One of the questions that always arises when planning a trip is, “What vehicle would best suit the type of trip you’re embarking on?” When December rolled in, we had everything planned—the location and accommodation were sorted. However, the question of our means of transport was still a burning one.
After the Suzuki Swift’s launch in Stellenbosch and the increasing hype surrounding it, we knew it would be the perfect companion for our trip to the picturesque town of Knysna. This little hatchback has won numerous awards, including the RJC Car Of The Year, Top 5 Finalist of the 2025 World Urban Car, and Top 10 Finalist of the 2025 World Car Of The Year. We already know all the specs and technical details about this iconic car, but what better way to get to know it than the open road? With this, we tried our luck and contacted Suzuki South Africa to find out if they had one that we could use—to our surprise, they did! A spunky cherry-red GLX version. Boy, were we excited!
Short before long D-day rolled in, the swift was packed and fuelled, ready to embark on the 12-hour trip to the coast. Having left at 04:00 AM, we needed something to keep us awake, so the first thing we did was connect our phones to the Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and our road trip playlist was playing at full blast on the Swift’s 4 speakers. A useful feature is the sound fader that we adjusted to have the music play louder on the back speakers for us to enjoy, but still have the ability to talk to each other. The bonus part about the infotainment and the phone connection is that you can send messages verbally via WhatsApp. This is something that truly came in handy, we were able to update our families on the go without having to physically touch our phones, which prevented us from ever having to take our eyes off the road—something I wish my Suzuki Jimny Gen 3 had…
About a quarter way through our trip, we really started to bond with this cherry-red swift, it has such character attached to it—from the little welcome tune it plays every time you press the start button through to the handling. It only made sense to give her a suitable name, and so the birth of the name Sakura came into being. Some may wonder, “Why Sakura”? Well, since her origin is Japanese, we wanted to keep it authentic, and reflecting on her colour, we decided that Cherry Blossom was appropriate, therefore, Sakura is the Japanese translation of cherry blossom.
Being youngsters, our budget was planned to the very last penny, so when we were contemplating which car to get, one of the main factors was fuel consumption. It sort of became a game to see who could get the lowest fuel consumption range, and Sakura did not disappoint. We were getting as low as 4.6 L/100km, with the highest being 5.5 L/100km once we hit the ever-rising passes and an unfortunate head-on wind for the second half of the drive. Even with the higher range, we still saved on our planned fuel budget, which left us with extra spending money—thank you Sakura!
By now, it’s obvious that we were more than one person driving. A little side note for those who don’t know: I’m only 5ft, so any average person is taller than me. Thankfully, the Swift seats have three adjustments: one to move forward or back, another to move up or down, and a third to move the backrest. With this feature, we could easily adjust the seat position to be comfortable for either of us.
13 hours later, after passing through many quaint towns, including Graaf-Reinet, we rolled down the hill into Knysna as the sun was hitting the mountain tops. Let me tell you, I have driven down to the coast plenty, and never once did I arrive feeling as though I only drove to the other end of JHB. For some reason, even though we drove an hour longer than planned due to unexpected traffic outside of JHB, it felt like we travelled for a maximum of 6 hours. Whether it’s because the music and conversation kept us distracted or because Sakura was such a comfort and joy to travel in with the redesigned body-hugging support and multiple adjustments of the front seats, we may never know, but it was probably the most enjoyable drive down I have ever experienced.
Now that we had arrived, we could finally get started on our highly anticipated holiday. The goal was to “chill out” before the new year came rushing in. So the first week of our trip mostly involved packing our beach stuff and spending the day baking in the sun with the occasional dip in the waves. We were incredibly surprised with how much space the Swift has, even with three people’s luggage, we still had room for beach towels, beach entertainment, a woven mat, a pop-up beach tent and an umbrella—all this without laying either of the back seats flat! Of course, during the holiday, there was plenty of extra boot space with the absence of our main luggage, so the front of the car always remained clear even after a decent grocery shopping trip; and don’t get me started on the cupholders… This little hatchback has a total of 3 cupholders and an additional 4 bottle holders located in each door! My gym girls—there is enough room for those water bottles that are consistently rolling around because they don’t fit in the cup holders. Suzuki definitely thought of every detail that could make the Swift the perfect ladies’ car!
Knysna has some beautiful hiking trails, and as someone who loves a good walk, we decided to head out towards Pezula’s Fisherman’s Path to enjoy a morning of fresh air and beautiful sights. It was a lovely hike, but somehow we took a different path and landed on the Sparrebosch Trail… In hindsight, I am really happy we accidentally took that trail, but my goodness, were we regretting it at the time when we realised that the only way back was going up the mountain we had just “bum-slid” down. It felt as though we were walking up stairs that were basically 90 degrees, forcing us to go on “all-fours” at one point. Although the return was exhausting, we got to see some breathtaking views that we would have otherwise missed. Would I do it again, probably, but I would opt to take at least 3L of water instead of 1L.
Anyone who has visited Knysna knows it is a compact place, you could very well walk from one end to the other. We enjoyed taking walks to the different places scattered across town, but one of our pit stops, which became a ritual throughout the holiday, was a coffee and croissant at the Apollo Coffee shop on Thesen Island. What a perfectly located spot, looking out over the lagoon with the yachts, boat houses, and catamarans dotting the water. Watching them heading out for a cruise while we enjoyed our breakfast was a great way to start our mornings.
We certainly enjoyed every aspect of Knysna, including taking the ferry across the lagoon to the only beach bar. One of the highlights of our trip was sipping on a few gins while we watched the tide go out and the sun setting over the water. Knysna now also has a Pizza n Vino at the foot of the Heads, and I think pizza tastes a bit better with the waves rolling in.
Apart from exploring what Knysna had to offer, we also visited various places along the Garden Route. A few of these were Brenton On Sea, Buffels Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield, Wilderness, George, Mossel Bay and Hartenbos. Of course, I have to mention how convenient Sakura’s Google Maps function was. It was as simple as typing the location into our phones, and it pops up on the infotainment screen, as well as a simpler version of directions on the dashboard screen between the analogue dials, making it easy for the driver to know what turn is next, never once uncertain of our route. We also decided to take Sakura for a little run-up Simola Hill just to add that to her log book of places she’s been…
It’s no secret that the Garden Route has ridiculous speed limits, dropping as low as 60km/h in some places; and don’t be fooled, the speed traps are everywhere—permanent ones, as well as traffic cops perched in different places daily. The cruise control on the GLX version came in handy for this exact reason; we simply set it to the speed limit for that area, and we could rest assured that no flash would be hitting us throughout our travels.
We can proudly say that we put Sakura to the ultimate lifestyle test. After spending 3 full weeks with her, we got the #feeliconic Swift experience. Suzuki has taken the OG of Swifts and created a car that can be enjoyed by today’s youth. Without making any drastic changes to the beloved and recognisable shape of the Swift, they elevated the design to appeal to every youngster’s tastebuds. We drove around in Sakura with heads turning at every stop, with a feeling of attainable luxury thanks to the sporty and stylish designs of the GLX. However, putting the undeniably good looks aside, the all-new thrifty three-cylinder engine added an immense sense of character to Sakura with its nippy acceleration and decent handling around the swooping corners through the Western Cape’s mountains. With the new weight-to-power ratio, the Swift is an absolute blast to drive, keeping it exciting around every bend.
It was a sad moment, handing her back to Suzuki South Africa. We now know exactly why the Swift is probably one of the world’s most popular hatchbacks. While owning a Jimny, you kind of get the same feeling of belonging to a “club” because after driving a Swift for a short period, you can’t help but want to wave at every other Swift owner as they drive by. Could this be a “Jimny ingrained reaction”? Maybe, but in my opinion, I think it would be a total vibe if “Swifties” (not the Taylor Swift fans, although the Swift would suit them pretty well) started their own tradition, don’t you think?
