The new 2024 Suzuki Swift has made its debut in Australia, bringing with it a mix of price increases and decreases. Over the past five years, the cost of the most affordable Swift model has nearly risen by 50 percent. For this new release, prices have gone up by $500 for the base Hybrid manual model, and by $1000 for the automatic Hybrid and Hybrid Plus variants. Interestingly, the Hybrid GLX is now $1800 cheaper than the outgoing Swift GLX Turbo, which featured a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine.
These pricing changes apply across most of Australia, except for Queensland and the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, where a different distributor handles Suzuki cars. It's uncommon for a new model to be cheaper than its predecessor, but the previous Swift saw its base model price surge by 47 percent from 2019 to 2023, and the GLX Turbo by 30 percent, although it included more features.
The latest Swift is built on an updated version of its predecessor’s platform, featuring a new body and interior, enhanced technology, and a single engine option: a new 1.2-litre petrol three-cylinder. Despite being marketed as a ‘Hybrid,’ it is technically a ‘mild-hybrid’ with a small 2.3kW electric motor and a 12-volt battery. This setup allows the engine to shut off when stopped to save fuel and provides a slight boost during acceleration. The engine produces 82 hp and 112 Nm of torque, paired with a five-speed manual transmission in the base model, or a CVT automatic that is optional in the base model and standard in the Plus and GLX variants. This represents a reduction from the previous model's base 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine, which produced 89 hp and 120 Nm. The 1.0-litre turbocharged engine has been discontinued, and the previous-generation Swift Sport will continue to be sold alongside the new model for up to 18 months, although plans for a new Swift Sport are not yet clear.
Suzuki claims that the new Swift achieves a fuel consumption rate of 3.8L/100km for the manual and 4.0L/100km for the automatic, now requiring 95 or 98-octane premium petrol instead of the 91-octane regular unleaded.
The 2024 Swift comes with a suite of standard safety features, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and rear parking sensors, which were previously limited to the GL Plus and GLX Turbo models. New for 2024 across all variants is lane-keep assist, replacing the older lane departure warning system. The base model now includes LED headlights, keyless entry and start, and heated side mirrors. The entire Swift range now features a 9.0-inch touchscreen, an upgrade from the previous 7.0-inch display, with wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, satellite navigation, and digital radio.
Upgrades in the Plus and GLX models include heated front seats, a wireless phone charger, 16-inch alloy wheels, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, climate control, folding mirrors, and a rear heater duct. Safety improvements in these variants also feature advanced autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with enhanced cyclist, motorcycle, and pedestrian detection, powered by wider-angle cameras and sensors. Lane-assist systems now help keep the car centered within its lane or prevent it from drifting, and traffic sign recognition has been improved.
Additionally, adaptive cruise control has been refined to operate at speeds above 30km/h, down from the previous 40km/h. However, in automatic models, the car will no longer start from a stop automatically when the vehicle ahead moves in traffic. The 2024 Suzuki Swift Hybrid is now available in Australia, offering a blend of new technology and features designed to enhance driving experience and safety.