There’s an updated Suzuki Swift on the way.Theseimages from the Japanese marque's site (in its home market) indicate the changes that are in store…

The Swift is Suzuki’s best-selling model in South Africa by a fair margin and while the all-new Swift came to market back in 2018,the lineup was later bolstered with the arrival of the punchy turbocharged 1.4T Sport, as well as the feature-packed– but keenly-priced–1.2 GLX mid-range derivative.

It's worth noting that theSwift 1.2 GLX is the current champion in the budget-car category of theCars.co.za Consumer Awards –powered by WesBank, while the 1.4T Sport was a finalist in the fun hatch category in the 2019/20 iteration of the awards. Suzuki, which recently introduced its new S-Presso budget car,has also won the #CarsAwards Brand of the Year title on 2occasions…

Note the diamond-cut alloy designs with black accents. Could those wheels ultimately be offered in South Africa?

In terms of styling, Suzuki has revised the Swift's front bumper and fitted (what appearto be) slightly-revised headlights.The grille either features a blackmesh or one witha honeycomb pattern and chrome-look accents.What's more, the Japanese firm has added a horizontal bar to the grille, which is finished either in red or "chrome". New 16-inch alloy wheel designs have also been availed.

The updated compact hatchback is further offered with a wide choice of 2-tone colour schemes:Flame Orange, Burning Red and Speedy Blue are all matched with a black roof, while Rush Yellow is contrasted with a silver-coloured roof.

The changes inside are also relatively minor. In Japan, the updated Swift features a 4.2-inch multifunction display in its instrument cluster (plus a digital speedometer). Apart from upgraded trim, a 6-speaker audio system has been introduced throughout the range, while top-spec derivatives feature auto lights, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and surround-view camera system. It's unlikely that the advanced driver-assist features will be offered outside of Suzuki's home market, however.

Under the bonnet, however, the same 1.2-litre petrol engine will be put to work with 61 kW and 113 Nm of torque with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.The Swift Sport will forge on with its punchy 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 103 kW and 230 Nm.

As for availability, don’t expect the updated Swift to reach South Africa in 2020. This is theJapanese-spec Swift, but the Indian-spec Swift (which is the version that we get in South Africa, apart from the Japan-sourced 1.4T Sport) is probably still months away due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which means we may very well only see the facelifted Swift in South Africa in 2021.

As always, we will keep you updated as soon as more details are revealed.

Buy a new or used Suzuki Swift on Cars.co.za

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