Following all the hype in the build-up to the arrival of Suzuki's two newcomers earlier in the week, the resurgent motor company chose perhaps the worst possible traffic day in Jo'burg over the past few weeks to introduce us to its new Swift and SX4.

Happily though, our route wasn't too bad and once through the regular Midrand snarl, we enjoyed a pleasant drive out to Harties in the SX4 — we chose a manual and were immediately cognisant of the car's fine build quality, finish and space. It's quite wieldy on the road.

I did however feel, despite Suzuki's promises, that the 107kW 2.0-litre felt a little flat up stronger Highveld hills at the general speed of the traffic — a little over-geared, perhaps?

But beyond that I was quite impressed by Suzuki's crossover solution — it's versatile, conveniently appointed and well thought out and brings a neat dash of Suzuki style to its market niche...

SX4 looks great on the road, attracts lots of attention and will serve its target market very well. There's a 4x4 version on the way next year, but what about a hot turbo version in keeping with this car's presently rather distant WRC sister Suzuki?

After lunch and with the weather clearing a little, my day certainly brightened even further by the chance to experience the superb little Suzuki Swift. Swift enters a competitive little market niche and on this one I fully agree that it's going to upset the entry level applecart more than just a little.

Great looking and boasting fine finishes, super quality and a really good package for the money, its more purposeful than friendly in there, but that it certainly makes up on the road.

Cheeky, peppy and fun to drive, Swift communicates well with the driver, offers more than adequate punch, and rides, handles and behaves very well on the road. And on top of all that, it bombs along happily indicating surprisingly efficient fuel consumption...

As a brand builder, Suzuki certainly has a winner in Swift — don't ignore this car if you're in the market for a sweet little street machine...