Toyota Prius C VS Suzuki Swift

In much the same way that you don't buy an exotic performance car for its ability to run to the shops, you're unlikely to be buying the Prius for its ability to set your pulse racing.

But happily, it doesn't feel wobbly or disconnected, either. It's aided by being such a small package, and when you're not wafting silently about in electric mode, and you've coaxed that little petrol engine into life, it serves up more than enough poke to navigate the city, and even to leave the slow-reactors in your rear-view mirror at traffic lights.

The ride is good, too, feeling connected to the road below without feeling uncomfortable, although the little Prius does tend to track with the corrugations in the road, leaving you to wrestle it back into line. That's a job made easier by light and surprisingly direct steering, which feels tailor-made for the city.

Finally, the leather-look seats are comfortable, even over long distances, the razor-thin A-pillars make forward vision easy and it's a very simple thing to drive and manoeuvre  into parking spaces. And all of those are good things.

Not so good? Well, the entire drive experiences feels a little beige and emotionless, it can get noisy and there are parts of the cabin that feel downright cheap. Worst of all, though, is that for a car that once heralded the future, it's feeling very, very dated.

But there are some amazing quirks attached to driving an (almost) electric car, including the delivery of eco awards for using the least amount of fuel (they were awarded for 2.6, 3.2 and 3.6L/100km over as much as 25km - none of which occurred during my tenure). The hardest thing to get used to was the absolute silence served up in electric mode. I counted four seperate occasions when I walked away from the car with it still turned on.

MG claims the MG3 Hybrid will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.0sec and it feels quick, especially in ‘Sport’ mode, rather than the ‘Eco’ and ‘Normal’ settings.

No doubt the MG is the quieter of the two and it’s important to point out the MG3 is able to run on pure electric power, while the Suzuki cannot.

Suspension is by struts at the front and torsion beam at the rear and the MG feels bumpier over typical pock-marked and patched urban surfaces. That may have something to do with the MG3’s 1298kg kerb weight and slightly wider and lower profile tyres - 195/55 vs 185/65.

The MG steers nicely through a squared-off steering wheel, a la the ‘quartic’ wheel found in the Austin Allegro and Rover SD1 from the 1970s. Road feel is good.

Disc brakes front and rear do the stopping on the MG with three levels of regenerative braking available. The most aggressive setting slows the car markedly but won’t bring it to a full stop, so no ‘single pedal’ driving.

By comparison, expect the Swift to reach 100km/h in around 12.5sec and first impressions are dominated by the characteristically coarse three-cylinder engine and exhaust sound.

Flick the Sport button on the gear shift and performance becomes more urgent but it can’t match the MG’s punch. That said, you can feel that extra 60Nm of pulling power when you want it.

But it’s the Suzuki’s supple ride and nimble handling that stand it apart. Despite its shorter wheelbase and substantially lighter weight the little Suzuki irons out bumps and thumps beautifully.

The steering is well-weighted, accurate and responsive with excellent road feel. Braking is by disc at the front and, yes, drums the size of a small Tupperware container at the rear.

But jokes aside, in a car this light a good drum brake will work perfectly well and it does here. No levels of regen braking. As soon as you’re off the throttle a small light on the dash lets you know you’re sending energy to the battery.

In terms of miscellaneous observations, the MG’s front seats aren’t as comfy as the Suzuki’s. In fact, all who drove the MG3 noticed the driver’s seat cushion is overly firm towards the rear, pushing into your tailbone.

The driver’s door armrests are hard in both cars and there’s some mild wind noise in the Swift at freeway speeds.

Both are super-easy to park but the Swift is that bit smaller with superior visibility, and neither car has a rotary dial for audio volume with wheel, dash buttons or screen sliders instead.

Overall both of these light hatches offer excellent dynamics and refinement for the money, but the Swift delivers a more relaxed and engaging drive.