Suzuki Swift Review

Busy motoring mum Melanie test drives new Suzuki Swift at EMC

Melanie Verth is a busy mum with two children who is also a Partner within the residential property department at Gaby Hardwicke Solicitors, a long-established East Sussex law firm offering a wide range of legal services to businesses and individuals.

Her current car is a Suzuki Splash which she originally chose due to its practicality more than style.

She needs a cheap (but reliable) small car to run around in as well as running the kids to school and clubs as well as getting her to work and appointments on time.

Melanie is now looking for a new car so she visited her nearest Suzuki dealership in Eastbourne, FOXY Lady Approved Eastbourne Motoring Centre who then suggested she took a lengthy test drive in the new Suzuki Swift.

Melanie agreed that the Swift had all the features she’d want in her next car so this is her car review after she took up this test drive offer from EMC.


Melanie’s Car Review of the Suzuki Swift

“I have recently started to look for a new car and would say that my main considerations are safety and reliability. However, it is also important that the car looks good and is economic to run.

“Eastbourne Motoring Centre gave me the opportunity to test drive and review the new Suzuki Swift 1.0 SZ5 Boosterjet SHVS MT. The price of the car is around £13,000 (NB: before FOXY Lady Drivers Club’s affinity discount).

First impressions of the Swift

“On first impression I loved the look of the car. It had a 2 colour metallic paint finish with a blue body and silver roof. There were also tinted rear windows and silver alloys which made the car look very stylish and more than standard.

Practical features of the Swift

“Inside the Swift was plenty of room for all my passengers and a huge boot space for a weekly shop and the kids’ stuff. The seats were very comfortable and easy to adjust for the optimum driving position.

“The keyless access to the car was something that I was really looking forward to using. I usually carry 101 things in my car and to have the ability to open the car without having to find the key was a real plus.

“The car also benefits from a keyless start. I found this a bit difficult to get used to and at one point I was sitting trying to leave for a few minutes unable to start the engine… but this was more down to user error (I didn’t have my foot on the clutch…) than any fault of the system itself.

Road handling of the Swift

“I drove the Swift in wet and dry conditions and found that it handled really well. Although only a 1 litre engine, the Boosterjet system made it feel a lot more powerful. I loved this feature and the fact that it added a faster, zippier drive without compromising on economy is a real plus factor.

Onboard Technology

“The on-board media system is also probably standard in today’s market but the fact that I do not have this in my current car really made me appreciate how much easier a drive can be with all the added extras.

“Linking my phone via Bluetooth to the car enabled me to access my music direct to the sound system which is essential to ensure that the kids are kept happy on a long journey.

“The voice controlled Sat Nav took a bit of getting used to but, once I had sussed out how to describe where I wanted to go, we were off and this soon became a familiar feature.

Suggestions for improvement to the Swift?

“The only thing that I might change about the Swift were the handles to the rear doors. These were integrated into the top of the rear passenger door and although they looked stylish this did make it difficult for the kids to open, meaning I was needed more often than usual. Although they’d probably get used to this in time…

Melanie’s Verdict about the new Swift

“Quite frankly there is no comparison between my existing car and the Swift. I am looking for a new car and the test drive has left me so impressed that I am considering it as an option to replace the Splash. (Especially after the FOXY Lady Drivers Club affinity discount for Club members).

“Overall I would give the car a 9 out of 10.”


Like Melanie, we don’t give cars 10 out or 10 because we’ve yet to find any totally perfect car to meet specific lifestyle challenges so a mark of 9 out of 10 is probably as good as it gets.

Thank you Melanie, for such a balanced review. Please call Eastbourne Motoring Centre on Tel: 01323 745321 to arrange your Suzuki test drive. Fantastic offers now available!