2000 Suzuki Esteem/Swift: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Esteem is the name of Suzuki's 4-door sedan and wagon. Swift is its 2-door hatchback. Both are front-wheel-drive subcompacts but Esteem rides a longer wheelbase and has a larger engine than the Swift. Esteem outsells Swift 5-1.
Esteem is built in Japan and is Suzuki's best-selling vehicle. It returns GL and GLX models, as well as the GLX Plus, which is the only model with antilock brakes. New for 2000 is a GL Sport 4-door, which includes fog lamps and a rear spoiler. Esteems use a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine. Manual transmission is standard on all but the GLX Plus models. They come with a 4-speed automatic that's optional on other Esteems.
Swift is built in Canada at a General Motors-Suzuki plant alongside the similar Chevrolet Metro, which is mostly a fleet vehicle. Swift uses a 1.3-liter 4-cylinder engine and manual or optional 3-speed automatic transmission. For 2000, the base Swift is renamed the GA and a GL model with standard air conditioning and AM/FM cassette is added. Antilock brakes are unavailable on the Swift.

COMPETITION

This crowded segment is best represented by two exceptional cars--one a Best Buy and the other a Recommended. Our Best Buy is the Honda Civic, which offers a wide range of bodystyles, engines, and equipment levels. Civic is a solid car that has good performance, a nice ride, and is very civilized.
Topping the Recommended list are the Volkswagen Golf and Jetta. They easily could be Best Buys as they are better than the Civic in many ways. However, they are also the most expensive cars in this segment. Other Recommended choices include the no-frills Chevrolet Cavalier and Dodge Neon, the slightly-upscale Chevy Prizm and clone Toyota Corolla, and the roomy Mazda Protege.
If you are looking for a Budget Buy we recommend you stay away from the Hyundai or Daewoo models and take a look at the Ford Escort.