The first thought that comes to my mind regarding Suzuki, is a motorcycle. This company made its name a long time ago in the two-wheeler industry and till today is one of the most sought after brands. They tried to work their magic as they entered the four-wheeler market and hoped to conquer it as easily as they had the motorcycle industry wrapped around their tiny Japanese fingers. But oh what a surprise were they in for; notorious for their underpowered vehicles which many refuse to refer as 'cars', they began pushing the limit every time their models flopped miserably. Trying hard to keep up with the big names like Toyota and Honda, the competition forced them into a corner of the market where they could only make small, low powered cars and that was the whole range of their four-wheelers!

Up until 2004 anyone owning a Suzuki car was either a retired grandmother or youths who also aced a social outcast quiz. But surprisingly everything changed in 2004! Most probably the diet of their design team was changed from raw sushi to actual food that contributed to the unimaginable levels of creativity for the first time in Suzuki's history! Their technical department might have also discovered a new word called 'handling' and a few more such as 'power' and 'sporty'. What they then came up with, was this; the all new Suzuki Swift!

I have to admit, the name is a bit corny, but it is probably the best definition of the car that left everyone amazed when it first emerged at the Paris Auto Salon! The hatchback that we tested was the front wheel drive 1.5l petrol GLX and actually the 4th generation of the car. Mind you, the swift has been in production for quite a long period of time, going back to the nineties, only under different names for being produced in different parts of the world, and you know very well why you did not know that; because all of them were simply horrid and therefore wasn't worth any publicity!

The swift came in a range of variants, starting from 2-door versioned all wheel drives to 4-door versions of front wheel drives including the option of engines to chose from, (1.0l, 1.3l and 1.5l). The first thing that catches your eye when you see the car is the beefed up stubborn look of the body. The tiny legs in the form of wheels are perhaps the only thing in common with its previous siblings. The perfectly radial curve of the front surprisingly adds to the sleek image of the overall car. The small car, with its lengthy wheelbase and the rear wheels being within the cars structure rather than trailing behind, hints being something more than just a people carrier. Slightly influenced by the mini cooper's design this car is probably one of the smartest yet beautiful 'small cars' I have ever laid my eyes upon!

The funky design is carried into the interior of the car as well. Keeping everything functional and extremely user-friendly, the designers managed to pull off a very sophisticated sporty look inside the car. The compact steering wheel with a remarkable Suzuki badge, the semi-sport front seats and the brightly illuminated heads-up-display gives the vibe of its racing pedigree even before one can drive it! With ample space for three in the back seats, there is even a boot large enough only for a poodle. On a technical note, the car comes equipped with electric windows and mirrors and not two, not four, but EIGHT airbags, a very uncommon group of features for a 'compact'! The only negativities that I managed to find in the car were its ridiculous horn and the very unreliable audio system (both of which are likely to be changed by clients after their purchase anyway).

Driving the swift; let me just say it made me feel like a child all over again! I don't remember the last time I had so much fun in a car. The ultra sharp handling manipulates the car into executing tight turns like a breeze. The perfectly balanced centre of gravity allows the driver to throw the car into any driving situation and never lose control. Producing 100 hp the 1.5l petrol engine takes less than 9 seconds to reach 100kmph! Just remember it's not a Ferrari but a Suzuki and compared to other sport compacts it is quite fast! It comes in both automatic and manual transmissions and therefore suits any style of driving.

Let's come down to the price. You are looking at about 13 lakhs, fully kitted and brand new off the line with zero mileage! Such a price is hard to find, and wait till you hear the fuel economy; averaging 40 miles to the gallon! How much better could it possibly get?

This car has been around since 2004 solely because of the reason that it is astonishingly good! Maruti Suzuki experienced 61% rise in its profits after this car was introduced to their line, and it still manages to score high. A car's character cannot be determined by how it drives, or what features and specifications it has. You have to see how long that car stays in service and for how long the manufacturer is producing it.

At the end of the day all I can say is Suzuki failed again to make a decent 'compact car' instead they ended up making the BEST compact car ever to hit the streets of Dhaka!