Oil’s well that ends well with our Suzuki Swift

We’ve been running our Suzuki Swift long-termer for a fair few months now, and it’s proved to be quite the likeable little car.

It’s good-looking, economical, and while it may not be the fastest car on our fleet, you can still have a fair bit of fun with it when the mood takes you.

You can imagine it was a bit of a pain, then, when KR17 ZKC informed us that its engine oil needed changing.

Now, warning lights aren’t ever something you want to see illuminated, so a precautionary oil level check was in order – just to make sure.

Thankfully, everything was in order and there was no need to worry about an unlubricated engine chewing itself to bits.

A quick phone call to our local dealer then ensured the Swift was all booked in the relevant work done. There was only one catch, though, and that was that we’d have to wait two weeks for the work to be done.

While this wasn’t ideal, we were assured that the Swift could be driven for up to 1,000 miles before the oil and oil filter absolutely had to be changed, which meant that normal service could resume.

In that two-week waiting period, the Swift went back to its daily duties of ferrying various members of the editorial department to and from home without skipping a beat.

It really is a great little car, our Swift. Its 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine encourages you to put your foot down, and while it has just 89bhp on tap, it feels like quite the little go-kart.

Sure, the handling can by no means be described as sporty, but its sharp enough to allow you to throw the little supermini into bends with confidence, and all-wheel drive means you’ve got helpful amounts of grip to call upon. That five-speed manual gearbox is also pretty nifty, with its slick action making swapping cogs a satisfying process.

There’s practicality to boot, too, with more than enough interior space for four adults to sit in comfort, and the 265-litre boot is plenty big enough for the odd suitcase or weekly shop.

You can perhaps see why the prospect of having the Swift off the road – even temporarily – wasn’t something we were particularly looking forward to.

Thankfully, when we showed up at Sparshatts Suzuki in Fareham, we were assured that the oil change and filter replacement would take less than half a day’s work.

Sure enough, a few hours later we received a phone call letting us know that the car was ready to pick up.

The work had been carried out without any hiccups, and Suzuki’s technicians confirmed that everything else was in proper working order. They even gave the Swift a wash and a vacuum, which was a nice touch.

With KR17 ZKC remaining in our possession for the next few months, it was reassuring to hear that everything behind the scenes was in sound condition. We’ve grown to be quite attached to the little Suzuki, after all, and the thought of it being out of action isn’t one we’re keen on entertaining.

Let’s just hope that we aren’t hit with another warning light in the next couple of weeks.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH:

Knowing our Suzuki is in tip-top condition and ready to continue its duties on our long-term fleet

MODEL: Suzuki Swift 1.2 SZ5 SHVS Dualjet 4WD
PRICE: £16,149
ENGINE: 1.2-litre, four-cylinder petrol
POWER: 89bhp
TORQUE: 120Nm
MAX SPEED: 106mph
0-60MPH: 12.4 seconds
MPG (COMBINED): 62.8
EMISSIONS: 101g/km
MILEAGE (TO DATE): 7,630