ABDC 2018: Suzuki Swift Sport

12th place

Why is it here?

Nobody expects the tiddler of the field, the Suzuki Swift Sport, to lap Winton Motor Raceway quicker than the Mazda MX-5. And it didn't... But by the narrowest of margins.

Which highlights both the shortcomings and inadequacies of some of its high-profile rivals on the road runs through ABDC week, allowing eager drivers to dive into range while the big-bore battleships have to hold their fire. It’s a tiddler with attitude.

The latest Swift Sport is a very different little beastie from the pocket-rocket GTIs that helped give the brand a giant-killer reputation in a similar way to the original AE86 Toyota Corolla.

They were raw and ragged, fast but feisty. The new contender packs a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in place of a high-revving atmo unit.

But it’s the basics that come with the all-new Swift package – the first all-new Suzuki since the company turned down the boost on product development through the Global Financial Crisis – that make a difference.

The body is bigger and more refined despite an 80kg weight drop, with massive improvements in overall refinement over the previous-generation car.

In short, it’s not just a tin can with a rorty motor. It’s a car that can be a multi-purpose drive, fine in the city and not remotely embarrassed in the Victorian alps.

The new Swift costs a little more than its predecessor, at $25,490 before on-roads, and it has a growing number of similarly priced rivals including the Peugeot 208 GTi, but it is still good value and well equipped everything from sat-nav and auto air-con to a reversing camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

>>Get all the 2018 Australia's Best Driver's Car results here

What’s under the bonnet?

The heart of the Swift Sport is the 1.4-litre turbo four. With direct fuel-injection, which Suzuki touts as Boosterjet, it makes 103kW and 230Nm.

The key figure is the 70Nm torque boost over the previous 1.6, delivered from not much more than idle.

The engine is so strong across the range that the biggest problem is running into the rev-limiter in the lower gears, especially as it kicks in at 6000rpm when the tacho is redlined at 6200.

It’s one of those engines that is best to shift a bit early, keeping it in the meat of the torque delivery around 4500 revs.

The ABDC car comes with the six-speed manual gearbox, which has a good spread of ratios but a slightly rubbery shift feel, and the usual Swift Sport stuff including 17-inch alloys with 45-Series tyres.

The only downside to the grippy rubber, which hangs on brilliantly anywhere but a racetrack, is significant drone at highways speeds. And that’s not good in a car as small as the Swift.

How does it perform?

The judges love the baby of the field, and it surprises many of them with its speed and agility, particularly when driving downhill or in a run of tighter bends.

“The surprise package of ABDC? Better than the Clio RS,” is the verdict from Marton Pettendy.

“The Swift Sport became known as the ‘mighty mouse’ of the bunch, and for good reason,” agrees Sam Charlwood.

“If a car could score points for head and heart in the right place, the Swift would bag a million,” says Ken Gratton.

Even the flipside is not bad for the Swift, although a number of judges highlight the eventual limits of the lightweight front-driver.

“It’s a car that requires delicate inputs to make the most of it, but is ultimately let down by excessive body roll-pitch and long suspension travel,” says Matt Brogan.

“Underpowered. Rubbish gearchange. But just tramp the throttle and it pulls out of corners,” says Bruce Newton.

The Swift Sport springs its surprise at Winton, where its 1:44.732 time is well better than its closest rival, the Clio RS, and almost betters the MX-5. It even catches race ace Luke Youlden, who was not expecting so much from the tiddler.

“That was surprising. It’s got a really strong engine with heaps of torque, so it was a gear higher everywhere than I expected,” he reports.

“It’s a front-wheel drive car with heaps of grunt, so it struggles to put it all on the ground. I wouldn’t say it torque steers a huge amount, but it does feel at time like it has too much chassis for the engine. As a driver’s car it’s enjoyable because you have to work at it.”

Is it worth the asking price?

The Swift Sport has the field covered on purchase price; it’s a bang-for-bucks winner with a sub-$30,000 kick-off.

It also has its direct showroom rivals – Peugeot 208 GTi, Renault Clio RS and Volkswagen Polo GTI – covered and is likely to still have an advantage over the Fiesta ST when the sole remaining model in Ford’s baby-car line-up returns.

What do the judges think?

The judges’ think highly of the mighty mouse and their scorecards reflect their driving enjoyment in the Swift. One even gives it 8 from 10.

The real range is in the low 6s to high 7s, which is good enough for it to score a handy win over the Clio RS and a more surprising victory over the Nissan 370Z.

It picks up its points because it’s good, but also because it is fun. And it’s accessible fun, partly down to the affordable purchase price and partly down to its ability to punch above its weight when the going gets tough.

On truly gnarly roads, or when the ABDC driving conditions turn slimy, it’s easier to get the best from the Swift Sport – and every road is much, much wider than it is in a Benz E 63 or BMW M5.

The other good thing about the Swift is the way it turns even a short city sprint into a fun run. It’s possible to access the turbo surge from super-low revs and that means even a suburban roundabout can be tackled with a smile.

So it’s not the best car in the ABDC field, but it is a welcome revival of the Swift recipe that was so popular during the GTI days.

Revisit last years action with ABDC 2017

2018 Suzuki Swift Sport pricing and specifications:

Price: $25,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 103kW/230Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined), 9.1L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

2018 Suzuki Swift Sport performance figures (as tested):

0-100km/h: 8.1sec
0-400m: 15.999sec @ 153.1km/h
Lap time: 1:44.732sec

Related reading:

>> Suzuki Swift Sport Review