After driving the Swift for the last 3 days, here are my observations & driving impressions.
Being fitted with Goodyear Assurance Duraplus 165/80 R14 85T tyres aids to the ride comfort - with road bumps & imperfections being soaked up quite effectively by the tyres & suspension and isolated from the occupants in the cabin.
The downside of these high-profile tyres - which may also be exacerbated by the vagueness of the electric power steering system (EPAS) in the dead-ahead position - is that the car feels skittish in a straight line and needs constant steering inputs to remain centred in the lane. I checked the tyre pressures just to make sure they were correctly inflated to 2.3 bar all round - as per the door sticker - and they were all OK and at the recommended pressure.
Another disconcerting tendency is that there appears to be almost no engine braking effect at all when you lift off the throttle - especially when going downhill - the car keeps on going at the same speed and you need to apply the brakes to actually slow it down.
The car was fitted with a 1-DIN Pioneer Radio /CD player which had both USB & AUX inputs and very good sound quality with decent bass output from the door speakers. The radio aperture can also accomodate a 2-DIN head unit - which gives one scope to fit a replacement infotainment system with DVD, SatNav, Apple Car Play & Android Auto capabilities, if required.
The instrument cluster doesn't include a rev counter but does have a temperature gauge - a rare inclusion in most modern budget econoboxes. It has a MID with fuel range remaining, Trip A & B odometers, as well as average & instant fuel consumption (in km/l).
There is also a door ajar warning light and a key in ignition / headlight on warning buzzer, and the interior light has a 'theatre dimming' function. The switch panel below the instrument panel on the right only has blank switch covers - and no headlight levelling function is provided there.
The indicator stalk has a 3-flash 'lane change' function, which comes in quite handy in traffic.
Only the front windows are electric, and the driver's door has an 'auto down' function - but no corresponding 'auto up' capability. Only the driver's door window switch is illuminated, but not the passenger window or door lock/unlock buttons.
The glove compartment is also quite small and doesn't have a lock provided.
Boot space is quite small and, as usual in most budget hatchbacks nowadays, there are NO hanger strings provided for the parcel shelf, only a notch on the mounting points, allowing it to be latched in the upright position when loading luggage into the boot.
The central locking has a selective function - driver's door only or all doors & hatch as well. A bonus is there is a button at the bottom of the hatch - between the number plate lights - that allows you to open the boot from outside without having to insert a key - but there is NO interior release for the boot - only for the fuel flap.
Fuel economy was quite good for peak-hour traffic conditions over the 3 days I had the car - I did 145.4 kms and used 9.78 litres, which works out to 6.72 l/100 km or 14.8 km/l - the MID showed an overall fuel consumption for the car of 9.1 km/l (5.23 l/100 km) for a total distance of just over 20,000 kms travelled.
The engine is quite peppy and eager to rev, being a VVT unit, so it is well suited to the cut-and-thrust conditions of urban freeway driving, especially when overtaking slow-moving traffic.
I did find the gear-lever a bit notchy however and reverse was quite difficult to engage correctly. It does have two reverse lights, but there is no central rear fog-light provided - just a blanking plate over the aperture.
Overall, at the end of the day it is an entry-level A-B commuter transport - with a few bells & whistles included to sweeten the deal, but I would be hesitant to take it on an extended journey, due to the constant steering inputs required to keep it in line which could be quite tiring, so it would be best suited as an urban commuter and not as a long-distance highway cruiser.
