Review: Suzuki’s Swace is a reliable family car promising low running costs – and it has a twin

Published on 18 September, 2022

Overview

If you’ve never heard the term “badge engineering” then you’re not alone. It’s one of those motoring concepts that passes most people by. Also known as “rebadging”, it’s when one car maker takes a car from another and sells it under its own name. Generally the two cars won’t look identical, there might be a few small unique styling details on the outside and a slightly different interior but, in essence, they are the same car.

So why do it? Well, car-making is an expensive business so it reduces costs and gives customers more choice. Our test car this week, the Suzuki Swace, is a perfect example and is a twin of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports.

The Swace is a smallish estate with seating for five. Smart touches include integrated roof rails for simple roof-carrier mounting, a sculpted rear door that’s constructed of lightweight resin to enhance fuel efficiency and sophisticated-looking 16in alloy wheels.

Step inside and there’s a tastefully designed and clutter-free cabin. Standard on the Swace is an 8in multimedia audio system that’s clear and intuitive to use and is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Being an estate car, practicality is key to its appeal and the boot capacity ranges from 596 litres to a very decent 1,232 litres with the split-folding rear seats dropped flat.

All Swaces are powered by a 1.8-litre hybrid engine so you get low emissions and good fuel economy. On the road, the Swace isn’t going to win any awards for driver involvement but it’s generally pleasant and smooth to drive, though the CVT automatic gearbox can be a little raucous. Also, on a long journey, the car is not as comfortable as you might hope for; after a five-hour family road trip we were all a little numb and the complaints from the rear-seat passengers had begun in earnest in the final hour.

With a starting price of €30,995 it is well priced when set against its rivals including Ford’s Focus Estate MHEV (€31,120), Skoda Octavia Estate MHEV (€33,165), Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV (€34,310) and the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (€31,400).

When it comes to reliability, Suzuki has a good track record and every Swace is well equipped with a generous standard spec including seven airbags, dual zone automatic air conditioning, 7in LCD colour screen, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, rear parking camera and “dynamic radar” cruise control.

The Swace has not been crash tested by Euro NCAP but potential buyers should take comfort from the Toyota Corolla getting the full five stars when tested in 2019.

The unstoppable trend toward SUVs and crossovers may threaten to eclipse the humble estate but the Suzuki Swace is a spacious, well equipped and competitively priced family car. While the more expensive of the two, Toyota’s extensive dealer network may just give the Corolla Touring Sports the edge.

When shopping for a car it’s useful to know when one car is actually a replica of another as the chances are the price or spec may be different on both. So it seems some motoring terms and concepts really are worth getting to grips with.

Star rating: 4/5