SF Series II Swift/Swift Cino

Models may vary from state to state due to there being three different Suzuki importers – Ateco, Mayfair and Suzuki Australia – operating in Australia until 2000. Today Suzuki Australia – part of the Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan – is the sole importer.

A minor facelift, the Series II SF featured a new grille and tail-lights, redesigned cabin, more standard features and increased refinement levels.

The GL hatch and slow-selling GLX 4WD sedan were dropped.

In May ’94 the ‘Swift’ name also disappeared, for Cino, but only for the long-overdue introduction of the 50kW 1.3-litre SF-series three and five-door hatchbacks that Suzuki was finally allowed to sell locally after Holden switched from the identical SF-based MF/H Barina to the inferior Opel-based SB model.

The Swift GA 1.0, GL 1.3 and GLX 1.6 sedans stayed on until the bigger Baleno replacement arrived in April ’95.

The non-Cino Swift GP Encore 50kW 1.3 three-door hatch was launched in September ’98 and featured as standard air-conditioning, alloy wheels, power steering and power windows.

Incredibly, the Swift/Cino range – including the hot-hatch Swift GTi – remained on sale just shy of its 12th birthday in mid-2000, when the Ignis ousted it.

To keep budget buyers keen until then, Suzuki rolled out the limited edition be-spoilered Cino Sport 1.3 three-door hatch in September ’96, the Cino Black Magic 1.3 five-door from April ’97 to March ’98 and the NSW/ACT-only air-conditioned Cino Extreme and non-NSW/ACT Swift GP Celebration from February ’98.