It's not a name synonymous with youth, unless it's poor impoverished students who get to drive their mother's 10-year-old school runabout.
Suzuki is best associated in Ireland with economical motoring. Comments in motoring circles usually revolve around price and little else.
That's what makes the new Swift all the more surprising. The first time we saw it, as a prototype at a car show, we were taken by its funky looks, in a way mimicking the popular Mini.
However, we've seen such prototypes come and go, brought down by accountants and turned into bland Asian metal boxes by senior executives with little imagination and ultra-conservative bents. Not so with the Swift.
What's all the more surprising is that this car comes from the same firm that gives you the Liana and the Wagon R+. It's like discovering your granny can rap.
It's been 20 years since the Swift hit the Irish market, and in that time it's never been considered one of the cooler small family cars to own. It has always managed to hold up well in terms of reliability, thanks to its Japanese origins. It has also built up a strong reputation in the home market, something that didn't quite translate into attractive sales here.
That's partly because when designers sat down to sketch each generation, their thoughts rarely wondered beyond the crowded city streets of Tokyo. At a push they may have considered Nagasaki, but that was about as far as they got.
Suddenly we are faced with a car designed with European tastes firmly in its sights. The end result is a really attractive and eye-catching package that could challenge any of its competitors in the image stakes. Indeed, it's sure to give some of the big-selling models a long overdue kick up the rear bumper in terms of looks.
Clearly the designers had the likes of the Mini in mind when they came up with the chunky rounded panels and chubby central cabin. The end result is a car that - particularly in its three-door format - could actually be classed as cool. That's an incredible comment about a Suzuki.
Despite its minnow status on the Irish market and in Europe in general, back at home Suzuki is a veritable king of small city cars. Matched with a keen sense of value it should attract younger motorists and newcomers to the market.
At €13,995 for the three-door and €14,395 for the five-door - both of which measure the same - that's well within the price range of the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris and others of the type.
Suzuki claims the 1.3-litre petrol engine offers 45.6 mpg (6.2 l/100km) and a top speed of 175 km/h (109mph), with a 0-100km/h time of 11 seconds. While it's never going to be classed as a street racer, that's significantly more powerful than similarly priced competitors and a 1.5-litre version is likely to arrive on the Irish market in the not-too-distant future, which should appeal to more performance orientated drivers.
The difference in engine sizes may mean extra motor tax costs, but fuel consumption is still relatively competitive and the real difference is on the road.
At a recent test session at the Millbrook Proving Ground, we got the chance to put the Swift through the tight and twisty city test track, a series of right-hand bends and mock roundabouts on what would otherwise be classified as a rallycross course. It proved great fun and the responsiveness of the little Suzuki was impressive, particularly in comparison to several other models we tested on the track.
On Irish roads the situation is less impressive, particularly on back roads where there's quite a bit of bounce from a suspension clearly tuned for comfort rather than performance. On the motorways as well, the eyecatching looks seemed to catch the wind and at 120km/h the steering started to feel a little woolly.
The Swift is relatively well equipped for its size, coming with front, side and curtain airbags, radio/CD player, remote central locking, electric front windows and steering wheel-mounted audio controls as standard. However, while the plastics inside are of a good quality, it still looks a little drab for such a youth-orientated model. Perhaps this is where the bean counters got their way.
The cabin is particularly airy, with a high roof, and thanks to its format of putting the wheels right at the four corners with little or no overhang, every millimetre of wheelbase is being used to good effect in the cabin.
Boot space is 213 litres in normal set-up, or 562 litres with the 60:40 split rear seats folded down. That's not close to the likes of the Fiesta, Punto or Corsa.
Yet for all these minor failings, it's one of the best looking cars in its class and for its money. Match all that with its Japanese reliability, and you suddenly have a car that's worth serious consideration when put up against its European counterparts.
The real test will be whether Suzuki dealers, long used to making the pitch on money terms, can get their heads around the culture change. If they can, then they've got a hit on their hands. Now they just have to figure out what to do with the rest of the range.
