Published:
22 March 2024The small, naturally aspirated engine fires to a muted idle. This Z12E triple replaces the previous Swift’s four-cylinder unit and makes a near square 81bhp and 83lb ft (down 1bhp but up 4lb ft on before), with the 12V starter-generator helping out at low speeds.
This is not a fast car, with 0-62mph taking 12.5sec and a top speed of 105mph, but it will keep up with traffic easily enough.
Throttle response is good, linear and positive, with a modest little thrum accompanying acceleration, and I never felt the need to rev it out towards its 5700rpm power peak.
The five-speed manual gearbox is a joy, too, not short of throw but beautifully weighted and notch-free.
We haven’t tried the CVT option here, but I did quite recently on a previous Swift. If it’s similar, and there’s every reason to think it will be, I wouldn’t recommend it.
