The Suzuki Swift is best viewed as a back-to-basics small car rather than a bargain basement offering. Within motoring circles, the Swift is famous for its rock-solid reliability and for getting close to its official MPG rating. It even has a warm-hatch version to act as a halo model, called the Suzuki Swift Sport.

But it’s competing in a volatile market against some of the best small cars on sale. Key rivals include the Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia and Vauxhall Corsa – and the Swift also has to deal with some in-house competition from the Suzuki Ignis.

The Swift’s cabin doesn’t feature many soft-touch plastics, but it been screwed together well and should stand the test of time. It’s easy to get comfortable in the driver’s seat, too, and all the controls are logically laid out. There’s a small touchscreen infotainment system, which some will find woefully behind the times. However, buyers that are new to such technology won’t be alienated, as it’s simple and intuitive to use.

The regular Swift is, by any measure, slow. It doesn’t feel especially lacking around town, (thanks to subtle assistance from its mild hybrid system), but out on the motorway it soon runs out of puff. Nonetheless, speed isn’t everything, and the Swift is one of those cars that is enjoyable to drive because of its low weight, agility and compact dimensions. The driving controls are light, too, making city driving and parking a joy.

On the face of it, there’s not a lot of choice in the Swift line-up. There is just one engine to choose from in the standard Swift and all models use a five-door body shell. Normal cars get a 1.2-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine, badged Dualjet Hybrid by Suzuki. It has 83hp and a best 0–62mph time of just over 12 seconds with the optional CVT. It ain’t fast. But on the flipside, its official economy figure can be as high as 59.7mpg, and in our testing, we easily achieved north of 50mpg.

If you want the fastest and most well-equipped Swift out there, the top-of-the-range Sport model is the one for you. It has a punchier 1.4-litre engine that’s good for a 0–62mph time of 9.1 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. So it isn’t hugely fast, but it is lots of fun to drive and it’s a great car for budding enthusiasts to learn the basics of car control in.

The Sport also comes with a few racy styling tweaks, such as faux carbon fibre bodywork trims, 17-inch alloy wheels, remodelled bumpers, a more aggressive grille and a sports steering wheel. There are some performance improvements, too, including bigger brakes, tweaked suspension and better cooling.

Over the next few pages, we’ll assess each aspect of the Suzuki Swift. We’ll discuss its practicality, comfort, interior technology, driving experience and running costs before offering our final verdict on the car. Click through the following pages to learn everything you need to know – and find out whether the car could suit your lifestyle.

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