Suzuki’s all-new Swift may look nothing of the sort, but there’s far more of interest below the same-again surface.

At the Austrian launch, Suzuki flew over a veritable entourage to explain all this to me. Talk about love for their job… these guys showed a surprise passion I just wasn’t expecting from Suzuki.

So, what did they say? Plenty. Here’s some snippets…

Take the all-new platform, for instance. This has been engineered to be both more rigid and more solid in a crash. Yet, despite ever-increasing demands from customers and Euro NCAP legislators, it’s also lighter than the old one.

That’s despite being 90mm longer than before, with a 50mm wheelbase stretch! How so, I politely implored?

Well, explained chief engineer Nayoyuki Takeuchi, through greater use of high-tech, high-tensile steel. ‘The old car had 46 percent high tensile steel, up to 590Mpa in grade.’ Steel experts (no, not him) will know all about this.

‘The new Swift is 52 percent high tensile, with grades up to 1570Mpa. This is an extremely effective strategy for weight saving.’Steel experts will be impressed. I’m not a steel expert (despite being a Steel fan), but know 3x more stiffness is A Good Thing.

Many panels are thus thinner than the were before: the higher-quality steel can be a of a thinner gauge yet still outdo the old ones for strength.

There are also detail tricks to further boost the rigidity of the Swift. The boot opening, for example, is smaller than before. By reducing the ‘hole’ in the rear of the car, flexing is reduced.

Suspension components have also been strengthened, again without gaining in weight. A significant, tangible improvement here is a rear twist beam that’s 50 percent more laterally rigid (50 percent! Good Lord). This aids handling precision by reducing component-flexing ‘slop’.

It’s also 2kg lighter, and a full 25 percent stiffer in roll stiffness. Even the rear hubs are 2kg lighter, thanks to a 3-in-1 hub assembly. Yup, they too are more rigid as well.

And for some truly innovative thinking, look to the steering. Suzuki has fitted a variable ratio rack; it’s faster just off-centre, to improve dynamic response for the driver.

Wind on more lock, though, and the ratio slows. Why? It means less effort is needed, so the electric power steering motor can be downrated, so achieving better mpg from the reduced power draw!

Amazing, I thought, as I went back to the test route. Wasn’t expecting all that, and made me see it in a new light. This car feels plain high-quality and thoroughly engineered as a result: if prices are right, it will be a bargain.

Thing is, will anyone notice?

+ Some cars just ‘feel’ plain well-engineered – which stand out for you?
+ Is Suzuki right to carry on with the same-again styling?
+ What’s the difference between Japanese and German engineering thinking?