Friday 28th June

Suzuki calls time on Swift Sport, Jimny and more

Suzuki's lively combustion era is drawing to a close in the UK. The cull is brutal

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As part of its push to full electrification, Suzuki UK has announced a streamlining of its range ahead of its first EV going on sale. And if you’re thinking that means the end of the fun Suzukis, then right now that seems absolutely the case: by the beginning of next year - or sooner if there’s a rush on existing stock - the Ignis, Swift Sport and Jimny LCV will be gone, never to return. Small sellers, yes, and perhaps not as seismic as the end of the Ford Fiesta, though yet more compact, light, relatively simple cars that won’t exist for much longer.

Fun ones, too, let’s not forget. Hybridisation made the Swift Sport more expensive than hoped for, though it was still a 1,000kg, six-speed manual pocket rocket that’d put a smile on your face. Prior to that, it was for a decade and two generations the go-to junior hot hatch for anyone wanting old-school thrills with modern convenience. The Mk1 was a real giggle as well as great value, which the second generation only added to with a much-needed sixth gear, the option of five doors and a preference for super unleaded rather than a dependence. With a fine little chassis, loads of standard kit and pert good looks, the Mk2 Swift Sport really hit the spot - it was preferable to the Fiesta Zetec S at £15k or less. There'd be far worse ways to spend £5k on a used car now, which is why the end of the nameplate means so much. And the fact that, to its credit, Suzuki persevered for so long.

Elsewhere, the Ignis was all the city car anyone would ever need. And enough has been said about the current Jimny’s charms over the past few years to know why it’ll be missed. As they depart, the Swift Sport, Ignis and Jimny leave behind an all-hybrid lineup of Swace, standard Swift, Vitara, S-Cross and Across PHEV. Bravo if you could identify all of those. As for what comes next, Suzuki has said nothing more than its first electric vehicle will be introduced ‘later this year’ with additional ones coming between now and 2030. ‘Suzuki is in preparation to transition the brand and its dealer network to fully comply with all UK and EU legislation and will streamline its model range from the end of this year’, reads the press release. 

Despite the imminent loss of those models, Suzuki says it expects to see similar sales volumes in the UK and Republic of Ireland for 2024 as was in 2023. The seven-year warranty introduced last year remains in place, too, so a buyer picking up one of the final Swift Sports with a combustion engine (we can but hope it’ll return as an Alpine A290 EV rival) will be warrantied into the 2030s. Imagine what the Suzuki lineup might look like by then. Interestingly enough there are a few 2024-registered examples of the cars set to go out there, including half a dozen Jimny Commercials - some with rear seat conversions already - and a smart little Ignis for less even than a Dacia Spring will cost. The best PH can currently do on Swift Sports is this red, 3k-mile, 2023 car, but then it does have £6k off the new price. The time really is now - there won’t be Suzukis like them again.

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• Suzuki Jimny by Twisted | PH Review
• 2020 Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid | UK Review

[patmahe]

I really hope Suzuki manage to recapture the fun small car side of things as we move through the hybrid/electric era. For me it's what they've always done best, and under-rated company that manage to build small likeable reliable cars with bags of character, sad that the most interesting cars in their lineup are the ones facing the cull.