* The Suzuki Swift Sport.
* Inside the Sport model.
Suzuki Swift Sport
road test by Steve Rogers
Is it just me or is
there a lack of small, affordable hot hatchbacks around?
You are looking at
more than 30 grand for the big names - Golf GTI, Honda Civic Type R, Focus RS,
Seat Leon Cupra.
What if I want to spend
less than £20k? Let me point you in the direction of the Suzuki Swift Sport.
Not the first name to trip off the tongue may be, but definitely the most
underrated.
In its own quiet
way the Swift has been delighting its owners for more than a decade, while the
Sport model has been perfect for speed lovers with a small bank account.
Not that the Sport
has ever been red hot. The 1.6 litre 16-valver could only muster around 134bhp,
not as much as a Peugeot 205 GTi or the 'once driven never forgotten' Renault
Clio Williams of the early nineties, yet you will not find anyone complaining.
Now we have a new
Swift Sport ... with a smaller engine. Come again, a smaller engine? Yes, but
don't worry, it is quicker, cleaner, and does more to the gallon. The turbo charged
1.4 Boosterjet has been making a name for itself in the Vitara and now its
cutting a dash in the Sport.
Output is still a
modest 138bhp but there has been a sizeable increase in torque - 230Nm against
160Nm for the normally aspirated 1.6. Now response is rapid with a satisfying
surge from 2500rpm, much earlier than before.
Some of this extra
performance is down to a new platform which has allowed the Sport to shed 70kg
but the real winner is handling. Although lighter the bodyshell is stiffer so
the car never gets flustered even if the accelerator is stabbed mid bend. You
can imagine the Sport saying 'bring it on'.
Nimble and very
capable sums it up, an easy car to drive quickly through twists and turns.
So what has Suzuki
done to justify a price hike to £18k. Basically it has loaded Swift Sport with
a heap of new technology that includes a suite of safety features. Lane drift
warning, radar cruise control, pedestrian detection, autonomous braking if you
ignore the warning sounds of a vehicle a little too close for comfort make this
the safest Swift ever built.
I would like to
have seen an end to the hard plastic trim but what's there feels solid rather
than cheap, and Sport benefits from subtle shiny red accent panels throughout
the cabin. There is another red hot theme reminder with red piping on the seats
and red lighting in the instrument binnacle.
The binnacle has an
information panel well suited to performance anoraks with coloured graphics for
turbo boost, engine output and torque data. There is other more meaningful
stuff like what the car is doing to the gallon, average speed and a smart clock,
but with all this technology there is no room for a digital speedometer.
Come on Suzuki, you
must have enough brain power to sort that out, it is far more useful than being
able to see how the turbo charger is performing!
Overall the
equipment level is good with a 7inch touchscreen for navigation, DAB radio and
all the Bluetooth connections. Auto dipping headlights is a great addition and
there is a rear camera which had rather poor definition possible down to an
intrusion from the rear spoiler.
Is there anything
not to like about Swift Sport? Not really, the ride is a little harsh but no
more than to be expected from hottish hatch, and there is above average road
noise but who cares when you can have so much fun from an inexpensive, well
appointed speedster which is bordering on brilliant.
Fast facts
Swift Sport
£17,999
1.4 litre turbo;
138bhp
0-62mph 8.1secs;
130mph
50.4mpg combined
Emissions: 135g/km
1st year road tax
£205
Insurance group 35
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