I have driven a 2013 Suzuki swift Gti manual and loved it .... awesome drivers car. all the Corollas I have driven have been in the workshop and only driven minimally.

The finish appears more refined on the Swifts.

Toyotas are generally cheaper for parts.

Some whisperings on the Toyota CVT being at best lacklustre and some are prone to small inexplicable faults although I have not experienced it myself and there are no recalls that I know of

Some costs guides below re crach and sevice costs

2008 repair cost for 10km crash

Vehicle Repair Cost and % of new car price

Toyota Corolla(5 Door Hatch) $1019 4.4%

Ford Focus(Sedan) $2358 10.7%

Holden Astra(5 Door Hatch) $2627 10.9%

Mazda 3(5 Door Hatch) $2886 12.6%

Toyota Yaris(5 Door Hatch) $4016 22.1%

Hyundai Getz(5 Door Hatch) $3363 22.4%

Mitsubishi Lancer(Sedan) $5467 23.5%

Honda Civic(Sedan) $7386 31.0%

Suzuki Swift(5 Door Hatch) $5547 34.7%

2012 repair cost for 10km crash

Small car front and rear bumper collision tests results

Type of vehicle repair costs % of RRP rrp

Holden Barina
5 door hatch - automatic $2,574 14.3% From $17,990

Nissan Micra ST-L
5 door hatch - automatic $6,056 35.6% From $16,990

Ford Fiesta LX
5 door hatch - automatic $8,850 42.2% From $20,990

Suzuki Swift GL
5 door hatch - automatic $8,929 48.6% From $18,390

VW Polo 77TSI Comfortline
5 door hatch - automatic $11,037 51.4% From $21,490

Hyundai i20 Active
3 door hatch - automatic $9,031 53.2% From $16,990

Mazda2 Maxx
5 door hatch - automatic $11,320 58.5% From $19,340

Honda Jazz VTi
5 door hatch - automatic $13,754 69.5% From $19,790

Toyota Yaris YRS
5 door hatch - automatic $13,440 70.8% From $17,990

http://www.raa.com.au/motoring-and-road-safety/car-advice/vehicle-running-costs

RAA’s 2014 Cost of Vehicle Ownership survey has revealed the Suzuki Alto is the cheapest car to run, with the V8 Nissan Patrol ST-L coming in at the other end of the scale as the most expensive.

RAA calculations for the 2014 Cost of Vehicle Ownership survey are based on private ownership of a vehicle for a five-year period and driving an average of 12,000km each year.

The data was collected in the period leading up to June 2014.

$ per week to run

Light
SUZUKI SWIFT GL 5D HATCHBACK 1372 cc 5 SP MAN $124.51

HYUNDAI i20 ACTIVE 5D HATCHBACK 1396 cc 6 SP MAN $127.95

FORD FIESTA AMBIENTE 5D HATCHBACK 1498 cc 5 SP MAN $129.59

small
HOLDEN CRUZE EQUIPE 5D HATCHBACK 1796 cc 6 SP AUTO $154.09

HYUNDAI ELANTRA ACTIVE 4D SEDAN 1796 cc 6 SP AUTO $157.19

TOYOTA COROLLA ASCENT 5D HATCHBACK 1798 cc CVT $157.76