- WHEN it comes to the idea of the ‘ultimate driving pleasure’, many of us would naturally speak of popular European supercar brands that are simply beyond the financial reach of many.
The demand for an affordably priced car with driver engaging capabilities and decent practicality has led to the hot-hatch revolution of the 80s, paving the way for cars such as the Suzuki Swift Sport to become one of the biggest cult favourites of the current generation.
With its predecessor enjoying a large and successful reception here in Malaysia as it did the world over, it is easy to see why the new secondgeneration Swift Sport has some big shoes to fill when it arrived here not too long ago.
After spending a few days driving it, we discovered plenty of the car’s characteristics that could easily give anyone the same driving pleasure as a mid-segment sports cars could without having to pay an astronomical asking price, or sacrificing comforts and practicality for day-to-day use.
Driving pleasure is fast becoming a passable feature when buying a new car. We live in a time where it costs you more money to buy a stripped out car devoid of any creature comforts like air-conditioning, stereo system, leather, electric seats (read – Scuderia, GT3RS, Supertrofeo Stradale), than it would for you to buy a regular all-in car.
In the case of a Porsche Cayman, the more expensive Cayman R doesn’t even have door handles.
A red strap replaces the door handle in the pursuit of saving weight, which in turn increases performance, which in turn makes the car pleasurable to drive but a bit confusing to explain to the family or missus on why you spent more money on a car which doesn’t have door handles.
Not everybody understands. It’s a vicious circle, but this less is more approach has given rise to another market, one that still craves the joy of driving, without the exorbitant price tags, and with some creature comforts.
The hot-hatch is the saving grace for fans of hard driving, and it has been that way for as long as people care to remember.
The icons of this era include the likes of the Ford Focus ST and RS, Renault Megane RS, Peugeot 208 GTi, Volkswagen Golf GTi, and from the other side of the world, Suzuki’s Swift Sport.
Despite its appearance, the Swift Sport has never been a slouch. It may have the timid looks, the tallish ride, and the overall friendliness of a golden retriever, but on the right road and in the right hands, the Swift Sport could put a few six figure sports cars to shame, and the latest Swift Sport is no different.
Its exterior design may not be very different from the old, and is an obvious evolution of the previous model, but the new car has grown in size. But despite that, the Swift Sport is still a lot of fun when you want it to be.
On regular roads and on everyday commute, the Swift Sport goes about its business in regular fashion.
The interior may not be top notch but the ambiance is more upmarket than before, but the package feels put together instead of lovingly engineered, like a stick together toy car, except that it does not quite feel as bad as it sounds.
So in general, the Swift Sport is a decently comfortable place to be in. The drivers’ sitting position has always been one of the Swift Sport’s greatest assets.
You sit upright as you would in an office chair in the supportive seats, the pedals are perfectly located and the angle of the steering wheel is spot on.
In fact, the whole package is reminiscent of Renault’s infamous naturallyaspirated ‘hatchling’, the Clio RS. And just like the Clio, the Swift Sport has got rallying pedigree as well, which means talent, lots of it.
But just to rest my case on the earlier point, the interior of the new Swift Sport is a nice place to be in. It is still simplistic, but that is a good thing, and thanks to it bigger size, there’s more passenger space as well, however, the booth remains as puny as ever.
Now on to the more important bit, driving pleasure. At the heart of the package lays a 1.6-litre naturallyaspirated 4-cylinder engine with Variable Valve Timing, which can run on RON 95 petrol grade, but for optimum performance, Suzuki recommends filling up on RON 97.
It churns out a decent 133hp and 160Nm of torque, available from as low as 4,400rpm. Weighing in at a feathery 1,085kg, the engine is keen and never felt out of breath, and was constantly willing to pile on more speed, but was let down by a confused seven-speed CVT transmission.
Why would a spirited hatch be coupled to a CVT transmission is beyond some of us, such a transmission is almost always reserved for a car that is focused on fuel efficiency, and in the Swift Sport the CVT box does not feel the part.
There is no doubt that gear shifts are smooth, that’s a signature trait of the CVT transmission, but in the Swift Sport, you feel the shifts in the form of a sudden forward lurch, and that happens in the first few gear ratio’s.
It all falls into place when you are past fifth gear and just cruising along. In seventh, the car just seems to glide effortlessly and the cabin is muted and well insulated from the world outside.
That is precisely what makes the Swift Sport a jolly good daily transporter. But drop down a gear or two and you are treated to the usual annoying ‘zing’ that is characteristic of the CVT box. Hold your foot down long enough and the box doesn’t even bother to shift up, instead it sounds like it’s about to explode.
Found the right road and feel like giving it a hard charge? It should be easy, all you have to do is flick the steering mounted shift pedal on the left, and the revs fly into the sweet spot for you to maximise the power.
It all sounds good on paper, except that even in manual mode, the box seems to have a mind of its own. It is understandable why it would refuse to shift down when you are already at 6,000rpm, but it also shifts up by itself when you have your foot all the way down, and there’s still another 1,000rpm to go before you hit the redline.
Which is why the 6-speed manual Swift Sport is still the Suzuki to buy if you want affordable daily transport with some amusing character thrown in.
The chassis and handling of the car is beautifully balanced, the brilliant Yokohama Advan tyres never seem to run out of grip, and lets you charge into a corner while holding your line.
Understeer does rear its ugly head once in a while, but it usually only happened when I tried to downshift to use some engine braking to slow down. Instead what I got were two beeps that sounded like an old Casio watch, telling me that I can’t do that and that I need to find some other way to slow down.
So because driving hard usually involves braking and shifting at the last possible moment, I was left with nothing but understeer and frantic steering wheel inputs in a desperate attempt to create some traction before it went terminal.
The new Suzuki Swift Sport is good. At RM105,802.59 on the road, the seven-speed CVT variant offers a decent run-about package and is great for the everyday commute, there are no complaints there. But at RM 100,672.50 on the road, the 6-speed manual variant is not only cheaper, but it is all encompassing.
So if you don’t mind a third pedal, and love the joy of a perfectly executed heel-and-toe operation, there are very few cars in the new market that offer as much dynamism as the new Suzuki Swift Sport. – TSD