New Suzuki Swift Allgrip 2025 review: why bother with an SUV?

Verdict

If you distill the rationale of any modern SUV, most of us would need nothing more than the Suzuki Swift Allgrip. This charming supermini comes with an efficient hybrid petrol engine, spacious interior and all the tech you could reasonably want, with the added capability of a capable all-wheel-drive system that’ll laugh in the face of wind, rain and snow. It’s not flash, but to many that’ll be part of its appeal. 

Suzuki has a habit of cutting through the fluff in offering customers the sort of car they need, not what they think they need. The Swift Allgrip is a case in point, because while superminis from across the spectrum are being dressed up to resemble an SUV, or just turned into them wholesale, Suzuki is doing the exact opposite with its all-wheel-drive Swift, which wears its supermini clothes as a secret disguise. 

Under the Allgrip’s cute bodywork, which is identical to the standard front-wheel-drive car, is a full-time all-wheel-drive system and extra ground clearance. It’s powered by the same 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a small hybrid drive unit, here matched to a five-speed manual; the 2WD’s optional CVT is not available here. 

Peak power is rated at a very sensible 81bhp, and there’s just 112Nm of torque at a relatively lofty 4,500rpm, but then at just 1,047kg there’s little mass to move, so its 13.6-second 0-62mph time isn’t too off the pace. 

Used - available now

2021 Suzuki

Swift

6,298 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,499

View Swift

2019 Suzuki

Swift

20,200 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £10,299

View Swift

2021 Suzuki

Swift

31,100 milesManualPetrol1.2L

Cash £10,100

View Swift

2019 Suzuki

Swift

36,043 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £8,199

View Swift

On the road, the Swift needs to pull its socks up to pull out onto A-roads or perform overtakes, but in gentler situations it’s fast enough to keep up with traffic. The hybrid system doesn’t get too involved with accelerative duties, and its regenerative braking isn’t that intrusive, but a little more engine-off running would be nice. 

If you're tempted, you can find the very best Suzuki Swift deals via our Find a Car service. You can also find great prices on used Suzuki Swift models.

What is nice is how intuitive the whole car feels right from the get go. The clutch is light, but the bite point is well placed, which makes it easy to pull away smoothly from a standstill. It’s doubly impressive when you remember the Allgrip has a permanent all-wheel-drive system – there’s no Subaru-like balancing of the pedals to stop the clutch slipping. This does have a compromise performance, however, because its ability to reduce low-speed jerkiness makes the engine feel a little lethargic when accelerating and changing gear. 

The five-speed manual ’box itself is a slick little unit, with an accurate and short throw between gears, but it could so with a sixth gear because highway running has the engine spinning at nearly 4,000rpm at motorway speeds. This isn’t just grating over long distances, but also harms the efficiency. 

The good news is that with such a low kerb weight, fuel economy is still pretty good. Suzuki claims 57.9mpg combined, which is only 2-3mpg down on the front-wheel-drive Swift. We found this figure to be achievable, too, returning 60mpg on A and B-roads. Sustained motorway speeds will see this drop, but fundamentally this is an efficient car. 

Another benefit of the low kerb weight is how the Swift drives. Make no mistake, this isn’t a hot hatchback, and with the added ride height and soft springs it’s not quite as agile or fun to drive as the two-wheel-drive Swift, but it’s much better than you’d expect by just looking at it. 

Its combination of handling traits will serve it well when the roads get tougher. In fact, small, twisting and challenging roads that you’ll find everywhere from the rugged Highlands of Scotland to tiny Alpine backroads in northern Italy are the Swift’s most comfortable arena. And this is where its buying public will likely reside. 

The cabin is surprisingly stylish and very well equipped. All cars get a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and native navigation. There’s also climate control, two USB ports, adaptive cruise control, heated driver and passenger seats and even LED headlights. There are a few nods to the old-school, such as the analogue instruments, but whether it's just the fatigue of all new cars featuring endless digital displays, or the fact that they just work, it doesn’t detract from the cabin experience. 

Space is also excellent, with good space up front and plenty of small-item storage, plus a capacious rear bench that’ll fit two adults or three kids without complaint. The boot space is compromised as a result, with only 265 litres of space, but the rear seats flip down to expand this space to a more usable 589 litres. 

Suzuki has done extremely well to integrate lots of active safety equipment, including all the latest kit including lane-keep assist and warning, rear-cross traffic alert, a driver monitoring system and six airbags, but there are a couple of caveats. 

To comply with 2024 European safety rules, the Swift has speed-limit sign recognition that alerts the driver when there’s a limit change or if you exceed it. All new cars have this distracting feature, but in the Swift you can only switch it off when the car’s at a stop – and it takes far too long to do so via a fiddly menu structure. The other issue is the Swift’s average three-star Euro NCAP safety rating, which some will find hard to overlook.

Specs:

Top Suzuki deals

Suzuki Swift

New Suzuki SwiftFrom £213 ppm**

Suzuki Across

New Suzuki AcrossFrom £523 ppm**

Suzuki Vitara

New Suzuki Vitara