Instead of giving the Suzuki Swift a radically different look from its predecessor, the exterior of the Swift is instantly familiar with what went before. The fundamental details of the old car remain, even if they’ve moved around a bit to deliver a more substantial look. There’s a choice of eight metallic paint options (including the free Flame Orange Pearl metallic), with four of those colours available with either a grey or black contrast roof.

While the designers admit they’ve taken an evolutionary approach with the exterior, the inside is considered more of a revolution. It’s light, colourful, and driver-oriented, with well-laid-out controls. It comes with analogue dials that are clear and easy to read, and we approve of the physical switches for the climate control and some of the safety functions, all of which are much easier to use on the move than the touchscreen-only Peugeot 208.

Unfortunately, the lower price of the Swift means that the savings have to come somewhere, and the interior certainly feels like it has been built down to a price because there are plenty of cheap plastics to contend with. The use of light-coloured plastics helps a little to disguise this and break up the monotony of dark grey plastic, but the fake metallic elements look and feel cheap – and a large section of this material on the steering wheel is always within touching distance.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The standard infotainment system with its nine-inch display is a bit old school, too. The functionality is all there – with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in navigation and a reversing camera – but the graphics and layout are closer to what you’d get on an aftermarket head unit from Halfords. It’s not as responsive as the set-up in a Hyundai i20, either. Wireless phone charging isn’t available on any version of Swift.

All Swift trims feature a six-speaker audio system with a DAB digital radio and USB/Bluetooth for media streaming.

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Richard Ingram

Deputy editor

Richard has been part of the team for over a decade. During this time he has covered a huge amount of news and reviews for Auto Express, as well as being the face of Carbuyer and DrivingElectric on Youtube. In his current role as deputy editor, he is now responsible for keeping our content flowing and managing our team of talented writers.