Suzuki Hatch Reviews

It seems that even though we’re a few decades behind Europe (and a few ahead of North America), the forthcoming Toyota GR Yaris – with its turbocharged three-cylinder engine, promise of big performance and super-compact footprint – proves that the baby hot hatch is, indeed, a thing.

The recent launch of Toyota’s Yaris Cross is further proof of the rise and rise of the crossover vehicle. Even the tiniest ones.

The Series II Suzuki Swift is here, with a bare bones entry-level right through to a turbo-powered 1.0-litre. The big news is that the GL Navigator Plus and turbo GLX both have a swag of new safety equipment to level up with Mazda and Kia.

The Suzuki Swift GL Navigator Plus costs $21,490 driveaway, bang-on $1500 more than the GL Navigator.The money all goes to a suite of advanced safety features and is money well-spent. You get 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning, reversing camera, cruise control, cloth interior, remote central locking, auto-down power windows and a space-saver spare.The Plus shares the 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated four cylinder engine with the Navigator, producing 66kW and 120Nm, driving the front wheels through a CVT auto.As part of the Series II upgrade, the GLX scored a big safety upgrade, with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert and you get forward AEB with both low and high speed operation, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning as well as six airbags and the usual ABS and stability controls.The Swift GL Navigator Plus scored five ANCAP stars in 2017.

The entry-level Swift Navigator is the only spec-level available with a manual unless you take the Swift Sport into account.For $18,990 driveaway for the five-speed and $19,990 - also driveaway - for the CVT auto, you get 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning, reversing camera, cruise control, cloth interior, remote central locking, auto-down power windows and a space-saver spare. As part of the Series II upgrade, the GL scored...two more speakers for a total of four, powered by the 7.0-inch touchscreen media and sat nav system that also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.On the safety front, you get six airbags and the usual ABS and stability controls and a reversing camera. The GL scored four ANCAP stars in 2017 as it hasn't got things like AEB.

The GLX turbo scores Suzuki's 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo engine, with a much healthier 82kW and 160Nm driving the front wheels through a six-speed torque converter auto. It's almost a shame there isn't a manual version.The Series II improvements have also brought a solid price jump to $25,410 driveaway, a solid increase on the old model. For your money you get 16-inch alloys, air-conditioning, LED headlights, reversing camera, cruise control, cloth interior, remote central locking, auto-down power windows and a space-saver spare.The GLX has two more speakers than the Navigator and Navigator Plus pair, with a six-speaker stereo powered by the 7.0-inch touchscreen media and sat nav system that also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.As part of the Series II upgrade, the GLX scored a big safety upgrade, with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert and you get forward AEB with both low and high speed operation, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, lane departure warning as well as six airbags and the usual ABS and stability controls.The Swift GLX scored five ANCAP stars in 2017.

Suzuki is reportedly preparing three all-new or revised SUVs for release from next year, starting with a redesigned Vitara, the long-awaited return of a larger SUV that might wear the Grand Vitara badge, and another facelift of the S-Cross.

Is there a chance the famous old Toyota Starlet nameplate may come back to Australian shores to return the brand to the sub-$18,000 price bracket to take on the popular Kia Picanto, MG3 and Suzuki Swift?

Suzuki is at last set to introduce autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to the 2021 Baleno range in Australia.

Your eyes do not deceive you; this is Suzuki’s version of the current Toyota RAV4, the Across mid-size SUV. And so far, it’s only available with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain, a costly – and quick – one, as it turns out