Suzuki Swift 2005 News

Industry figures released this week show the real boom in the market has been in four-cylinder cars valued at less than $25,000. Known as the light car segment, sales in the division are up 22.7 per cent for the year to date on last year, while the large car segment is down the same figure. Last month light cars were up by 31.4 per cent on August last year. Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Peter Sturrock says this trend has increased over the past couple of years, with a recent acceleration put down to high petrol prices. "Well, quite simply because they are more fuel efficient, small and less expensive to purchase in the first place and they're less expensive to run," Sturrock says. A total of 10,806 light cars were sold last month and 77,650 sold this year, which is 14,346 more than last year. Leading the line-up is the Toyota Yaris, with a starting price of $14,990, which recorded 2673 sales in August, taking the total to 18,064 for the year to date. Added to this figure are the remaining 304 Echos that Toyota has sold this year, before the nameplate was changed to be consistent with the Yaris badging used in Europe. Hyundai's small Getz, named Australia's Best Small Car for 2005 by Australia's auto clubs, has also achieved an increase in sales, with 1738 models sold last month, and 13,863 for the year, an 18.4 per cent improvement over the same period last year. Getz prices start at $13,990 and stretch to $18,380. The cheapest car on the market, the Holden Barina, starting at $13,490, has the third highest sales for the segment, with 1091 sales in August and 9567 for the year to date. The Barina is followed by the Suzuki Swift, Honda Jazz and Kia Rio, all recording between 5500 and 6800 sales each for the year-to-date and just under 100 sales in August. Sturrock says while fuel prices are contributing to a shift to these cars, good value at a low price is also converting buyers. "The small cars now are very well equipped," he says. "Some years ago they were the basic models, but now they're well equipped with safety and anti-theft, occupant protection, airbags and ABS, and they often have Electronic Stability Control." Features in this segment on cars such as the Yaris and Getz include front airbags, an MP3 compatible CD system, airconditioning, power windows, central locking and ABS. Some even come with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and anti-skid technology. Holden's Barina offers airconditioning as standard, a feature that has to be bought as an option in the $34,990 base model VE Commodore Omega. The Hyundai Getz also offers a five-year/130,000km warranty. Toyota spokesman, Mike Breen, says this segment also offers a good alternative to second-hand cars. "With the options that you can get on a brand new car, plus the new car warranty, it's quite appealing, especially to younger people," he says. And it seems a wide variety of buyers are purchasing these light cars, from students through to families and retirees. Hyundai spokesman Richard Power says its small cars, the Getz and Accent, are finding a market among a variety of drivers. "We get quite a few young people buying it as their first new car and there's loyalty from senior motorists, who don't need a big car any more and are very attracted by the long warranty," he says. Overall, the car market has dropped by 3.4per cent on last year, with 642,383 vehicles sold, a decrease of 22,513 vehicles. August was also down from 2005 by 4516 vehicles. In the small car segment, sales are up 3 per cent year-to-date, with the Toyota Corolla the segment leader with 4147 sales in August and 31,705 Corollas sold this year. But small car sales also experienced a slight drop last month, down 1.3 per cent or 244 vehicles. Sturrock says that although the large car segment is down by 26,461 vehicles, it is still an important part of the market. "It has reduced over time from what it was to where it is today," he says. "But it's still about 25 per cent of the passenger car market. You see very strong interest in the new Holden Commodore and the new Toyota Camry, there's been an excellent reaction." WHAT'S SELLING Toyota Yaris 18,368 Hyundai Getz 13,863 Holden Barina 9567 Suzuki Swift 6703 Honda Jazz 5936 Kia Rio 5579 Ford Fiesta 4407 Mazda2 3934 Hyundai Accent 3593 Mitsubishi Colt 1516 VW Polo 1337 Peugoet 206 1071 Citroen C3 486 Proton Savvy 357 smart fortwo 326 Renault Clio 173 Citroen C2 139 smart forfour 132 Fiat Punto 113 Daihatsu Sirion 40 Proton Satria 9 Suzuki Ignis 1 *Source: VFacts (light car sales 2006 to end August) Note: Yaris sales includes 304 Echo sales THE CHEAPIES Holden Barina from $13,490 Hyundai Getz from $13,990 Proton Savvy from $13,990 Toyota Yaris from $14,990 Hyundai Accent from $15,990 Mitsubishi Colt from $15,990 Suzuki Swift from $15,990 Ford Fiesta from $15,990 Honda Jazz from $15,990 Kia Rio from $15,990 Mazda2 from $16,335 Peugeot 206 from $16,990 VW Polo from $16,990

It takes the top spot from Mitsubishi's crucial new 380 which edged out its family car competitor the Hyundai Sonata by the narrowest of margins. Votes were collated from the motoring editors of carsguide newspapers around Australia. They were asked to rate their top six cars of 2005 based on a best to sixth-best point-scoring system of 10,6,4,3,2 and 1. The little Swift is a worthy winner. It brings bags of fun and value to small-car driving at a time when the segment is already vibrant. Comfortable, sprightly and with styling to suit the market, the Swift is a quality return for a long-lamented badge. Keep tuned for the GTi later this year. The Swift won praise from many writers. Mark Hinchliffe (Brisbane's The Courier Mail) says: ``The Swift's Euro styling, top-build quality and high specification levels at an affordable price make this the leader of a fiercely competitive class.'' Neil Dowling (Perth's The Sunday Times) says: ``The Swift shows cheap doesn't have to mean suspect build quality and it has high levels of safety, equipment and styling that hits the target market right on the head.'' Keith Didham (Hobart's The Mercury) says: ``The real surprise for the year didn't come from any of the big names in the new car game but from often overlooked Suzuki. Its new Swift is affordable, well packaged with standard features, looks good and is fun to drive. What more could you ask for?'' But Mitsubishi's new 380 also rated well with some writers, giving it enough points to finish second overall. Bryan Littlely and Stuart Martin (from Adelaide's The Advertiser) say: ``The 380 does check most of the boxes, particularly impressive is the build quality, interior space, and the 3.8-litre, V6 engine which really delivers.'' Still, I could not fit the 380 into my top six. The sentiment and hype surrounding Mitsubishi's ``saviour'' has been enormous and there is little argument the Adelaide manufacturer has produced a very competent competitor in the large family sedan category. However, dispassionately considered, the 380 is a good car rather than a great one. The models we have had through the test garage have all had minor build quality issues: the 3.8-litre engine is also thirsty and from the front, the car still has design questions unanswered. Easily the biggest improver in the field came from Hyundai. The new Sonata is the most impressive quantum improvement -- model-to-model -- in memory. Design, style, quality and value are all ticking the right boxes at last. Performance from the V6 is all you could ask and let down only by a little vagueness in the steering. A grand effort from the Korean manufacturer. Another to impress is the Volkswagen Golf GTi. The badge has rarely been affixed to a poor one. Certainly a couple of bland ones in the recent past, but this latest model redresses that in spades. It goes hard and sticks harder and all with a good degree of comfort and luxury. Also impressive is the Nissan Murano, a very different take on the SUV. It is really a comfortable, large sedan with command seating, all-wheel drive and certainly a style all its own. A regular contender, Mazda's MX5, is still the benchmark in affordable drop-top sportscars. The latest model is slightly larger, slightly more spacious and slightly more practical. For all that it remains true to the driving dynamics that have stood it apart for almost two decades. Chrysler's 300C has styling that is instantly recognisable and surprisingly practical. The rest of the package is not too shabby either. You could expect a 5.7-litre V8 to be thirsty -- and it is despite Chrysler's multi-displacement technology. Still, you simply have to love the car. Others to rate well (but without making my top half-dozen) included both the Mitsubishi Evo IX and the Subaru 2.5-litre Impreza STi. Both are stunning in their own realm -- but it's a highly restricted realm. For that reason and that reason alone these two little crackers didn't make the final six. BMW's 3 Series is again a segment leader but lost out because as a step forward over the previous models, it was incremental rather than sensational. Porsche's wonderful 911s fall into the same category. It is certainly one of the best drives of the year but with small improvements over what was already one of the auto world's true objects of desire. There were others that came close -- Ford's Focus, the new Lexus IS, Audi's A4, the Range Rover Sport -- but in what was a vintage year for new cars, the six that gained The Daily Telegraph's nod did so in a tight selection process. The Herald-Sun's Paul Gover, meanwhile, gave VW's Golf GTi his top vote. He says: ``There were plenty of worthy contenders among more than 50 newcomers in 2005, including the make-or-break Mitsubishi 380 and even the impressive new Lexus IS250 and GS430. The Golf GTi took my top spot because it proves Volkswagen can still do a great car, as well providing a single vehicle that can be all things to most people. It has plenty of space, a punchy engine, the brilliant DSG manual-matic gearbox, and a six-month waiting list to prove its success in Australia.'' 2004 - Ford Territory 2003 - Honda Accord Euro 2002 - Ford Falcon BA 2001 - Holden Monaro 2000 - Mercedes-Benz C-Class 1999 - Toyota Echo 1998 - Holden Astra 1997 - Holden Commodore VT    carsguide car of the year 2005 1. Suzuki Swift -- 42 points 2. Mitsubishi 380 -- 23 points 3. Hyundai Sonata -- 22 points 4. Volkswagen Golf GTI -- 16 points 5. Lexus IS250 -- 16 points 6. Ford Falcon BF -- 14 points 7. Mazda MX-5 -- 11 points 8. Volkswagen Polo TDI -- 10 points 9. Chrysler 300C, Saab 9-3 Aero, Audi A4, Nissan Murano -- 3 points   Daily Telegraph: Kevin Hepworth 1. Suzuki Swift 2. Hyundai Sonata 3. Volkswagen Golf GTI 4. Nissan Murano 5. Mazda MX-5 6. Chrysler 300C Herald Sun: Paul Gover 1. Volkswagen Golf GTi 2. Suzuki Swift 3. Hyundai Sonata 4. Ford Falcon BF 5. Mitsubishi 380 6. Mazda MX-5 Adelaide Advertiser: Bryan Littlely/Stuart Martin 1. Lexus IS250 2. Mitsubishi 380 3. Mazda6 4. Ford Falcon BF 5. Hyundai Sonata 6. Ford Focus Brisbane Courier Mail: Mark Hinchliffe 1. Volkswagen Polo TDI 2. Hyundai Sonata 3. Ford Falcon BF 4. Ford Territory SY 5. Suzuki Swift 6. Chrysler 300C Perth Sunday Times: Neil Dowling 1. Mitsubishi 380 2. Volkswagen Golf GTI 3. Suzuki Swift 4. Saab 9.3 Aero V6 5. Ford Focus 6. Mitsubishi Evo IX Hobart Mercury: Keith Didham 1. Suzuki Swift 2. Lexus IS250 3. Hyundai Sonata 4. Mitsubishi 380 5. Mazda MX5 6. Mercedes B-Class Townsville Bulletin: Karla Pincott 1. Suzuki Swift 2. Mazda MX-5 3. Ford Falcon BF 4. Audi A4 5. Mitsubishi 380 6. Chrysler 300C