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“small car for tall people!”

written by on 27/04/2012

I bought a 2008 1.5GLX Swift in January this year so have had a few months to get used to it, and I love it!

I was downsizing from a dull mid-size commuter car (VW Bora) as I have moved to a city and parking in small sapces is now a priority. This car is perfect for the job, the manouverability is great. It is fun to drive (an important factor for me!) and has good acceleration. I am tall and one of the most impresive things is the space in the cabin for a small car, it is comfortable with plenty of head room (though the top of the widscreen would ideally be a bit higher). I was concerned about lack of luggage space with the downsizing but have found it fine for day to day living, I like the shelf that efectively gives a double layer in the boot.

The downsides - the gearbox is crunchy/stiff, not sure if this is a common thing or just mine but takes a bit of a shove/double clutching to change sometimes, especially reverse. Urban MPG is not that great, I do a lot of short (less than 10 min journey) and am getting about 30mpg (then again having just moved I don't know if this is normal for other cars as was not doing short journeys before). Cabin noise at speed is higher than my last car, but you expect that with a small car and I just turn the radio up so not really an issue.

I bought it as it came up in the reviews as a fun, reliable, lesser known alternative to cars like the mini - and is therefore far better value for money. Have to say I agree with them completely, don't think I could have made a better choice for my situation, and I have been looking on and off for over a year and have tried most small cars on the market!

Oh, and the sunset orange colour clinched it ;-)