Introducing the New Suzuki Swift Hatchback: It’s Super Efficient!
If you’re looking at this little hatchback and wondering what decade you woke up in, you’re not alone. A hatchback, with a manual transmission, that’s mainly intended for fuel economy but might also be a little fun when pushed. Modest power, even more modest acceleration? It all sounds like a formula for a 1980s hatchback—those little lumps sometimes unfairly deemed “penalty boxes” but often capable of serving up a big heaping side dish of fun (sometimes unintentionally). But a closer look reveals it’s a hybrid! And it’s brand new. This is the Suzuki Swift Hybrid, freshly redone for Europe. And of course, you can’t have one.
Swift 2024
Swift
In a world where Suzuki still sold cars, many of us would opt for the rugged Jimnys. But in this alternate reality, some might give the efficient Swift a try. The previous Swift, while not a hybrid, was known for its affordable price, cheerful vibe, and sporty feel, making it a tempting choice.
The Swift Hybrid is not expressly sporty, but it is very light. Suzuki pegs the curb weight at a bantam 2,092 pounds. That certainly helps with its impressive fuel economy—64.2 mpg on the optimistic European test cycle, courtesy of a 1.2-liter inline-three that proves out to just 81 horsepower and 83 lb-ft of torque. (On the EPA test cycle, it’d be very roughly 20 percent less than this—a still-impressive 56 mpg.) The hybrid hardware is mild, a 12-volt system offering 44 lb-ft of twist from a starter-generator unit and a 10 aH battery. Suzuki says the hardware adds just 15 pounds to the vehicle, but how much it adds to the Swift Hybrid’s overall efficiency is left unsaid.
The fourth-generation Swift debuted in Tokyo late last year, and it’s a fresh little number overall with a prominent grille, angular headlights, and a no-frills overall shape that doesn’t stray far from the decades-old economy hatch formula. It’s handsome, overall, and should be a good canvas for the inevitable hotter versions that have defined our interest (from afar) in the little Swift. It’s certainly grown a lot from the mainly miserable little vehicle that, decades ago, was sold here as the Swift, Chevrolet Metro, and later as a Geo Metro.
Maruti Swift 2024 is expected to be launched in India in April 2024 with an estimated price of
₹ 6 Lakh.
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