Suzuki Swift buyers have the choice of two engines. The 93bhp 1.2-litre petrol is a little on the sluggish side, but it gives good fuel economy and has pretty low CO2 emissions. The 1.6 Sport has 134bhp, so it's more of a junior hot hatch, but it needs plenty of revs to do its best work.
Entry-level SZ2 cars come with electric front windows, remote central locking, a CD player, USB connection and steering wheel-mounted controls. That’s pretty good for the money, but we'd still go for SZ3, which adds air-con, alloy wheels and Bluetooth.
If you regularly drive on slippery surfaces, the four-wheel-drive versions could be exactly what you're looking for. They're a lot more expensive than the front-wheel-drive models, though, if pretty cheap for a 4WD car.