Suzuki Swift Sport 2014 Review

It's been two years since my last encounter with the Swift Sport. How does the Suzuki stack up against new products arriving on the scene since then? Time to find out.

The latest car was practically identical to the Swift Sport I sampled two years ago – even down to the white paint job and manual gearshift. Back then I criticised the car's 'rubbery' gear shift quality. In the new car the shifting remained a cause for concern. Light but long throws for the lever and the high clutch take-up slow down gear changing – and detract from what is otherwise a very good car. Sure, you get used to it, but if you're up against a Polo GTI with a DSG (dual-clutch transmission), the last thing you want is tenths of seconds lost slotting into the next gear (in an on-track context, of course).

While the Swift's engine took a little while to whip up to the redline, it thrived on revs, and the gear ratios were well spaced to take advantage of the engine's character. Around town, the 1.6-litre four delivered decent levels of torque for plodding along in a higher gear – with little in the way of labouring. Fuel consumption for the week measured 6.4L/100km, according to the trip computer. That was due in no small part to the couple of hundred freeway kilometres notched up. But even around town the Swift was achieving an average consumption of 7.0L/100km or less.

The Swift turned in nicely and provided meaty feedback through the steering wheel. Roadholding was commendable for a sporty hatch in the light segment and priced below $24,000. Keep the power applied out of corners and the Swift would start to understeer, but cornering tightened up noticeably when I lifted my foot off the loud pedal. The Swift cornered flatly, but was also deflected over mid-corner bumps.

Ride quality was very good, given the Swift's cornering prowess; although the car's short wheelbase led to occasional pitching. The Bridgestone Potenzas, wrapped around 17-inch alloys, roared over coarse sections of bitumen, but on freeway surfaces there was more wind noise and some driveline vibration – which was felt rather than heard.

From a packaging standpoint, entering or leaving the Swift was straightforward, thanks to an H-point a little higher than that of other light-segment hatches. The front seats were deeply contoured to hold the occupants in place securely, but managed to be comfortable on longer trips also. Controls were well placed and the instruments easy to read. My one misgiving was the infotainment screen, which looked like an afterthought tacked in place in the centre fascia. All that said, however, it operated without fault – even when streaming music from an iPhone via Bluetooth, which is something that could not be said of a more expensive rival recently tested.

The Swift provided more room in the rear than many will expect. I found headroom back there was right on the edge of acceptable for adults, but knee room was plentiful – and that was with the driver's seat set further back to offset the high-rise clutch. There was also heaps of room under the front seats to poke your toes if riding around in the back.

The boot in the Swift was symptomatic of the car's light segment design focus. While rear-seat accommodation was adequate for adults, the boot wasn't good for much more than holding a few days' groceries. Still, the rear seats fold down in a 60:40 split, so the potential is there to cart more gear if required.

Build quality was a cut above the Suzuki S-Cross tested a week earlier, with properly fitting panels and no untoward noises.

Dipped headlights were set a bit low on the test car, but were sufficiently powerful and cast a good spread of light.

Priced at $23,990 (plus on-road costs), the Suzuki is as much as $6000 less than the VW Polo GTI or the Renault Clio RS200... to say nothing of the Ford Fiesta ST. There are various reasons why drivers might choose one of these competitors over the Suzuki.

But for hot-hatch enthusiasts just beginning their life behind the wheel, the Suzuki's performance is competitive – without a turbocharger – and it's still in the right ballpark for dynamics.

2014 Suzuki Swift Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: $23,990 (including on-road costs)
Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 100kW/160Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 153g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP

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