Affordable 4x4

Suzuki Swift is now also available as an all-wheel drive model

(Bild: Suzuki)

In contrast to the pop megastar of the same name, the Suzuki Swift's appearances in Austria did not have to be canceled: The nippy small car has been in dealerships since May. From now on, it can even be ordered with all-wheel drive again.

This means that the 3.86 meter short dwarf is alone on the road. If the number of small car models is already manageable, the 4x4 Swift is currently almost a loner in the segment.

Specifically, it is called the Swift 1.2 Hybrid Allgrip. The all-wheel drive system engages automatically as soon as it detects a loss of traction on the front axle. In this case, torque is transferred to the rear wheels via a viscous coupling to provide additional traction on snow-covered roads or slippery surfaces.

The kerb weight of the fully-fledged four-door increases by 53 kg to 1012 kg with the driven rear wheels - still extremely low compared to today's cars. The WLTP fuel consumption increases by half a liter to 4.9 l/100 km.

The 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine delivers 82 hp and from 4500 rpm. 112 Nm, which are delivered via a manual five-speed gearbox. The all-wheel drive costs a second in the standard sprint, but you can live with 13.6 seconds if you know that you will always make good progress in difficult conditions. The top speed is 160 km/h.

The all-wheel drive Swift is available from the Shine trim level upwards. The 4x4 surcharge is a moderate 2000 euros, so the cheapest Swift Allgrip costs 22,490 euros, including 9-inch audio system, heated seats etc.. However, the air conditioning is still manual. For a thousand euros more, you can get the flash equipment, including automatic air conditioning and adaptive cruise control.