After being announced for the Japanese domestic market earlier, the Suzuki Swift makes a global appearance at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, in its Euro-spec avatar. Set to replace the current generation Swift, the all-new car is lighter, feature-rich, and for the first time in a non-sport version, gets an optional turbocharged petrol engine, too.
As we mentioned in our earlier report, the next-generation Swift carries on with the same silhouette as the current car but with new front- and rear-end styling. It sits wider and lower than before, helping its sporting stance, and has enough to keep the new-age customer happy: LED headlamps with DRLs, seven body colours, optional 16-inch wheels, and even a door handle hidden neatly in the C-pillar.
The interior follows the all-new theme, with major design changes in comparison to whatever Maruti (or Suzuki, for that matter) sells. There’s a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, climate control knobs with LED readouts, a new flat-bottomed steering wheel, etc.
Engine range for the European market comprises a 1.2-litre petrol (with or without Suzuki’s mild-hybrid SHVS unit) and a 1-litre turbocharged petrol (Boosterjet, that debuted on the Baleno RS in India recently). The car is front-wheel drive but there’s the optional AWD system available as well – as was the case in the JDM-spec car. Since it makes little sense elsewhere, don’t expect India to get it, either.
But where the Swift shines is its lack of weight. According to the company data, the lightest one of them all tips the scales at just 840 kilos (kerb weight). The 0-100 kph time of the Dualjet petrol is 11.0 seconds, while the Boosterjet-equipped (which weighs 925 kilos at the max) manages the feat in 10 seconds.
Mega-want!!!
