Thursday 12th January 2017

Suzuki Swift Sport: PH Fleet

Fogged off with lighting problems!

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What is there to do in that weird lull period between Christmas and New Year? Often not a great deal, though it's amazing how afternoons, evenings and then morning can disappear thanks to the pub. Anyway, fed up with family and festive TV, I took the little Swift out for a drive one afternoon in late December. And it was absolutely brilliant, in fact.

Yep, as much fun as it looks!

Using the B1077 as a base and then working off wherever looked interesting, the Swift was in its element. The traffic was light, the sun was shining and the roads perfectly suited. The smaller B-roads were tight and bumpy, the little Suzuki offering great visibility and agility to tackle those. When it did open out there's just enough performance to make things interesting, and a real willingness that's getting keener with each passing mile. It was a great drive, a reminder of when driving for driving's sake can be really good fun. I may well make it a Christmas tradition is it's like that every year...

However, a busy month has thrown up one or two issues. On that B-road thrash, a traction control light continued to flash on occasion even with the system switched off. It was exiting slippery slower corners, the car just being reined in ever so slightly, and hardly a point of huge concern, but it was bizarre nonetheless. Any owners out there with similar experiences or solutions?

The other winter concerns are rather more practical, the first being the foglights. For whatever reason, the Swift Sport has its rear foglight on the left stalk but the front switch down by the driver's right knee. Annoying but not terrible; the problem is that the front fogs don't show up as on in the instrument display, only on the small illuminated switch. So if the weather changes you can forget, making you look like a berk because the foglights are still on when the fog has gone... Then one of them was smashed by a stone flying up off the road. One to get sorted.

Hello sunshine!

While I've mentioned the Swift is pretty good on the motorway, the busy few weeks have revealed an issue: screenwash. It runs out very quickly, both the reservoirs under the bonnet not appearing to hold all that much, and there isn't a warning about low screenwash. Yes, I should check regularly (with the screenwash dipstick), but when you've brimmed it on Sunday and you're out again by Wednesday that's not especially practical.

Perhaps motorway maladies are not really fair criticisms to level at a Suzuki Swift Sport. Is fuel economy? An average of between 35 and 38 is hardly bad, and I have been driving it rather briskly, but it's a shame not to see 40mpg when the car is so light. And the claimed mpg is 44. Maybe I'll slow down a bit soon. Or maybe turbos aren't such a bad idea after all...

Speaking of which, we're looking to get the Swift paired up with a few past masters of the pocket rocket art soon. Specifically it will be the underrated and largely forgotten stuff, because that's what we feel the Swift is now actually. So if you own a car like a Mk5 Fiesta Zetec S, Panda 100HP, Lupo GTI or indeed the original Swift Sport, keep an eye on your brand specific forum!

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FACT SHEET
Car: Suzuki Swift Sport
Run by: Matt
On fleet since: October 2016
Mileage: 3,474 (delivered on 300)
List price new: £14,399
Last month at a glance: More miles (at last!) means more smiles in the Swift

Previous updates:
A Swift hello!
Doors for thought as Matt gets in a five-door Sport
A Goodwood great? Not far off...

Yep, as much fun as it looks!

[Ocellia]

My (totally non car) partner "quite liked" the look of the Swift last yeat in NZ, so have wondered about replacing the 10 year old but only 48K mile Micra with one. But Micras are just so well built-and nice to trundle in - that it hasn't happened yet.