00:00This is the Suzuki Sways, a compact estate which looks like a Toyota Corolla.
00:05Why? Watch this to find out!
00:34This is not the only Toyota in the Suzuki lineup. A few months ago I reviewed the Suzuki Across, or
00:40rather the Toyota RAV4 PHEV or Prime if you live in the US. An interesting car but also rather expensive.
00:47Suzuki is all about small cars which it sells mainly around Asia. The Japanese brand withdrew from the US market
00:53at the end of 2012. In Europe it's still relevant thanks to crossovers and superminis.
00:59Suzuki is much bigger in motorcycles and outboard engines but that's for another time. Today we're talking about cars.
01:07In 2020 Suzuki sold almost two and a half million cars worldwide out of which just 171,000 were sold
01:14in Europe.
01:15Suzuki lacks engines which meet increasingly strict EU emission norms and therefore badly needs models which will lower the fleet
01:23average.
01:23With relatively low sales in Europe the company doesn't want to invest in costly R&D. It is quicker and
01:30cheaper to find a partner.
01:32Enter Toyota.
01:38Suzuki sways not only looks like a Toyota Corolla. Underneath it's a 1.8 hybrid synergy drive.
01:45Toyota also offers the Corolla with a new 2.0 hybrid dynamic force powertrain as well as a 1.2
01:52turbo petrol motor.
02:02In the front the bumper has been redesigned ever so slightly to accommodate the Suzuki logo.
02:07In the back the steering committee called it quits and slapped on a huge plastic cover with the Suzuki logo
02:14to hide the indent where the Toyota oval would normally be.
02:17Made in Toyota's Burnaston plant in the UK the Swayze has identical boot like the Corolla Touring sports.
02:24It's almost 600 liters in 5 seat configuration and more than 1200 liters with the seats folded.
02:31That's a VDA measurement which means using 200 by 50 by 100 millimeter blocks.
02:37There are a couple of shopping bag hooks as well as levers to fold the backrest in the second row.
02:41You can drop the floor for more height and flip it to put dirty stuff on the hard plastic rather
02:47than on the carpet.
02:48Compared to the Corolla which I reviewed a couple of years ago there is no 12 volt socket but there
02:53is a niche on the right side where the Toyota had some sort of storage.
02:58Under the floor you can fit the cargo cover and the net which separates the passenger space from the cargo
03:05compartment.
03:05There is no way to clip them in place so they may slide about.
03:10In order to remove the net you have to release the backrests first.
03:14Also the cargo cover is placed so high it limits rear visibility ever so slightly.
03:19But thanks to having the cargo cover higher you can transport a carry-on suitcase vertically.
03:25Deep inside the boot is another storage probably to cover up the hybrid batteries which stick out from under the
03:31rear seat.
03:33Watch your head getting in. Otherwise it's fairly comfortable in the back.
03:39There is good leg room. Headroom is sufficient for someone like me. I'm 175 centimeters tall.
03:45There is very little space under the seat for your feet.
03:48The door pockets are small but you get two cup holders in the armrest.
03:53There are air vents as well but no 12 volt socket or a USB port.
03:58In the front it's more Corolla. The dashboard consists of a digital central display and some analog gauges on the
04:05sides.
04:05The infotainment system is absolute garbage but it does work with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
04:11Just remember to plug your phone into the port which is next to the passenger's knee.
04:16Not the one under the armrest. Not a safe place to put a USB if you ask me.
04:21Storage under the armrest is average size and so is the glove box.
04:26AC is operated with physical buttons and knobs. Small but still physical. Yay!
04:32Under the AC panel is a smartphone cubby with an induction charger.
04:36It's so deep under the console I tend to leave my phone behind.
04:40There is no friendly reminder to check if you took your phone. Like say in VW cars.
04:45Cup holders are okay but there is no cubby to put away some bits and bobs which we like to
04:50have within reach.
04:51Door pockets are average size. They fit my water bottle okay but my empty coffee mug barely fits.
05:07The first thing you notice when you get in the sways is how loud the interior is.
05:12I went back to my Toyota Corolla review and it was the same.
05:15Soundproofing is absolutely terrible.
05:17You have to raise your voice to speak to the passenger in the front and you almost have to shout
05:22to the passenger in the back.
05:24There is a lot of wind noise, tire noise and if you step on it there is also the engine
05:31noise.
05:32It's so unpleasantly loud I found myself checking if all the windows are closed properly and they are.
05:38I recall only the Hyundai i30 fastback being equally bad in terms of soundproofing.
05:42The logical way around it is to play music loud.
05:47However Suzuki doesn't seem to offer the optional JBL system you'll find in Toyota.
05:52Not that I think that the JBL in Toyota is brilliant but it's less bad than the regular audio system.
05:57On the plus side the hybrid synergy drive delivers on fuel economy.
06:02Around 6 liters per 100 kilometers doing motorway speeds and around 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers everywhere else.
06:10Suzuki says Toyota claims 4.5 liters combined and this seems realistic.
06:15Toyota also promises 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 11.1 seconds.
06:20I got half a second more.
06:23The Swayze is a Corolla so it rides and handles the same.
06:26You're not buying a Suyota for driving fun but to potter around town.
06:31And pottering is what the Suyota is good at.
06:34The steering is sufficiently direct. The seats are adequately comfortable. It's alright.
06:39Toyota, sorry Suzuki, offers numerous safety systems and driver aids.
06:43Some work well like the adaptive cruise control coupled with active lane assist.
06:47Others not so much like the traffic sign recognition.
06:50And since there is no sat-nav you really have to depend on whatever the system reads.
06:55Otherwise you don't know what the current speed limit is.
07:00Other systems are too effective.
07:02Like the rear cross traffic alert with emergency braking.
07:05I was reversing from a parking spot into a busy street.
07:08A driver slowed down to let me complete my maneuver.
07:11But since they didn't stop completely my car decided to cut power and stop me.
07:17Only when the other driver stopped completely I was able to resume reversing.
07:21And in my rearview mirror I saw they were not amused.
07:25There's also a reversing camera, blind spot monitoring as well as front collision warning system.
07:31Prices of the Suzuki Swayze start at 31,350 euro plus 700 for metallic paint.
07:37And that's about it.
07:38A comparably spec Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 estates cost about the same.
07:43A VW Golf variant is substantially more expensive.
07:47The Toyota Corolla is a car you buy with your head.
07:50And I guess it's the same with the Suzuki Swayze.
07:52So if your head tells you Toyota is the right choice.
07:55Why on earth would you buy a Suzuki?
07:58I don't know.
07:59Let me know in the comments section below.
08:01If you like my sarcastic, down to earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews.
08:06Join me every Friday at 3pm central European time.
08:10And don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me with the YouTube algorithm.
08:15Thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one.
08:27.
08:27.
