Suzuki

Swace

The Suzuki Swace is a five-door estate car that is competitively priced and generously equipped. It offers impressively low running costs which will be attractive to both business and private owners. The Swace has been developed in collaboration with Toyota.

The good

Well equipped, attractive and practical estate car that won't break the bank

The bad

Rivals offer more exciting handling

Tech Specs

Price from

£28,999

Combined Fuel up to

62.7mpg

0-62 from

9.4 seconds

max speed up to

112mph

co2 from

102g/km

Test Drive

Suzuki Swace – First Drive (2023)

A quick glance in the direction of the Suzuki Swace and you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a Toyota Corolla. That’s because beneath the surface, that’s exactly what this car is.

Yes, it has some design tweaks and Suzuki badging, but the Swace is the result of a collaboration between the two companies. This is becoming more common in the industry with manufacturers sharing technology and helping to save costs.

The latest Corolla line-up recently gained Toyota’s fifth-generation self-charging hybrid electric technology delivering lots more power to the mix, along with some upgraded on-board systems and extra safety features. So, in true sharing fashion, that means the 2023 front-wheel drive Swace also gains all these new improvements.

While the Corolla is available in hatchback and Touring Sports (estate) body styles and with the option of two powertrains, the Swace has less choice. It’s an estate design and powered by a 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with two trim levels. These are new and called Motion, costing £28,999 and Ultra, £30,799 and they replace the outgoing SZ-T and SZ5 specifications.

New Swace features the recently upgraded hybrid system which sees power levels in the electric motor increasing from 53kW to 70kW and torque levels boosted from 163Nm to 185Nm.

This has resulted in a 32 per cent increase in power with new Swace offering 102PS and 142Nm of torque. It also means the car is faster, shaving almost two seconds off its 0-62mph sprint time which is now 9.4 seconds. It has a top speed of 112mph, while the only compromise for this new, improved system is a very minimal one g/km increase in carbon emissions which are 102g/km with combined fuel efficiency of 102g/km.

We tested the range-topping Swace Ultra and it was certainly up to the challenge of a drive through the Peak District. While the acceleration is not blisteringly quick, the extra power is noticeable and there was ample zip to overtake slower-moving vehicles. The low centre of gravity results in a nicely balanced and grounded ride with plenty of grip through twisting bends.

The CVT box is relatively smooth but does get a little vocal if pushed too hard or on steep climbs, but otherwise it works well. The driver can flick through drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport that change the handling characteristics of the car slightly, and an EV setting allows you to drive in pure electric mode with power coming from the battery pack.

With estate-car proportions, the Swace has plenty of road presence and boasts smooth streamlining and a few Suzuki-specific designs to distinguish it from the Corolla. These include a trademark grille design and fog lights, along with Suzuki emblems. These compliment the LED light clusters, privacy glass, 16-inch polished alloys, spoiler and roof rails.

The interior is practical and clutter free with comfortable cloth seats that can be heated, along with the steering wheel, to fend off the winter chill.

The main focal point is an eight-inch infotainment screen offering access to a number of on-board features. There is no sat nav, but most people these days use a smartphone for directions and this car has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mobile connectivity. Other features include a newly-designed seven-inch digital cluster with three display modes, DAB radio, Bluetooth and rear parking camera.

There is dual-zone air conditioning, along with an S-FLOW Control system that detects where occupants are seated and only supplies air conditioning to those zones. Clever stuff.

In true estate fashion, the Swace stretches more than 4.6 metres in length and has ample space for four adults, or five at a bit of a squeeze. The boot has a capacity that ranges from 596 litres to 1,232 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped forward. The boot floor is reversible with a resin-based coating on one side that can be wiped clean after carrying muddy boots or the likes, and this floorboard can also be lowered to accommodate taller items.

Elsewhere there are the usual storage compartments throughout the cabin, along with a wireless charging pad and USB-C ports to keep devices connected and charged on the move.

Additional safety features have been added to the car and these include an upgraded pre-collision system with improved range and detection ability. The driver condition monitor is also more effective and will now bring the car to a safe standstill and activate the hazard lights if it detects a problem. And there is a safe exit assist system that works with the blind spot monitor and prevents doors from being opened into the path of passing cars or cyclists.

Suzuki has also enhanced the warranty options for Swace customers. The standard three-year, 60,000-mile package can be extended free-of-charge to seven years or 100,000 miles provided the car is serviced at a Suzuki workshop.

So all in all, the latest Swace is quite a catch with its styling, on-board tech and performance. Plus you get all those decades of Toyota’s know-how in hybrid development thrown in.

It would be fair to ask what Toyota get in return for this platform-sharing and the answer is quite simple. Suzuki has established itself in markets such as India and that means, through this joint venture, Suzuki-badged Toyotas will be reaching those areas too.

Test Drive

Suzuki Swace SZ5 – First Drive (2021)

Manufacturer collaborations are becoming more common place these days and the latest vehicle to be launched by Suzuki, called the Swace, is the second new model developed under the business alliance with Toyota.

It comes hot on the heels of the Suzuki Across which was a reworked Toyota RAV4 and the Swace is heavily based on the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Estate, but with a Suzuki signature front end.

The five-door car is manufactured here in the UK and is on sale in two generously-equipped trim levels called SZ-T costing £27,499 and SZ5 priced at £29,299. There is currently a special offer running until the end of June 2021, whereby customers can get a £3,000 saving on each model.

Powering the Swace is a punchy 1.8-litre, four cylinder, petrol unit delivering 102PS. The electric motor has an output of 53kW with 163Nm of torque to produce a combined 122hp and those figures translate into a 0-62mph sprint time of 11.1 seconds and maximum speed of 112mph.

It has a CVT transmission, but can be driven in EV-only mode over relatively short distances and boasts impressive fuel efficiency with a combined 64.2mpg and carbon emissions of 103g/km.

When it comes to the design, the Swace is realistically a Toyota Corolla with some Suzuki tweaks, including the company’s signature grille and fog lamp bezels plus some Suzuki badging. These complement the streamlined styling of the car with its rear privacy glass, roof rails, rear spoiler and 16-inch alloy wheels.

The interior is feature-rich with a wealth of on-board kit to explore – all of which will be very familiar to anyone who has driven the latest Corolla. There is an eight-inch multi-media touchscreen with full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This is really practical as neither Swace models come with built-in navigation.

Additional creature comforts in the SZ-T version include heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a rearview parking camera, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, seven airbags and a pre-collision braking system. There is Bluetooth, a six-speaker sound system and USB sockets to plug in devices.

Step up to the SZ5 and you gain simple intelligent park assist with front and rear sensors, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a centre console tray with wireless charger and smart door locking.

The cabin has an upmarket, clutter-free feel with ambient lighting and a rather clever S-FLOW air conditioning system with occupant detection whereby the air con is not activated where it is not needed.

However, unlike the Corolla, which is on sale in saloon, hatchback and touring body styles and with a choice of powertrain systems, the Swace is simply on sale in estate guise with just the 1.8-litre engine. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it means customers are not faced with a decision overload.

And as one would expect from a Toyota-based set-up, the hybrid system works really well. Admittedly, the Swace is not the fastest estate car out there, but the high-end SZ5 version we drove was exceptionally comfortable and very pleasant to drive with excellent all-round driver visibility.

It’s agile in busy town centres as it weaves its way through the traffic and the camera and all-round sensors help make light work of parking. There is ample power to effortlessly eat up the motorway miles cruising at the national speed limit and the car also copes well out on the open country lanes, although the CVT box does get a little vocal under harder acceleration.

The petrol engine cuts in seamlessly whenever needed, working perfectly in tandem with the electric motor, and there are various drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport that alter the characteristics of the car’s performance.

The road holding is nice and grippy with well weighted steering proving another plus point. I wouldn’t say the Swace is exactly exciting to drive, but it is enjoyable and the car offers plenty of estate practicality with room for four adults to stretch out – five at a bit of a squeeze.

The boot can accommodate 596 litres of kit, a limit increases that to 1,232 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat, and elsewhere there is a cubby box, door bins, front cup holders with two rear ones in the fold-down armrest and a lockable glovebox.

The level of safety kit also impresses on the Swace with the likes of lane departure warning, steering assist, automatic high beam, vehicle sway warning, hill hold control, Isofix fixtures, dynamic radar cruise control and lots more besides.

All in all, the Suzuki Swace is a fabulous addition to the popular car maker’s growing line-up and further proof that these collaborations really do work. And when you factor in the low CO2 figure with its attractive tax breaks, along with excellent fuel economy, the Swace has plenty of all-round appeal for private and business owners alike.