When you listen to the various radio advertisements for new cars there seems to be keen rivalry between car companies. But we also know that there has been many mergers and alliances in recent years between some of the top car companies in the world.
Suzuki and Toyota are the latest to form an alliance and the Swace Estate, which I drove last week, is a product of this new alliance.
The Swace is the second new model to be launched from the Suzuki/Toyota agreement. Based on the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, the Swace is almost identical except for a new Suzuki signature front end and Suzuki badging.
In the past, Suzuki cars were regarded as inexpensive and attractive to old timers like myself, empty nesters or maybe first time buyers. Now this Estate version is a bit more expensive with prices starting at €5 short of €31k.
It’s Suzuki’s first estate car and no doubt it will be attractive to some of their loyal owners who have been driving Suzuki cars for decades and might now need more space for dogs, golf clubs or various other items. It comes in only one version, a 1.8-litre hybrid.
We are told that sales of estate or station wagon cars are not great in Ireland and that everybody wants an SUV. But apart from Dacia you probably won’t find many estate cars with a starting price of €30,995. Road tax is €190.
Last month Suzuki launched their Swace and also showed Irish motor writers revamped versions of their Vitara and S-Cross in Druids Glen in County Wicklow.
In Ireland the Swace will be sold in one trim level, SZ-T, with a high specification including, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, seven-inch LCD colour information screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated front screen, rear parking camera and dynamic radar cruise control.
The 1.8-litre petrol electric hybrid has a power output of 122 break horse power and CO2 emissions of just 103g/km, the same as the Corolla. It was very frugal engine and with a full tank of petrol I was getting a message that I had a cruising range of over 800km and cruise along I certainly did!
Seven different colours available. My test car came in Precious Silver, but the Dark Blue Mica probably looks the most impressive.
There is huge space in the boot – officially 596 litres. And if you want to leave down the back seat you could nearly pack in the contents of a messy box-room, officially 1,505 litres of luggage space.
There is a huge ‘well’ to accommodate a spare wheel, but none is supplied. So, the advice is, if buying new haggle for a spare, even a ‘mini’ spare.
The carpeted floorboard can be placed in a lower position to store taller objects and is also reversible with a resin backside that can be used for stowing wet or dirty items.
Inside, the differences between the Swace and the Corolla are minimal, with a largely identical dashboard layout aside from a new steering wheel, and a similar seats-up rear luggage capacity.
The Swace is built alongside the Corolla at Toyota’s UK factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire. It’s very competitively priced and well worth a test drive.
Suzuki staff say they have no immediate plans for a fully electric car. But every model in the Suzuki line-up now offers hybrid technology.
