What is it?
We tested the latest, fourth-generation Suzuki Swift on Business Motoring shortly after its launch in 2024, but for this review we are focusing on the latest AllGrip variant that has recently joined the range, and on why all-wheel-drive (AWD) cars in general should perhaps not be dismissed lightly by the company car buyer.
Suzuki recently held an event marking 55 years since it made its first car with traction on all four wheels. Now this might seem an odd number to mark a celebration, but the event, staged at an off-road arena on top of a Welsh mountain, did highlight how AWD can be a significant safety aid – something that is becoming more relevant as climate change increases the likelihood of drivers facing more extreme weather conditions on a regular basis.
While one of the smallest of the Japanese brands, Suzuki has always enjoyed a reputation for its wide use of AWD, with most of its models offering versions with the facility. This reviewer recalls getting new tyres fitted to the family’s example of the Ignis, Suzuki’s quirky and appealing micro SUV, and the tyre supplier exclaiming with the car on the ramp: “Wow, it’s four-wheel drive!”
So why should one consider going the AWD route? Most will equate such a facility with the ability to keep on driving across muddy fields when typical two-wheel drive cars get stuck and have to be pulled out by a tractor – something the family Ignis excelled in on several occasions escaping from rain-soaked race meetings… But the extra traction can also be a big aid in general driving.
The Charman family bought an AWD car because we live up a hill in a rural part of mid Wales – we don’t get much snow in winter but we do get a lot of rain, muddy roads that turn to icy skating rinks in those months, while as mentioned the prospect of bad weather and more dangerous driving conditions is something we can experience all year round.
Suzuki has offered AWD on UK-market versions of the Swift since 2013, and the latest version, newly added to the fourth-generation model launched last year uses a similar auto version of the ‘Allgrip’ AWD system, like the Ignis. In normal use it behaves like any front-wheel-drive car but once it senses any lack of grip it automatically transfers torque to the rear wheels. The result is more effective and safer control, especially in corners, no matter what the surface.
Unfortunately the Allgrip version in the Swift does not have two additional features that were present on the recently axed Ignis – Grip Control, an electronic device that activates on slippery surfaces at speeds of less than 18mph to further aid traction, and hill descent control to safety negotiate steep downwards gradients when off road. But then again the Swift was never meant to be an off-road car…
To get a Swift with Allgrip you have to choose the top-specification Ultra trim level, the car priced from £22,049 – £1,250 more than the two-wheel-drive Ultra model. The only significant differences from the standard Motion trim (apart from the extra traction of course) are automatic instead of manual air conditioning, a rear heater outlet and electrically folding door mirrors.
Apart from that, the specification replicates that of the Motion, a car sold on its long standard equipment list, extending to adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and start, a wireless smartphone link and a parking camera.
The safety specification is strong too – ADAS driver aids include a blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert, while the car also qualifies for Suzuki’s service-activated warranty, extending the standard three years up to seven years or 100,000 miles so long as the car is looked after by a Suzuki dealer.
What do we think of it?
In terms of the look and general layout of the Suzuki Swift Allgrip we can do no better than refer the reader to our test of the two-wheel-drive Swift in 2024 – there is nothing visual to separate the two cars. The mechanical differences are very much under the skin.
Inside, the same and effective combination of high-mounted infotainment touchscreen and physical buttons is slightly angled towards the driver and intuitive to use. Similarly, while the Swift is not one of the biggest superminis, the space in front and back is adequate for the category.
It’s only on the road where there are any significant differences between two and all-wheel drive versions of the Swift. The extra mechanicals of course mean extra weight (though only by 73kg) and so the car takes 1.7 seconds longer to get to 62mph, passing the marker in 13.6 seconds. Emissions are up too, but by a mere 4g/km to 110g/km.
The Allgrip also rides slightly higher than its sibling, the ground clearance 140mm compared to 115mm, and while this could lead to more rolling in corners the suspension is fairly, but not dramatically, stiff, keeping the body usefully upright.
Suzuki’s small cars have long been regarded as providing adequate ride comfort which doesn’t quite match some rivals, and while this aspect of the cars has improved in recent years, the Allgrip does not quite match up to the 2WD models, being a bit bouncy at speed – though not to any major level. Apart from that there is nothing to differentiate the car on the road from the 2WD version.
Where you will feel the difference is when the road conditions become more challenging, and this is where the Swift Allgrip scores – it’s no Ignis and you won’t want to do take on any significant off-roading in it, but a trip around a course on the anniversary event that included a surface of extensive loose scree proved the Swift to be more capable in such conditions than one might expect.
If you are a company car driver whose work or home life involves significant motoring in more rural areas, then the Swift 4×4, or indeed any 4×4 model, should not be discounted from your chooser list. At best, it will make meeting appointments easier when the weather is not playing ball, while it could in certain situations prove an essential safety aid.
Business Motoring Test Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.
