Subcompact showdown: Suzuki Swift vs. Kia Picanto

The Suzuki Swift and the Kia Picanto are two of the most popular reasonably-priced subcompact hatchbacks in the market today.

Interested to find out which of these two budget-friendly cars suit your needs? Join us in this subcompact showdown to find out.

Exterior

	Suzuki Swift	Kia Picanto
Dimensions (L x W x H mm)	3,840 x 1,735 x 1,495	3,595 x 1,595 x 1,495
Wheelbase (mm)	2,450	2,400
Ground clearance (mm)	120	151

At a glance, you’ll notice that the Suzuki Swift is a tad taller and a hair wider than the Kia Picanto. It also rides lower with a slightly longer wheelbase, which translates to a modest ride quality.

In terms of features, the Suzuki Swift wears a black front grille, body-colored front and rear bumpers, as well as body-colored door handles. When it comes to its lighting fixtures, the Japanese Kei car has halogen multi-reflector headlamps (LED with projector low beam for the range-topping variant), fog lamps, position lamps with DRL, and rear combination lamps.

On the other hand, the Kia Picanto has a two-part grille with chrome fittings, body-colored front and rear bumpers, and body-colored door handles. It also features multi-reflector halogen headlamps across the board, front fog lamps for the upper trims, rear combination lamps, and a third brake light integrated on the rear spoiler.

Because both hatchbacks are neck and neck in this round, we call it a tie.

Interior

Inside, the Suzuki Swift gives you fabric seats, a three-spoke urethane steering wheel (leather for the top variant), analog instrument panels (3.5-inch monochrome LCD for the highest trim), and a seven-inch multimedia touchscreen.

Meanwhile, the South Korean has cloth seats, a three-spoke polyurethane steering wheel, an analog instrument panel with a 2.6-inch LCD display, and a seven-inch infotainment system.

With better interior options, we give this round to the Suzuki Swift.

Engine

All Suzuki Swift variants get a 1.2-liter K12M engine shared by the Suzuki Dzire. This gasoline mill can be mated to either a five-speed manual or CVT. Either way, it produces a maximum power of 82hp and a maximum torque of 113Nm.

The Kia Picanto’s LX trims sport a 1.0-liter engine which can be had in either a five-speed automatic or a four-speed automatic. Meanwhile, its EX variants pack a 1.2-liter power plant, which can also be had in either a five-speed automatic or a four-speed automatic.

Kia’s 1.0-liter engine produces 66hp with 95Nm of torque while the 1.2-liter engine makes 82hp and 122Nm of torque.

With more powertrain choices, this round goes to the Kia Picanto.

Safety

Suzuki packed the Swift with its respective suite of airbags and seatbelts. The Japanese carmaker also made ABS with EBD as well as brake assist and an immobilizer as standard safety features. It did however reserve its parking sensors and rear camera for its range-topping variant.

In the same fashion, Kia saved the best safety features for its top-of-the-line models. While airbags and seatbelts are standard, things like ABS, immobilizers and rear cameras are features you can unlock only by getting the upper variants.

With more safety features available for its lower trims, we can all agree that the Suzuki Swift deserves this round’s win.

Pricing and Variants

Suzuki Swift

• Suzuki Swift GL 1.2L MT – P775,000
• Suzuki Swift GL 1.2L CVT – P819,000
• Suzuki Swift Special Edition 1.2L CVT – P869,000

Kia Picanto

• Kia Picanto 1.0L LX MT – P590,000
• Kia Picanto 1.0L LX AT – P635,000
• Kia Picanto 1.2 EX MT – P700,000
• Kia Picanto 1.2 EX AT – P745,000

Verdict

We pick the Suzuki Swift as the winner of this subcompact showdown. Thanks to its reliable engine, good interior options, and value of money variants, the Japanese hatchback deserves a place in your garage.

Photos from Suzuki and Kia

Also read: 

A peek inside the Suzuki Swift

2021 Kia Picanto: The pros and cons