Suzuki Swift Sport 2007 Review

Road Test

We've no qualms telling you up front, the Suzuki Swift is one of our favourite small cars -- wieldy, well-behaved, well-engineered and well, just plain good value for money.

So when Suzuki announced a sportier version was on its way it couldn't be anything but a winner. Could it? Well, yes... But...

Tipped to carry on the tradition of the giant-killing Swift GTi of old, the Swift Sport brings fun back to a segment that has been somewhat lacking. Indeed, while Light cars (the VFACTS segment in which the Swift presides) have never been better equipped or offered more useable luggage and people space, overall the offering hasn't exactly set pulses racing.

Cars like the Swift Sport, Volkswagen's Polo GTI, the Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart and Citroen's C2 VTS (click here to compare specifications) arrived in 05/06 to change all that. They offer better power-to-weight ratios than their plain jane equivalents (in the region of 10-12kg/kw) , sharper chassis and 0-100km/h times of around 8.0sec. Plus a bit of street-cred. Fair enough, they're not rockets but they are lively, and above all fun!

The Swift differs from some of the others in being a five-door, so little if any practicality has been lost, bar for one thing (more on that later). That said, it's a reasonably stiff $6000 more than the standard Swift. That money buys a different powertrain (1.6-litre twin-cam four-cylinder engine versus 1.5, producing 92kW/148Nm versus 74/133), significantly upgraded running gear and a touch more flash inside and out (Click here for our launch review on the Sport).

In comparison among the abovementioned cosmopolitan trio, the Sport is lineball with the French car in price but $3000 cheaper than the German and $6K less than the Ralliart.

The driving experience is quite different from the standard Swift too -- though to be frank not quite as we expected. Geared lower thanks to internal and final drive ratio changes, the Sport spins harder than you'd expect with 3500rpm equating to 105km/h in top in the five-speed gearbox. Though the engine is not over-endowed with torque -- max is claimed at 4800rpm -- it could really do with a six-speeder.

The gearchange itself is a satisfying short throw and on the notchy side of precise -- not quite the clichéd rifle bolt but better than the standard offer.

Acceleration through the gears is lively but not in the 'real' hot hatch league and according to the seat of the pants, behind the turbocharged Polo and Colt. And while you'd expect the low-slung, big-wheeled Sport would be tied down hard, it actually rides with a greater degree of comfort, and corners with more body roll, than we were expecting.

It's not as sharp as, say, Renault's benchmark Clio Sport or indeed a well-sorted early Swift GTi but it's an improvement on the understeer-prone run-of-the-mill Light cars we've been served up of late. And it's rewarding to drive quickly as doing so needs a touch of empathy and finesse.

The Swift's four-wheel disc brakes are excellent and in the fast twisty stuff allow you to maximise your momentum -- right up to the last few metres. Accelerating out of tight corners or on bumpier roads (you need to keep the little four bubbling pretty high in the revs for best progress) torque steer is quite pronounced despite the re-weighted (and quite heavy) steering.

We liked sitting in the big pillarbox-style heavily bolstered front seats (comfy all day) but thought they look at odds with the fine lines and proportions of the car and its detailing inside and out. A sharp set of Recaro-style buckets as fitted in the Mitsu Ralliart Colt would look better.

The rest of the cabin is mildly upgraded Swift. Not half bad, but will somebody please get Suzuki to fix the unsightly H-shaped passenger airbag 'blemish' on the dash that afflicts every Swift -- standard and Sport. It lets down the rest of the car.

And we may as well get another of our all-Swift gripes off our chest too. The Swift seems particularly prone to dash-top reflection. These are often bad enough to render the centre auxillary digital readout invisible. The design might work in the Northern Hemisphere but not here.

Alas our main gripe with the Swift was its lack of a spare tyre. Despite a quick diagnosis, after reinflation with the onboard compressor (supplied in place of the spare) and a trip to the local tyre service, one of the Swift's oddly-sized 195/50-16 was damaged beyond repair and a replacement half a day away. We'd have much rather had the option of fitting a spare -- even a space saver.

Overall the Swift Sport is a pleasing vehicle -- fun to drive, with a sense of style and (though we still think it's probably $2000 too expensive), it ain't going to break the bank -- to buy or own.

It's civilised and in comparison to its peers quite the polished performer. What it isn't is a replacement for the old GTi. It's simply too polished, too soft and dare we say it too slow -- that role is still to be filled.

Did I hear somebody say a Swift three-door with a 1.8 and a touch of boost? Now you're talking, Mr Suzuki...