The Japanese firm clearly followed a back-to-basics approach with the hot hatch, which makes the Swift a great car to live with day-to-day. Its fantastic driving dynamics and handling means pretty much every journey is special.
Long drives are not the Suzuki's strength, though. Road test editor Oliver Marriage wasn't a fan when he had to take the Swift for an early start up the M40 recently; although the road was clear, the high revs made the cabin a noisy place to spend time in. However, it's in town where the car has become a big favourite, nipping in and out of traffic, and sliding into even the tiniest of parking spaces.
I was also looking forward to getting it serviced, as the maker's network was voted 10th out of 32 in our Driver Power 2007 dealer survey. I booked it into Dulwich Suzuki, south London, but no courtesy cars were available (ever!).
And when I came to pick it up - and pay nearly £200 for the check - the Swift was dirtier than when I left it. The car also needed a new tyre, which cost £95.45 and took three days to arrive. I'll be trying a different garage next time.
Other than that, it's proving economical to run, with an average of 31.9mpg - which is reasonable for a sporty hatchback that lives in town and likes to be driven hard.
The interior is standing up to daily use well, despite a squeaking front seat and a badly fitting rear bench (which was fixed under warranty). The rest of the cabin is in great condition after nearly 10,000 miles. So, come January, I wonder if I will be as sad to see this supermini go as I was my first Mini...
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