Suzuki’s mid-2018 launch of its third-generation Swift was perfectly timed to take advantage of the major buy-down trend in the South African car market that is still gathering steam 18 months later. Swift sales have ranged between 400 and 500 units a month of late, enabling Suzuki Auto SA to gain a spot in SA’s top 10 list of manufacturers.
New range built in India
The latest Swift in GA and GL guise is built in Suzuki’s plant in India, and is a much lighter car than previously. At the time of the launch it was reported that the new car weighed some 95 kg less than the previous Swift. The current 1.2 model Swift weighs in at only 875 kg, which enables it to deliver sprightly performance despite enjoying outputs of just 61 kW and 113 Nm of torque from its 1,2-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine.
Suzuki specced both its new-generation 1,2-litre GA and GL models in fairly basic levels of trim. Neither of them have alloy wheels, for instance, although both models come with 2 airbags, ABS, electric windows and air-con. The GL has a more sophisticated audio system too.
An “auto” version is offered (but not on the GA) and this features a five-speed manual gearbox with electro-hydraulic automatic clutch operation, giving customers the option of two-pedal driving.
Related: Pre-launch road test! The new Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL
The GLX and the 1.4T Sport
In August 2019 Suzuki added a third model derivative, the GLX. This adds a fair bit of luxury trim to the Swift, including alloy wheels with185/65 R15 rubber. Other lux items include an infotainment touch screen, automatic climate control, rear park sensors and keyless entry with a stop-go button.
A month or so prior to the GLX launch, Suzuki introduced the Swift’s range-topping model, the 1.4T Sport. This is a 103 kW turbocharged model with a much more up-market feel to the standard Swift range, and is actually assembled in Japan.
Pricing
The Indian-built models have enabled Suzuki to keep Swift pricing way down. In fact, the range kicks off with the base 1.2 GA model at R164 900 which places it amongst the cheapest cars on offer in South Africa.
Next up is the 1.2 GL at R181 900, with the 1.2 GL Automatic at R195 900. The 1.2 GLX manual costs R199 900 and the 1.2 GLX Automatic costs R214 900.
Then there is quite a big price leap to the Japanese-built 1.4T Sport, which is an excellent little pocket rocket. This weighs in at R315 900 for the 103 kW car fitted with a 6-sp-eed manual gearbox. The automatic version costs R335 900.
Which Suzuki Swift trim holds its resale value best?
Suzuki Swifts in fact enjoy excellent re-sale value retention. Last year we published figures which saw trade prices average from R130 000 for a 2015 model to R163 000 for a 2019 model. These averages included all model derivatives prior to the launch of the more-expensive GLX and the 1.4T Sport.
Related: How much is your used Suzuki Swift worth?.
According to Suzuki Auto South Africa, the greatest new-car demand is for the Swift 1.2 GL manual derivative, with the GA manual model being the next most popular. This followed by the GL Automatic, then the new 1.2 GLX manual, the GLX Auto and finally by the sporty 1.4T Sport. Both the GLX versions and the 1.4T Sport are gaining popularity, and in the Sport configuration the Automatic is expected to ienjoy increasing demand.
Used-car demand follows these new-car trends, so it follows that the model with the best value-retention will be the Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL manual. AutoTrader currently lists close to 450 New and Used Suzuki Swift models for sale, ranging in age from the latest 2020 models to the first-generation models available from 2008.
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