Suzuki Swift: Final report

All good things have to come to an end, and sadly for me it’s time to say farewell to our Suzuki Swift. It’s been one of the most fun diesel cars that we’ve had on our fleet in recent years, and it’s cost us peanuts to run. As a result, the last nine months with KS11 FSE have simply flown by.

In fact, it’s testimony to the little supermini’s charm and ability that it’s clocked up more than 9,000 miles in its short time with us – which meant it was due its first service before we handed over the keys to a new owner. Fortunately, this experience was as hassle-free as everything else about the car, with almost the whole process being completed online.

By logging on to www.suzuki.co.uk I could access the quick and easy forms for arranging a service. I simply entered my name, E-mail address and the car’s registration number, before being asked to select either my favourite dealer or one close by. I plumped for EMG, based in Epsom, Surrey, because it’s just down the road from where I live.

So far so good. Clicking the ‘continue’ button brought me to the page showing the fixed-price servicing menu – the scheduled maintenance was listed at a reasonable £174.98. There was also an option to highlight any other work that needed doing, which was handy as the engine warning light had just come on.

Once this is done, you choose the time and date you want the car looked at. Better still, if you live within a 20-mile radius of the garage, Suzuki will collect and return your vehicle – or arrange a courtesy car – for a fee of just £10.

Once all the details had been filled in, I hit ‘send’. A few days later, I received an E-mail with confirmation of my service booking and the time that my car would be collected. Easy.

The car was collected at 8.30am on my chosen day and returned that afternoon looking better than ever, thanks to a complimentary valet. The service sheet revealed the oil and filter had been changed, while the brakes and fluid levels had been checked and topped up. EMG also reset the engine warning light, which I was told illuminates as a reminder that a service is due.

This painless service experience neatly summarised our time with the Suzuki Swift. It’s been a dependable little runaround that has demonstrated the sort of frugal running costs which would satisfy even the most penny-pinching motorists.

Yet it was also fun to drive, refined and reasonably practical – although we’d have liked a bigger boot and rear seats that fold completely flat. We’d also have welcomed the addition of a stop-start function, because this would likely drop the Swift’s CO2 emissions below the 100g/km mark.

However, these are small criticisms. Overall, our time with the Suzuki has been overwhelmingly positive. While I’m sad to see it go, I’ll still be able to get my Swift fix, because we’ve got a racy Sport model to replace it.

Extra Info

“A small boot and cramped rear seats are the only real flaws. If they were fixed, the car would be fighting for class honours.”
Owen Mildenhall, Senior road tester

“My petrol Swift was a good and reliable car. It cost a lot to run, but the customer service was outstanding.”
gavsmit, via www.autoexpress.co.uk