I’ve had quite a few Ford Fiestas during my nearly 20 years of being a driving instructor. So changing to a different make was a big leap for me.
Price wise the Suzuki Swift is competitive. At the time of purchase the dealers were offering a 20% discount for driving instructors plus Heman were supplying and fitting the dual controls for free. I chose to go with the Suzuki Swift mild hybrid motion model.
So what is mild hybrid as I didn’t know this! It’s basically a small battery under the passenger seat that provides electrical power to restart the car during the stop / start phase. It means the main car battery is not constantly getting drained restarting the engine. It is powered through energy recovered during the braking of the car.
My first impressions of the car were very good. It is small ish but compact and I would say the ideal size for a driving school car. It would however be a struggle to fit 3 grown-ups in the back.
It came with sporty alloy wheels and a black roof and mirrors package. No spare wheel was available at the time, and it’s not even supplied with those cans of foam for emergencies.
Ride wise it’s a fairly stiff car so if your pupils like going over speed bumps at an awkward angle it can be a bit jarring on your spine!
The car comes with heated seats and heated mirrors which are lovely extras to have in the winter. The front window isn’t heated but soon clears with the air con and temperature on high.
I have found that this car is very sensitive when it comes to the gas and clutch pedals. Took some getting used to but most pupils have got the hang of it now. But I will say there is more stalling than in previous cars. It’s quite nippy at “around town” speeds but lacks a bit when on the motorway (which for me is not that often so not much of an issue). Real world MPG combined for pupil use and my own is about 49MPG which I don’t think is too bad really.
Probably the most annoying “tech” in the car is the speed limit sign recognition system. Very often it says the wrong speed limit and every few seconds it makes beeping noises. It cannot be overridden and can make pupils doubt what the limit is. But it is a good learning point on lessons to not just blindly trust the technology and actively look form the signs on the roadside.
I’ve had no issues with reliability since purchase and it’s just had its first service.
In conclusion I would say it could be a really good car to teach learner drivers in, but you need to be prepared for the odd frustrated pupil who thinks moving off can be done just with the clutch.
Would I buy another one? Probably not but I will be keeping this as it is very reliable and economical.
The views and opinions in this article are those of a genuine purchaser and user of this vehicle for everyday learner and training purposes.
