Is the Fiat diesel engine fitted to the Suzuki Swift reliable?

Pleased to hear the Suzuki Swift 1.3 diesel has a chain driven camshaft. Apart from the DPF issue would you say the Fiat engine built in India is a reliable one? As good as a Mercedes-Benz diesel? I currently drive a SMART ForFour 1.5CDI which has a Mercedes-Benz engine under the bonnet. I've done 70,000 miles and the engine runs as good as the day it rolled off the Dutch production line - probably better, in fact. It's a great car with a great engine. It will break my heart to let her go but the mileage is getting on the high side.

Asked on 1 June 2013 by SF, via email

Answered by Honest John
That 3-cylinder chain-cam Mitsubishi 1.5 diesel was a great little engine. Sad that it was killed off. Mercedes-Benz now fits a belt cam Renault 1.5 diesel to its A Class and Citan. As I wrote before, the 1.3 Multijet is economical and good to drive but can be plagued with DPF problems.
Similar questions
I currently have a Nissan P12 Primera 2.2 dCi SVE which is nearly 10 years old, with 108,000 miles. I have been very pleased with this car. It is reliable, economical and not too expensive to maintain....
I am about to choose between a Golf TDI 90 PS and a Polo 75 PS TDI, but am concerned about reports concerning DPF problems with the Polo in particular. There are also reports about Volkswagen dropping...
I purchased a 2012 Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI Bluemotion that had done 44,000 miles from a Volkswagen used car dealer. Within the first month, I noticed that the interior light and windscreen washer weren't...
Related models
Funky-looking, versatile hatch with plenty of safety kit. Manual versions drive well. Four stars for the diesels, by far the best in the line-up.
Excellent equipment across the range, great fun to drive regardless of the engine, sport version is huge fun, 4x4 is great for rural areas.
Refined and comfortable, big improvement on the Renault Kangoo it's based on, 109 CDI BlueEfficiency returns a claimed 65.7mpg.
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer