Suzuki Swift vs Honda Jazz

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.

Honda's Jazz is like the little engine that could.

It occupies a shrinking part of the market but has seen off a bevy of once-were competitors (most notably the Hyundai i20) and continues to battle gamely with the Mazda2.

Honda gave the range a little tweak in late 2017 to hand us the MY18 Honda Jazz. Some features were lost, and a few gained in an effort to keep up with Mazda's finest.