When you go to the grocery store these days, you're expected to take your own bags, preferably woven from something organic like hemp, as your small personal contribution to saving the planet from the impact of those nasty plastic disposables.
But if you want to take your enviro-consciousness a step further, you could carry those bags of naturally grown produce, green tea and tofu steak home in a neat little shopping cart like the Suzuki Swift+.
I'm not being in any way disparaging here in comparing the bright-red subcompact Swift+ S I spent a week with recently to one of those wire baskets on wobbly wheels we're all so familiar with, even though in automotive terms it is a very basic conveyance.
In fact, it's just that aspect of its character that makes it such a solid choice for those who are beginning to feel an SUV or crossover isn't really required for an around-town runabout/grocery-getter or economical commuter, and who haven't been suckered in by the hybrid hype.
A small four-seater, cargo-versatile hatch like the Swift+, with its low entry price, easy-to-park size, fuel economy and enough creature comforts to make driving at least tolerable, makes eminent sense, particularly as a second vehicle that would allow you to make more limited use of something bigger and more suitable for family duties.
Suzuki's back-to-basics Swift+ may not have all the amenities you might want in its features and equipment repertoire, but it does give you all that you really need, in a handy five-door hatchback package that was restyled and significantly updated mechanically for 2009 – hence the “+” it now has affixed after its name.
The fifth-generation Swift first appeared in 2005 as a collaborative design between GM Daewoo Auto & Technology in South Korea and Japan-based Suzuki and the latest example the Swift+ can also be found wearing badges that identify it as a Chevrolet Aveo and a Pontiac G3 Wave.
A base manual gearbox Swift+ starts at $14,495. My test car was an S, which lists at $16,795 and comes with four-speed automatic transmission, air conditioning.
Standard equipment includes: AM/FM/CD/MP3 player and input jack audio system, digital clock, tilt steering column, height-adjustable driver's seat, floor mats, vanity mirrors in the sun visors, cup holders, day/night mirror, front and side airbags, rear wiper and defroster. You have to adjust the mirrors and wind up the windows manually.
The Swift+ is decidedly small, but its four doors allow easy access to a rather Spartan rear seat that will hold two without causing actual physical or emotional distress (three if either of those isn't a consideration).
And under that rear hatch there is 200 litres of grocery bag room with the rear seat up and, with its 60/40 split seatbacks folded, a very useful 1,190 litres.
The front seats don't offer much in the way of lateral support but are comfortable enough and the height adjuster on the driver's side and the tilt wheel means you can set up a proper driving position.
The left seat locates the driver behind a fat-rimmed wheel that frames a basic four-dial instrument array and within reach to the right a centre stack with a CD audio system up top and a trio of round dials for the climate control system below.
All-round visibility is excellent, cruising speed noise levels actually quite good and ride acceptable, although a bit more shock control would be nice over rough pavement.
The test car came in various shades and textures of grey plastic and fabric alleviated by some shiny silver trim touches inside. Yes, it's all rather utilitarian, but not nasty-cheap looking and livable enough.
On the mechanical side, the Swift+ is about what you'd expect of a small car aimed at the North American market these days. In other parts of the world, it can be ordered with 1.2-, 1.3- and 1.5-litre engines, but we get the big-bore unit, the 1.6-litre latest development of GM's Ecotec overhead-cam four. This smooth, quick-revving and not too intrusive sounding powerplant makes 106 hp at 6,400 rpm and 105 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm.
The four-speed automatic translates this into verging on lively levels of performance (via the front wheels) that make it capable of dicing in city traffic and merging or passing without drama, if you leave yourself enough room. Fuel economy ratings are 8.2 L/100 km city and 5.8 highway.
The Swift+ has front-disc/rear drum power brake,s a MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear axle with a steel wheel and P185-60R14 all-season tire mounted on each corner. Pretty wimpy, but the power steering system has reasonable feel and the car is quite responsive and agile around town.
Push it a bit and you'll certainly soon notice body roll, under-steer and a general lack of grip, in that order, but it's generally well behaved and won't do anything untoward, or unexpected anyway, despite some oddly choppy ride motion over uneven surfaces.
The Swift+ would be as good a choice as any on a dollar for dollar basis if you're shopping for an urban or suburban runabout or frugal commuter.
