Swift lover! Suzuki Swift Sport car review
Mileage: 1,200
Fuel Consumption: 35.1mpg (claimed 39.78)
Insurance group: 9
Price: £11,801 on the road
Options: Clarion entertainment system (dealer fitted)
It’s really cute, well priced and, on paper, a good little performer – but what’s the Suzuki Swift Sport like to own? We’ve got one on a six-month loan.
Adrian Hearn practically ripped the keys off his boss to make sure he got the Suzuki Swift Sport – and here’s his first verdict on the Japanese hot hatch.
The Ford Focus ST, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Renault Megane RenaultSport are brilliant hot hatches which are fast, well-priced, great handling and, most importantly, fun.
But they aren’t as fun as the little Suzuki Swift Sport I got on a six-month loan four weeks ago which puts a smile on my face every time I take it out.
And it’s all thanks to simplicity – a five-speed gearbox, lightweight body and a brilliant 1.6-litre engine chucking out 125bhp.
Great handling
All this enables a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 125mph – not record-breaking figures, but it doesn’t really matter because through the corners the Swift sticks to the road beautifully with minimal bodyroll and masses of grip. The Swift Sport has been incredibly responsive with sharp, precise steering. It’s a true little racer.
The engine is great, with plenty of low down, almost diesel-esque levels of pulling power. It is quite noisy at speeds and some may think it could do with a sixth gear to improve fuel economy but this would make it slightly heavier and put the price-tag up.
When you look at the Swift Sport in white it certainly looks the part. It’s got a really cool front which screams cute but at the same time bears a small amount of aggression courtesy of the flared wheel arches, fog lights and large grille. And new for 2009 is this new white paintwork.
The Swift Sport gets a roof spoiler and two exhausts, one placed at either side. It really does look the business.
Inside the flared arches are a set of 17-inch alloy wheels on low profile tyres which give the Swift Sport a firm ride which really gives you a feel of the road – something vitally important for a hot hatch. If you want a soft, comfortable ride then the Swift Sport isn’t the car for you as it does pick out just about any crack in the road.
There is one problem with having large wheels – there is no room for a spare, so if you get a puncture you have to repair it with a special type of foam found in the tyre repair kit. This is more and more common in new cars and helps create space in the small 213-litre boot.
Pothole problems
But the worst case scenario is you hit a pothole 160 miles from home on a Sunday and rip the side of the tyre which can’t be repaired with the foam provided. And this happened to me. None of the tyre companies had the correct tyre in stock which left me with one choice – an annoying Sunday evening spent in a recovery vehicle.
All these troubles could have been averted had the Swift had a space saving spare wheel, but this is a common occurrence with new cars and it’s ridiculous. Couldn't they offer a space saver as a £50 option like Mini do with the Cooper? Fair play to Suzuki and its breakdown assistance though because they were really helpful, sorting out the tow truck. It’s all part of the Swift’s three-year warranty and is manned 24 hours a day and covers the UK and Europe.
Brownes of London located a tyre, picked up the Swift and returned it couple of hours later. At every stage of the process they were friendly and courteous, providing an excellent service – but at a cost of £439. This included £156 on a new alloy, £86 on a tyre and £134 going on labour.
An expensive pothole, but it’s a common occurrence. It’s thought there are more than 3.5million potholes in the UK, and they’re getting worse due to a £1 billion shortfall in road maintenance budgets.
Volkswagen feel on a Suzuki budget
While the exterior is good-looking, the Swift’s cabin is more sober affair. Consisting of dark, good quality plastics, the Swift has a Volkswagen feel with simple, clear dials. Our model was fitted with a Clarion entertainment system featuring sat-nav, a hard-drive and DVD player. It might be a £1,500 dealer option, but the Clarion unit is excellent quality and very easy to use.
Potholes aside, the Swift has provided hassle-free motoring and puts a smile on my face every time I get into it. It looks great, drives superbly, has a great engine and at a shade under £12,000 it’s really good value for money.
Barring the lack of spare wheel, the Suzuki Swift is a pretty hard car to fault and alongside the Renault Twingo RenaultSport and Fiat 500 Abarth, young motorists looking for a fun, affordable car have never had it so good.
Video: The Renault Twingo RS is a rival for the Suzuki Swift Sport - watch the pocket rocket go
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