Suzuki Swift Sport 2006 Review

What we liked
>> Comfortable ride
>> Supportive sports seats
>> Solid and predictable handling

Not so much
>> Lack of sixth gear
>> Only tilt adjust steering column
>> No spare wheel

On the affordability front, few could match its bang-for-buck quotient and subsequently it entered the annals as a car that was duly revered by its owners and admired by those that didn't hold the keys. Such was its appeal that the GTi remained on sale until 2000, when the model line was discontinued.

Now six years later, a spiritual successor to the GTI in the form of the Swift Sport has arrived. The Sport moniker doesn't so much represent the car's lesser status in the lineup -- although there is not the same degree of differentiation between the base model and the Sport as in the past -- but rather is a global tag applied to the car.

Unlike the previous three-door incarnation, the new Swift Sport is a five-door hatch and is offered in one spec level with a five-speed manual gearbox only. The Swift Sport went on sale on September 30 and carries a $6000 premium over the manual S model Swift and is priced from $23,990.

There is also a slight increase in standard features that over and above the base model Swift's standard air-conditioning, remote locking, power windows and mirrors and CD audio system includes an in-dash six-stack CD sound system with MP3 compatibility and front fog lights. One omission on the kit list however, is a spare wheel of any sort with only a puncture repair kit in the boot. The lack of a spare is due to the packaging of the dual exhaust system and also no doubt, to save some weight.

The interior is well finished and stylish in a minimalist but ergonomic sort of way and overall the quality of the fit and finish is good.

Up front there is plenty of space and while the rear outboard seats offer a relatively decent amount of space for adults over short trips, squeezing three across the rear would be a stretch. The rear seat back splits and folds 60/40 to increase the average 213-litre boot capacity to a potential total of 562 litres.

As the sports model in the lineup, the front MacPherson strut and rear torsion beam suspension has had a significant retuning and along with the bigger and lower profile 195/50 tyres, it gains firmer springs and Monroe dampers. The Sport model also gains further chassis strengthening with additional cross members to improve the rigidity of the body.

Six airbags are standard including dual front, front side and side curtain bags and all five seats have three-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters on the front two.

As a sporty car that has the potential to be driven harder than usual, it does however lack any form of traction assistance. According to Suzuki, the company is working on an electronic stability control ESP application that should be available within 12 months but whether it will be offered as an option or standard has yet to be decided.

The end result is a 23 per cent increase in power and 11 per cent increase in torque with the Sport producing 92kW at 6800rpm and 148Nm at 4800rpm vs the 1.5's 74kW at 6000rpm and 133Nm at 4000rpm. To extract these numbers, the Sport does, however require 98ron premium unleaded petrol although the listed combined cycle fuel consumption is only 0.5l/100km more than the base Swift and is still a reasonably frugal 7.5l/100km.

The five-speed manual gearbox mated to the 1.6-litre front-drive engine has also undergone some substantial changes with lower ratios for third, fourth and fifth and a lower final drive compared to the 1.5 Swift. The closer ratio gearbox is matched by a gearshift that offers a shorter stroke with less reach between gears.

When it comes to baby sports models like the Swift, the only real competitors are the two turbocharged models from Volkswagen and Mitsubishi in the form of the Polo GTi and the Colt Ralliart. Both of these offer more power and significantly more torque courtesy of the blowers but are again, quite a hike in dollars.

The 113kW/210Nm 1.5-lite turbo Colt Ralliart just squeezes under $30,000 with an RRP of $29,990 while the 110kW/220Nm turbo 1.8 Polo GTi is listed at $26,990. The 1.5-litre Toyota Yaris and Mazda2 and 1.6-litre Ford Fiesta all offer good driving dynamics but none of the three are available in a Sports variant like the Swift with engines that produce less power and torque.

ON THE ROAD
Hot hatches have become the rage of late and there is no shortage of models to choose from. But while the vast majority use turbocharged engines to give them the performance to go with the pose, the little Suzuki Swift retains a bigger but still naturally aspirated engine. As such it is not in the same league as many of its apparent rivals but that is not to say that it is any less involving or importantly, fun, to drive. The 1.6-litre engine in the Sport might not have the raw power and torque of the rest of the hot hatch brigade but it is still a very perky engine that lifts the car to another level over the standard Swift.

With a kerb weight of just under 1100kg, the engine in the Sport is more than adequate at getting the little Suzuki off the line in an enthusiastic manner and with its peak outputs coming relatively high in the rev band it does like to be revved hard. From standstill, a decent prod of the right foot elicits a strong urge and with judicious use of the slick five-speed manual gearshift, it will keep pulling until it hits the rev limiter at about 7000rpm.

Cruising at 100km/h on the freeway, it is ticking over at about 3200rpm and although the cabin remains impressively quiet, we feel it could do with an extra sixth ratio. But the close knit nature of the top three gears means that come the twisty stuff you can easily keep the engine in its strongest region above about 4000rpm.

While the ride is firm, it is still compliant enough to soak up the worst road ruts and remain comfortable but the suspension tune is definitely biased towards handling. The steering is reasonably direct with a meaty feel and push the car hard and it will track your desired line with ease. There is plenty of grip from the big tyres and if you do push too hard, it responds with well-controlled and predictable understeer. Overall the car feels very tight and solid providing the confidence to throw it around without ever feeling like it is going to let go in a truly disastrous fashion.

Even in the wet -- the launch drive included some handling exercises on a closed skid pan -- the Swift felt well controlled and was quick to bring back into line when traction gave way.

The Swift Sport may not offer the level of grunt of many of its hot hatch rivals but nor does it carry their price tags either so if you are after something a little more sporty and fun in a cute and affordable package, it is well worth a look for the driveline and chassis modifications, do make the Sport a significant step up from the basic Swift.