SUZUKI SWACE

Definitely-not-a-Corolla gets same powertrain improvements as actually-a-Corolla

- MATT SAUNDERS

TESTER'S NOTE

Perhaps the biggest downside to picking the Swace over the Corolla is that Toyota will extend the three-year warranty to 10 years if you always have it serviced by a franchised dealer. MS

Dimples may be the easiest way to spot the Suzuki Swace from the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports with which it shares a Derbyshire production line. It has cut-outs at the lateral extremes of its front bumper that look like they route cooling air to the brakes but are actually just styling affectations. The Corolla doesn't.

There are other ways. Suzuki is pitching its car, which has just been updated for the 2023 model year, at the lower end of the Corolla range, as a value offering, so you can have it with only a wee-looking 16in alloys and the 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain.

Still, if you really want winning-at-life fuel economy out of your car and don't mind looking like an Uber driver, those things probably won't bother you. Actual Uber drivers also take note: the Swace is a practical, sub-£30k car with lots of boot space for airport runs that will do 60mpg on the motorway and hardly less in town. And it's cheaper than an equivalent Corolla by about 5%.