moment we are thinking of leaving Thailand for a while and are planning on selling one of the vehicles - no prises for guessing which one.

[jomtien2000]

Seems that the production of the manual transmission (MT) Model is suspended from February to May 2013 to concentrate on the production of the automatic transmission (CVT) model. Found this letter in the Suzukiswiftclub forum and on the Facebook site of Suzuki Thailand.

Lucky that i got mine in December last year (even I have to wait 4 months).

http://www.suzukiswi...p?topic=23705.0

http://www.facebook.com/NewSuzukiSwift

[Dutchbike]

Thanks for the reviews, i'm tempted for this little Suzuki as well and it's good to read some real life reports.

After driving a pick up ( Vigo) for 2 1/2 years the short testdrive ( GL MT) made me realise how much i missed the feel of a modern car.

Nothing wrong with the VIgo but after mostly driving Alfa Romeo's in Holland i really had to adept my driving style, a Vigo is just dangerous when you push it in the corners. (indeed, like driving a boat.... nice one mjj)

The Swift always have good reviews in tests for it's handling.

So i problaly will go for the GL MT, only the waiting list..... around 7 months. It looks like Suzuki is a victim of it's own succes. well good things take time.

Just curious about the keyless entry/start system, what would be the options to start the car if the battery in the key is empty or the key faulty??? is there a back up start system ( a hidden ignition)

in Holland i once saw a guy at a petrol station with a big new BMW which had problems with a similair system and he had to wait for the service guys to show up.

[mjj]

Yeah, there is a hidden key.

[Dutchbike]

Yeah, there is a hidden key.

but that "hidden' key just opens the door?? ( manually) what if ( worst case scenario) you drop the the electronic key in the water or it just doesn't work. once you're in the car that "key" gives a signal to the car to "unlock" the ignition or...... the key is only needed for open the car and once it's open you can start it.

[mjj]

I had a look in the car and cant find anywhere to put the key. Mrs mjj is going to call Suzuki tomorrow as I want to know. If you cant start the car manually, I think that is quite dumb of Suzuki - especially as you have a hidden car. Great if you just want to sit in your car I suppose.

[Dutchbike]

thanks for looking into that, i forgot to ask it at the suzuki dealer, but i doubt the sales girl knew the right answer. You need to speak to the head mechanic.

I'm pretty sure there is some emergency starting procedure, the Japanese engineers problaly built in a little trick.

for example on a Alfa Romeo i still own in Holland , there is a immobilzer ( a chip in the key) if there is a problem with the key you can "fool" the system by entering a sort of pin code with pushing the accelerator while openening and closing the ignition.

modern

[mjj]

Mrs mjj spoke to the woman at Suzuki today who actually is rather informative. If the battery goes flat in the fob you need to put the Suzuki S on the fob next to the start button as there is a sensor under the S that the car will recognise. You can the start the car. There is nowhere to start the car with the key. How this sensor will fare to being in your pocket should you go for a dip in the sea is anybody's guess. If you buy one, you can try it! :-)

[culicine]

Looks like my swift will be arriving very soon. It was not due until June, so now need to scramble to get our downpayment together. I need to pay insurance, but what freebies did you get with the car? I'm guessing at least floor mats/tint. Anything else I can try asking for? I guess with its popularity, not much!

[mjj]

Floor mats, 1 key fob cover and an air freshener! Woohoo!

[culicine]

Floor mats, 1 key fob cover and an air freshener! Woohoo!

Thanks, you must have felt so spoiled Actually most of the add-ons are pretty cheap - the rubber liner for the trunk is like 600 baht after market. So I'm not overly concerned about it.

[thaicbr]

Floor mats, 1 key fob cover and an air freshener! Woohoo!

Thanks, you must have felt so spoiled Actually most of the add-ons are pretty cheap - the rubber liner for the trunk is like 600 baht after market. So I'm not overly concerned about it.

You don't get free 1st class insurance.... that's a bugger:p

[culicine]

Floor mats, 1 key fob cover and an air freshener! Woohoo!

Thanks, you must have felt so spoiled Actually most of the add-ons are pretty cheap - the rubber liner for the trunk is like 600 baht after market. So I'm not overly concerned about it.

You don't get free 1st class insurance.... that's a bugger:p

I reckon...and it's 20K too! Anyway, when I get the car, I'll be changing my civic to basic insurance as I will just drive it on the weekends. We pay 15K for that already for 1st class. Obviously the lack of insurance isn't turning people away from the swift.

[Dutchbike]

Mrs mjj spoke to the woman at Suzuki today who actually is rather informative. If the battery goes flat in the fob you need to put the Suzuki S on the fob next to the start button as there is a sensor under the S that the car will recognise. You can the start the car. There is nowhere to start the car with the key. How this sensor will fare to being in your pocket should you go for a dip in the sea is anybody's guess. If you buy one, you can try it! :-)

Thanks for informing, at least there is a sort of back up system.

Guess on a longer/holiday trip take the spare key. but then if you let that spare key in the car you won't be able to lock the car ???????

I informed at the surrounding dealers: Buriram / Surin and Korat and indeed not much freebies, there's no need to pursway people buying this car.

Start seeing them more and more here in Isaan.

A question on the side: why is it that when you sell your car or bike the insurance goes with it , is it not possible to tranfer the insurance to the new car/bike ???? and what happens to the discount which i got after renewing the insurance with the same company.

[stevenl]

Insurance goes with the car, so you did not have a 'no claim discount', the car did. However in most policies you will find a refund option, so if you sell the car you can use that option and get a refund.

Edited February 10, 2013 by stevenl

[culicine]

Did anyone trade in the 16" suzuki wheels. If so, how much did you get for them?

[jomtien2000]

Expect between 12k and 15k for a new set or with just a few kilometers. There are many for sale at suzukiswiftclub.com.

[culicine]

Expect between 12k and 15k for a new set or with just a few kilometers. There are many for sale at suzukiswiftclub.com.

Thanks that's not too bad then. I think a new set of 17" + tires would run to about 30-35K, so would need to pay the difference on that.

[xylophone]

Got my new Swift late December and am delighted with it, an absolutely fabulous car to drive, comfortable and peppy enough once you get used to it.

BUT, have searched here and elsewhere and cannot find which fuel is best for it..........seems like the options are 91 or 95 Gasohol. Inside the fuel cover it states E20, so what is that in relation to 91 or 95 Gasohol???

I see fuel grades stated elsewhere, 91 and 95 Gasohol, E 10 and E 20, but no explanation as to what they actually are and if they are related.

Some clarification would be great, thanks.

[culicine]

Got my new Swift late December and am delighted with it, an absolutely fabulous car to drive, comfortable and peppy enough once you get used to it.

BUT, have searched here and elsewhere and cannot find which fuel is best for it..........seems like the options are 91 or 95 Gasohol. Inside the fuel cover it states E20, so what is that in relation to 91 or 95 Gasohol???

I see fuel grades stated elsewhere, 91 and 95 Gasohol, E 10 and E 20, but no explanation as to what they actually are and if they are related.

Some clarification would be great, thanks.

E10 is gasohol 91 with 10% ethanol; E20 is gasohol 91 with 20% ethanol. Gasohol 95 has the higher octane rating (95) and has 10% ethanol content.

I'm on my second tank of E20 in my new swift (cvt). The meter showed an average of 15.8 km/l for around my area. I plan to run 4 tanks and then run on 4 tanks of gasohol 91 to check the consumption and performance. I haven't given it the beans yet, but seems to run fine on E20. I'll try to work out which is more economical. What fuel have you been using? I'm sure performance will be better with E10, but not sure if it's more economical than E20. I think gasohol 95 won't be necessary due to its high cost.

[xylophone]

Quote culicine: "E10 is gasohol 91 with 10% ethanol; E20 is gasohol 91 with 20% ethanol. Gasohol 95 has the higher octane rating (95) and has 10% ethanol content".

Many thanks for that explanation, and that is very clear. However perhaps the grey matter is not as sharp as it used to be because I cannot remember ever seeing the "E10 or E20" definitions on any of the pumps, just gasohol 91 or 95 (perhaps I am looking in the wrong places?).

Quote: "I'm on my second tank of E20 in my new swift (cvt). The meter showed an average of 15.8 km/l for around my area. I plan to run 4 tanks and then run on 4 tanks of gasohol 91 to check the consumption and performance.

I take it by this you mean that you are currently running on gasohol 91, E20, and will then change to gasohol 91, E10?

I originally filled up with gasohol 91 and just recently with gasohol 95 and I am not really measuring the fuel efficiency of the car because somewhere around what Suzuki claim will be fine. Maybe it's me, but I thought that it ran well on gasohol 91, whereas on gasohol 95 I think I detect some unevenness in the engine when it is ticking over??

I'm really interested in what is best for the engine, rather than for fuel consumption and I am really grateful for your information culicine, and of course any more that you wish to impart.

As I said previously, I am absolutely delighted with the car and would recommend it to anybody wishing to buy a smaller car. I did post on another thread because I was a little concerned that a small engine (not only in the Suzuki but in the Nissan and Mirage as well, as I was considering them also) might struggle getting over the hills out of Patong, but no worries with the Swift, because it handles them extremely well.

As an aside, when I bought the car (the GLX CVT) I wasn't over enamoured with the idea of a little pump taking the place of a spare wheel, so I ordered the small space-saver wheel and have installed that, and also kept little pump as an extra backup!!

Many thanks for your response.

[xylophone]

Problem solved, thanks to culicine’s explanation and another look through the user guide, armed with the newly acquired information.

It would appear that the Suzuki Swift will run on 91 gasohol E 10 or E 20, or 95 gasohol E 10 or E 20, so that gives a broad range of fuels which I can put in the tank.

It did run all right on 91 gasohol (not sure whether E 10 or E 20) so I will now ensure that I plump for 91 gasohol E 10 in the future
and stick with it unless new information comes to light.

Cheers.