Used Suzuki Swace (Mk1, 2020-date) buyer’s guide: a cheap and dependable estate car

Verdict

Given that it’s essentially a Toyota product, the Suzuki Swace is built in Burnaston, Derbyshire. Many Suzukis are sold because official dealers form relationships with customers, who don’t necessarily care about having the latest gadgets; they want something that’s reliable, sensibly priced and decent value for money. The Swace ticks all of these boxes, adding low running costs as well. There are alternatives that can provide their owners with more flair or better dynamics, but if low running costs and dependability are your priorities, the Swace is certainly worth a closer look.

Badge engineering has been around for decades, and so have collaborations between car makers. But with profits being squeezed in the modern era, it has become essential to pool resources, which is exactly what Suzuki did when it took the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports estate and stuck on its own badges to come up with a compact estate. 

When the Swace arrived four years ago – hot on the heels of the Across, a rebadged RAV4 – it bolstered the ranks of a relatively small segment: the compact estate. No Suzukis sell in big numbers, so the Swace is a very low-profile car. That doesn’t mean it’s any less worthy, though, because while it’s unexciting in many ways, there’s still plenty that appeals.

History

The Swace was launched in the UK in November 2020, with a 121bhp 1.8-litre hybrid petrol powertrain mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. 

At first the only two trims were SZ-T and SZ5, but in April 2023 a revised Swace reached showrooms in Motion and Ultra forms. This updated car had extra power (now 138bhp), refreshed exterior styling and more standard equipment, such as bi-LED projector headlights for Ultra editions.

On the road

A hybrid powertrain means the Swace is in its element around town, where the car can run for short bursts in electric mode. High-speed journeys, such as on the motorway, can increase fuel consumption. The CVT auto gearbox isn’t particularly pleasant under hard acceleration, but on the whole the Swace is pretty good dynamically, with a comfortable ride and decent levels of refinement. The handling is acceptable, rather than engaging.

Which one should I buy?

With no choice of running gear, it’s really just a question of working out what colour and trim level you want. Having said that, the facelifted Swace from spring 2023 does have more power and a little more equipment than earlier models, but only you can decide whether it’s worth paying a premium for one of these newer cars. 

Suzuki has only ever offered two trim levels at a time, and there were no options, so almost all that separates one Swace from another is the colour, of which seven were offered. 

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Entry-level cars came with dual-zone climate control, a seven-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heating for the front seats and steering wheel, a rear parking camera and adaptive cruise control. Top-spec cars added keyless entry, Park Assist, front and rear parking sensors, a Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and a wireless phone charger. From July 2024, the Ultra also came with navigation.

Alternatives to the Suzuki Space

The obvious rival is Toyota’s Corolla Touring Sports, which is far more common and also came with the option of a stronger 181bhp 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain. The Ford Focus is another widely available estate, which is engaging to drive, good value and looks smart, while the SEAT Leon shares those attributes and comes with some efficient engines, too. 

The Kia Ceed SW is comfortable and refined, well equipped and backed by a great warranty, while the Volkswagen Golf comes with some really good engines and has generally excellent build quality. Other compact estates you could consider include the Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia, although the last one isn’t very compact at all.

What to look for

Safe & sound

Owners in forums are mostly impressed with the Swace’s safety kit, but the adaptive cruise control can sometimes react slowly to traffic ahead.

At your service

It’s worth having your Swace maintained by an official dealer, because each annual service brings 12 months of AA breakdown cover. Although you’re unlikely to need it…

On the pull

If you’re aiming to tow a trailer or small caravan, you might be out of luck, because the Swace is limited to pulling just 750kg. Most rivals can haul a ton or more.

Lucky seven

The Swace comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. However, if you have your car serviced at an official dealer, this is extended by 12 months each year, up to seven years or 100,000 miles.

Interior

The Swace’s cabin is exactly as you’d expect of any Toyota interior: full of high-quality materials and with a user-friendly design and just a hint of hi-tech kit here and there. Until July 2024 the Swace came with a seven-inch touchscreen display, which was upgraded to the 10.5-inch unit from the Corolla; it works fine, but the graphics are fussy and dated, while you have to delve into an array of sub-menus to set up some of the car’s features. 

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Cabin space is good, though, with enough head and legroom for three adults to fit in the back – as long as they’re not unusually tall. With the back seats in use, the boot can swallow 596 litres, but drop them down and the capacity jumps to a hefty 1,606 litres.

Running costs

Service intervals are every 12 months or 9,000 miles, with the first six services priced individually. Prices range between £158 and £372, apart from service number six, which costs £530. From the seventh service it’s simpler, with the schedule running Minor (£149), Interim (£219), Minor (£149), Major (£299). The Swace’s petrol engine is chain-driven so there’s no cambelt to replace. 

Fuel consumption is claimed to average 63mpg, and with the right driving style it’s possible to achieve this. Insurance groups are par for the course, with ratings of 16-18, which are identical to the equivalent Corolla’s. No Swace cost more than £40,000 when new, so you pay the standard £190 per year for road tax, with no luxury supplement to consider.

Recalls

Suzuki has a pretty good record with recalls. Most of those that it has launched in recent years have been aimed at its motorcycles and quad bikes, although there have been some for the Ignis, Baleno, Vitara, Across, Celerio and Swift. 

None have been for the Swace, though, despite the fact that Toyota has issued a couple of recalls for the equivalent Corolla. Both of those were because of faulty eCall software, which was updated using Over The Air tech. 

The recalls aimed at Suzuki’s other models were invariably the result of design or manufacturing problems with particular mechanical components, rather than for software glitches.

Driver Power owner satisfaction

As a niche brand in the UK (with a market share of just 1.4 per cent or so), Suzuki doesn’t sell enough cars to make many appearances in our Driver Power surveys. In the past five years, the only Suzuki to appear has been the Vitara (four times, peaking at 21st in 2020 and 2024). The Swace has never appeared but the Corolla finished seventh in 2020. 

In our 2024 Driver Power Brands survey, Suzuki came 19th out of 32.

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