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| Home » Suzuki Swift News » Road Test Suzuki Swift 1.5 GLX | ||
| 11/08/2005 Suzuki says that the new Swift, which went on sale in the UK in April 2005, is one of the most significant cars it has produced in recent years. It's certainly a big improvement over what has gone before, and it needs to be if Suzuki is to reclaim the ground it has lost to rival manufacturers lately. The car tested here is nearly the most expensive Swift you can buy. There's a case for saying it's the most interesting, since the only model above it is basically the same car with a four-speed automatic transmission. The case for the automatic seems limited, though no doubt there are those of you who would prefer it. Personally, I'd rather stick with the five-speed manual version, which comes in at a fraction under £9000 as long as you avoid the temptation of optional metallic paint for an extra £275. The new Swift range is simple, the place of the 1.5 GLX within it easily told. There are two engine options - this one, with variable valve timing, and a simpler and less powerful 1.3-litre unit - along with two trim levels and two transmissions. The 1.3 doesn't get the automatic box, and it's available exclusively as a GL, while all the 1.5-litre Swifts are in the higher GLX specification. Differences in equipment are small but in most cases significant. The GLX gets alloy wheels, front foglights, air-conditioning, an exhaust tailpipe extension (that, you'll realise, isn't one of the significant changes) and a keyless entry and start system. I'm slightly suspicious of the latter after the night when I clumsily left the control unit inside the car and discovered the following morning that the battery was almost completely flat, leaving self and significant other with no option but to push-start the car. ITV Motoring |