Thanks to a nice deal with Toyota, Suzuki suddenly has a serious station wagon with a hybrid powertrain. Nice, but is the Suzuki Swace also an attractive alternative to a Toyota Corolla? We take a look at the basic version.
Suzuki Swace Select 1.8 Hybrid CVT Automatic – € 31,800
As with the Across, also a borrowed Toyota product, Suzuki likes the price list the Swace nice and clear. For example, there is only one engine version, the 122 hp 1.8 Hybrid with which Toyota is also very successful. The more powerful 2.0 Hybrid is therefore not screwed into the modified nose of the Swace, nor is the 1.2 Turbo base engine.
This means that the only big choice that Swace buyers face is the equipment level. There are two versions, the Select and the Style. At € 31,800, the Select is exactly € 2,000 cheaper than the Style.
On the outside, the two can really only be distinguished from each other by the headlights. They have been copied one to one from the Corolla and appear in two variants. A Swace Select also has LED headlights, but of the simpler type that Toyota calls Parabola. The daytime running light in this version consists of a pair of piercing LEDs all the way on the inside of the fairly wide unit, far to the center of the car. The Style gets the more advanced bi-LED viewers, with piercing lens viewers and daytime running light that extends over the entire width of the headlight.
The Select (left) and the Style. The only visible difference: the headlights.
For the rest, Select and Style are identical on the outside. They have the same 16-inch light alloy and both get dark tinted rear windows from Suzuki. The basic color in both cases is a simple white, for all other shades you have to pay extra. The choice is a bit more limited than with Toyota. The two most controversial colors on the Corolla, Denim Blue and Emotional Red, pass the Swace’s nose.
Unique: steering wheel heating
The Suzuki buyer has little to complain about the standard equipment. Each Swace will include climate control with two zones, keyless go, a multimedia system with Apple Carplay and Android auto, seat heating and adaptive cruise control. Even a heated steering wheel is standard, which is remarkably not available on the Corolla Touring Sports. The opposite applies to navigation: Suzuki has apparently not bought the right to Toyota’s navigation software and is therefore limited to what Apple Carplay and Android Auto have in house.
The more expensive Style therefore does not seem necessary, but offers two grand extra fine things such as an automatic parking system, keyless entry, an interior finished with artificial leather, mood lighting and – importantly – a more extensive safety package.
Corolla
And the Corolla? Well, to start with, the base version of the Corolla Touring Sports with the 1.8 Hybrid powertrain is almost two grand cheaper than a Swace Select at € 29,895. However, the Corolla Comfort also offers less. For example, the car will not have six, but four speakers and the car has steel wheels with hubcaps.
The next stop on the Corolla price list is called Corolla Active. The Active is still a bit cheaper than the Swace at € 31,350 and thanks to extra speakers, light metal and a leather-covered steering wheel, it is more comparable when it comes to equipment. The Suzuki makes up for its modest additional cost, however, with heated seats and steering wheel and – if that’s your thing – privacy glass. It is clear: Suzuki and Toyota have been puzzling for a long time to make Swace and Corolla match each other as much as possible. Which one you prefer will mainly depend on your personal wishes and the relationship with and / or availability of a dealer in the area.