Suzuki Swift vs Audi A5

What's the difference?

Few cars have had the sheer staying power of the Suzuki Swift.

Except for a four-year hiatus as the original Ignis from 2001, the Japanese supermini has been a segment mainstay since 1983, winning over consumers worldwide as an inexpensive, economical and reliable yet fun option in the Toyota Yaris class.

In Australia, its impact has been even more profound, providing Holden with its famous “beep-beep” Barina for two early iterations from 1985, while also introducing us to the pocket rocket decades before the Volkswagen Polo GTI, with the Swift GTi of 1986.

Now there’s this – the sixth-gen model in 41 years if you exclude that Ignis – doing what the little Suzuki has always done: offering buyers a great budget alternative. But this time, in this new-electrification era, where precious few attainable choices remain.

Is it any good? Let’s dive straight in.

The Audi A5 has done something naughty. It’s replaced the Audi A4.

Or at least that’s the case for now after the Ingolstadt brand made a bit of a mess of its naming strategy.

Essentially, the Audi A5 is now available as a sedan or a wagon, and the next A4 coming soon will be electric. The previous A5 was a swoopier two-door coupe or four-door gran coupe style model. So the A5 is now effectively Audi’s main BMW 3 Series or Mercedes C-Class and CLA rival.

Plus, the Audi S5 is also here to cater to performance car fans.

Can a new platform, a sleek, fresh look and a techy interior do the job?

We’ve been pedalling around the Victorian countryside in the hopes of finding out.

Stick with me, and I reckon we’ll get to the bottom of it. The question about the car, that is, not the bottom of Victoria.