Suzuki Swift vs MG MG3

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.

A number of established small cars are becoming more expensive and less popular. The Toyota Yaris, Mazda2 and Suzuki Swift were once the go-to first car, but now start at around $25,000.

This repositioning was great for MG and its sub-$20,000 MG3, which has spent much of the last few years as Australia's most popular light car. It’s hard to deny a low price will open many wallets.

But now in its new generation, the MG3 is thousands of dollars more expensive than before, starting in the mid-$20K range and headed even further up with a new hybrid drivetrain option. We jump in the base petrol Excite to find out if the value is still there for this British-branded, Chinese-built hatchback.