All inclusive: Everything is included in the price, there are no unpleasant surprises. Anyone who is familiar with the extensive surcharge lists of most car manufacturers will experience an almost astonishing surprise with the Suzuki Swace. For a base price of 34,800 euros there is only one additional option, and that is a metallic paint finish for just under 700 euros. The compact station wagon is a twin of the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Touring Sports; it has a 1.8-liter gasoline engine with 98 hp, which is supported by an electric motor with a small 1.3 kWh battery. This results in a system output of 122 hp. The battery of the full hybrid is only charged by the gasoline engine and recuperation. We came up with consumption in the third mix between 5.5 and 6.8 liters for 100 kilometers.
We took a look at the standard infotainment. It uses an on-board monitor with 8 inches in diagonal, it is touch sensitive. At the bottom left there is a rotary control for adjusting the audio volume. Below the monitor are two additional rotary controls and physical buttons for operating the air conditioning.
What quickly becomes apparent in the menus: There is no navigation system here, there is only a radio, a Bluetooth hands-free phone for the cell phone and Bluetooth music playback. The extra, however, is the support of Apple Carplay and Android Auto in the wireless version. After starting the engine, the smartphone services are immediately available on the display. This means that a fully-fledged navigation system will also be included in the swace, and thanks to mobile communications it will even have real-time traffic data.
Infotainment as standard: The Suzuki Swace relies on Apple and Google. : Image: Manufacturer
Seen this way, there isn’t much to complain about. At least Apple Carplay is now a pleasant companion that gets you to your destination comfortably with clear commands and good real-time traffic information, even though some instructions are completely unnecessary. What’s the point of the sign on the country road telling you to turn right in ten kilometers?
Selected apps can be started via the very reduced menu, for example for playing music or listening to podcasts, and new SMS or WhatsApp messages are read out with a synthetic voice. The range of Carplay apps has grown significantly in recent months. This newspaper is also included; you can have entire articles read out to you in a synthetic voice.
Jürgen Schelling Published/Updated: Recommendations: 14 Thomas Geiger Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7 Michael Spehr Published/Updated: Recommendations: 19
What is a little annoying is that most of the vehicle functions and the numerous assistance systems are not controlled via the on-board monitor, but only with the steering wheel buttons and a somewhat confusing display in the digital instrument cluster. Here, as with Toyota, you have to navigate through a branched menu and first learn the abbreviations for the individual assistance systems.