Road Test : Suzuki Swift Sport

Review by Tristan Tancredi - 6 June 2012

The journey of the Suzuki Swift started way back at the start of the new millenium. It was the year 2000 and the Japanese gave birth to the first generation Suzuki Swift.

Suzuki has come along in leaps and bounds with the sub-compact hatch. The second generation hatch was a price competitive car with a few well known flaws and misgivings.

Enter the 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport, a well priced, economically conservative sports hatch. With a 1.6L VVT 4-Cylinder Engine that delivers a mindblowing 42% more power than the standard Swift, the Swift Sport is one major contender in the compact hatch market.

The pinnacle of the Suzuki Swift brand so far, the Swift Sport is available in both 6-Speed manual and 7-speed CVT transmissions.

Today, we take a closer look at the Suzuki Swift Sport 6-Speed manual.

Drive: 4.5/5

What's not to like about the way this car drives. To put it in black and white, it is amazing.

30kg lighter then its predecessor and delivering more torque and power, the overall performance improvements are vast. The result, a ridiculously fun car to drive with some serious pace.

It was so fun to drive that when the dreaded day came when we had to return it to the lovely folk at Suzuki, we contemplated running away to Regional Victoria and driving it non-stop for another week.

Right the way through the 6-Speed manual, from the lower gears, right up to the top end, the Sport maximises its power delivery and creates a very torquey drive. The handling is also exceptional. The enhanced sports tuned suspension, aided by Monroe Shock Absorbers, although a little firm, allows drivers to smoothly traverse the tarmac of city streets and rocky, country roads alike.

The drivers seat is positioned well, with adequate views to the mirrors and the road ahead. The only visibility issue was a slight obstruction with the side pillars when conducting head checks.

Oh, and another minor flaw is that the engine noise is not what you would expect from a sports car. Revheads will be dissapointed with the lack of engine noise accompanying the Swift Sport.

But still, an absolute bliss to drive.

Engine: 4.5/5

Delivering a whopping 42% more power than the standard swift, the Suzuki Swift Sport utilises a 1.6L VVT 4-Cylinder Engine.

The 2012 Sport Swift comes with the choice of 6-speed manual transmission or 7-speed CVT transmission, we were lucky enough to get the 6-speed manual (our preferred choice of transmission for a sports vehicle anyway) for a week.

Delivering a maximum power of 100kW @ 6900rpm and maximum torque figures of 160Nm @ 4400rpm the Sport is like that 10 year old kid high on red cordial: Jam packed full of energy, biting at the bit to be let loose on the tarmac.

The 6-speed manual chews through 6.5L of fuel per 100kms which is pretty economical. The 7-speed CVT is even better at 6.1L per 100kms. The CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere for the manual and CVT stand at 153 grams per kilometre and 144 grams per kilometre respectively.

The Swift Sport has a fuel tank capacity of 42 litres.

Exterior: 4/5

Getting to drive a bright yellow car for a week re-affirmed one thing I already knew, never buy a yellow car. Not only does it look like a taxi on Victorian roads, it is nigh on impossible to blend into traffic after cutting someone off.

But hey, a paint-job can easily be changed, so we won't get hung up on the colour too much. Let's take a look at the more important physical details.

The similarities the Swift Sport shares with the 2011 model are prominent, yet a few changes are noticeable. The front mesh grille is one noticeable change in the 2012 upgrade.

Having a more sporty feel then its predecessor, the Swift Sport gives off a fun-to-drive, quick as lightning vibe. Encaptulating this perfectly are the front fog lamps and the bezels surrounding them.

HID Headlights not only look a treat when the sun goes down, they also offer a longer, wider reach and heighten safety levels at night.

Sexy 17-inch alloys are an impressive improvement and acquisition. Combined with the dual exhaust pipes at the rear of the vehicle and the Swift Sport is an appealing sports vehicle for the hardest of motor-heads out there.

Stylistically, it is a nice little car for younger target audience. It doesn't exactly scream to the world "LOOK AT ME", well that is of course, if it wasn't bright yellow.

Safety: 4/5

The 2011 Suzuki Swift came with a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. Not too bad considering the pre-2009 Suzuki Swifts struggled to score over 3 stars in the safety tests.

Although not yet rated by ANCAP, the 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport comes with a host of safety features that are now common to modern vehicles and should deliver a perfect 5-star rating.

7 airbags including; Front, Side and Curtain sit inside the cabin, combined with a drivers side knee airbag, they offer valuable protection for the Swifts occupants. ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), BAS (Brake Assist System), ESP (Stability Control)  and traction control are all standard.

The only downside is the lack of a spare tyre, a repair kit sits in its place. Come on Suzuki, a repair kit? Please.

Interior: 4/5

Once inside the Swift Sport and the differences to not only the basic model, but the 2011 Sport are clearly apparant.

A simplistic layout of plastic trimmings, albeit not the highest quality, line the front sloping dash. Sitting behind the leather steering wheel with red stitching is the information display unit featuring gear positioning, fuel consumption numbers and all standard on-road information.

A start/stop button kicks the engine over and is positioned the the right of the steering wheel. The digital climate control airconditioning is simple to use and alter, as is the radio.

Bluetooth connectivity, CD, MP3 and USB capabilities offer a heap in the entertainment stakes, yet there is no AUX input which is quite strange considering they are so easy to install and so widely used.

The 6 speakers have quite a low cut off level which limits excessive decibels banging around the cabin. Disappointing news to headbangers nation-wide.

Suzuki clearly focused on maximising the comfort of the front passengers with bucket sport seats that lock you into position the moment you sit down. With red stitching to match the steering wheel and the red lettering of "SPORT", the fabric sports seats offer great support when whipping around tight turns, constantly keeping the back in an upright position.

As you would expect with a compact sports hatch, the backseats are pretty cramped for space so don't be offering AFL ruckman Nic Nat a lift home from training anytime soon. With the backseats upright, the bootspace is also very limited.

Overall: 4.5/5

An impressive power-to-weight ratio enables you to drive this car hard, really hard, for some serious fun.

Quizzing a few of my motorhead mates about the Suzuki Swift and a common response was, "Nah mate, it's a chicks car". The Swift may have been a "chick" car once upon a time, but the Suzuki Swift Sport is a car for just about anybody, my motorhead mate included.

A classy sports interior, bucket seats and a sporty exterior style at a very competitive price. What more can you ask for with a car that drives as good as this one.

Manufacturers List Prices for the 6-Speed manual starts at $23,990, whilst the 7-speed CVT starts at $25,990.

* Prices are manufacturer list prices only, for the drive away price please contact your local authorised Suzuki dealer.