Suzuki Swift’s impressive 1000km-plus NZ range

The Swift manual clocked up 1,233km on the standard 37 litre fuel tank. Photos: Suzuki

Calling all Swifties (that’s new Suzuki Swift owners, not the singer’s fans), you're free to gloat that your hatchback has a driving range of over 1000km thanks to a recent New Zealand economy run.

The latest fourth-generation Swift underwent an independent fuel-economy test on North Island roads. 

A 1.2 litre petrol/electric Swift GLS CVT automatic achieved a remarkable average fuel consumption of 3.3 litres/100 kilometres over a mixture of motorway, rural open roads and built-up city streets - a 23 percent improvement over the official factory figure of 4.3 litres/100 km (3P-WLTP).

The fuel economy test was mixture of motorway, rural open roads and built-up city streets.

The petrol/electric Swift GLS manual gearbox version did even better with an average of 3.0 litres/100 km in the local fuel testing. This was 25 percent more frugal than this version’s factory figure of 4.0 litres/100 km.

This equates to a driving range of 1,233 kilometres for the manual GLS Swift and 1,121 kilometres for the GLS automatic, based on the standard 37 litre fuel tank.

Both tests were carried out by motoring veteran Donn Anderson, who has been involved in fuel economy events for more than 30 years and drove in record-breaking runs in Britain and New Zealand. 

“While the average driver may not achieve these outstanding driving ranges on a tank of fuel, it does demonstrate how remarkably economical the vehicle can be when driven moderately and with care,” said Anderson.  

The Swift auto had 1,121 kilometres on a fuel tank of petrol.

The test route, which began and ended in Auckland, encountered heavy traffic and road works disruption that necessitated frequent stop/start driving. When these hold-ups were encountered, the Swift’s engine shut down and restarted automatically that proved a useful advantage.

“The engine stopping and restarting is almost imperceptible,” said Anderson. 

“Restarting is via a belt drive system that eliminates gear noise produced by conventional starter motors. Occupants are usually unaware that the motor has stopped and then restarted.”

Anderson said he concentrated on decelerating as much as possible to conserve fuel and found the new, larger information screen a valuable asset in reducing fuel consumption.

The Swift is New Zealand’s most affordable hybrid model priced from $25,990.

Within the instrument cluster, a discreet symbol illuminates when the lithium-ion battery is charging during deceleration, while the centrally mounted screen details both average, instant fuel consumption and fuel economy history.

“Increased low-speed torque and enhanced combustion assist in the easy-going nature of the engine in the latest generation Swift,” said Anderson. 

The Swift is New Zealand’s most affordable hybrid model, priced from $25,990 + ORCs, with the CVT automatic range beginning from $27,500 on the current promotion.