It was obvious when the Swift came to the market, earlier this year, that Suzuki was backing a winner. On paper (on-line actually) the specifications indicated the Swift would be the one to watch. The first images showed an attractive car, one which was bound to excite potential owners.
With that in mind, a drive of the new Suzuki Swift was always going to be a highly anticipated event.
The little 5-door hatchback is powered by a 1.5 litre 4-cylinder VVT (variable valve timing) engine, which provides a handy 74 kW of power and 133 Nm of torque. Transmission choices include the standard 5-speed manual and an optional 4-speed automatic.
Being a Suzuki, you'll be expecting miserly fuel consumption! There is definitely no disappointment in this department. The new Swift (manual) uses 5.9 litres/100 kms on the extra-urban cycle and just 7 litres/100 kms in the combined mode. I'm quoting Suzuki's figures here, using the ADR81/01 standard. These figures are excellent and in the current climate of high fuel prices, it will undoubtedly satisfy Swift drivers!
Additionally, the driving experience is also satisfying! The perky little Swift gets along quite well. Being a light weight car it is easy and delightful to handle in a city environment, but it was also a pleasing adventure along the F3 freeway between Sydney and Newcastle in both directions.
We didn't go on any unsealed roads during our time with the Swift, but on the tarmac we were impressed by the engine, gearbox, brakes (front discs/rear drums) , steering (rack and pinion) and suspension. Being a Suzuki, you can get the revs up a little for those occasions that bring an element of excitement to some folks. The engine is certainly a willing worker and it can provide good performance when the revs are up. Maximum power is at a high 6,000 rpm, which is in keeping with the Suzuki way of life. But at 3,000 revs or so it still provides good performance.
Interior room is adequate up front for a small car. One of the Swift's competitors will injure the left knee of long-legged drivers who jump into that car too quickly because the centre console is just too big. The Swift is much better in this regard as there is sufficient room for two. In the rear, it is a little bit of a squeeze, just as you would expect for a car which is just 3.695mm long. Comfort level is quite good for a car of this size. Suzuki do a great job in the comfort stakes. The car may be tiny and the price may be low, but you don't skimp in a Suzuki.
There is an excellent choice of colours available with this new Suzuki. The road test car was Silky Silver Metallic, but if you believe there are too many silver cars on the road you can select from seven other colours. I like the Kashmir Blue Metallic and the Pearl Red Metallic in particular. The Lavender Metallic is too trendy for me!
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The first time I saw the new Suzki Swift, I was a little surprised. Okay so it looked really cool, it wasn’t what I was expecting from the Japanese brand which really had forsaken Australia for some time. That was in 2005, when Suzuki launched the new Swift to much anticipation. Powered by a 1.5L engine the Suzuki Swift put out a small 74kW @ 6000rpm of power and 133Nm @ 4000rpm-4000rpm of Torque. The current swift costs anywhere between $16,000 to $20,000 plus onroads etc.
But come September, there is a new Swift. The Suzuki Swift Sport. Admitedly, its a far cry from the Suzuki Swift GTis of old but nonetheless, at least its something sporty. The Swift Sport will use a 1.6-litre twin cam engine which Suzuki claims is specially built just for the Sport model. It puts out around 123 horsepwer which is around 92kw.
Suzuki Swift Sport 2006
Current reports from Tokyo suggest that the new Suzuki Swift Sport gets a good deal of sports trimmings, and inside are high-backed red-and-black sport seats, a leather-trimmed wheel and choice of a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.
Being one of the chief sponsors of the “2010 Rock am Ring” (‘Rock at the Ring’) music festival that takes place – you guessed it – at the Nürburgring race track in early June, Suzuki’s German division decided to release a limited edition version of its funky Swift Sport dedicated to the summer event.
The special edition Swift Sport gets “Rock am Ring” branded logos inside and out along with a new entertainment system that comprises of a Clarion navigation system (TMC) with a 6.9-inch color display, 30GB of storage for music, an iPod adapter and more powerful speakers.
