Monday 21st November 2016

Suzuki Swift Sport: PH Fleet

Hang on, wasn't that car blue last month? Matt explains all...

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It wasn't me, honest. It wasn't any of us in fact. Heading into PH HQ on the A3, James was driving the blue Swift Sport in stop-start traffic. He had to come to a halt, but the Range Rover behind didn't. Range Rover bumper meets Swift boot and 'our' brand new car - it had 300 miles on it! - had to go back to Suzuki for a repair. Bother.

Three doors or five, it's still brilliant out here

Very generously, Suzuki UK did offer us the use of its five-door Sport test car while the three-door was being fixed. The pictures you see here are from when Autocar had the Swift for a comparison with the old Clio 200 Cup and Mugen Civic Type R as the last great naturally aspirated hothatches. Absolutely worthy of inclusion, I would say.

To all intents and purposes bar the obvious addition of doors, the white Swift is identical to the blue Swift - it even weighs the same 1,045kg - so it was no surprise to find it equally likeable. There's some really clever suspension tuning going on in these little Suzukis, with far greater compliance than you may credit a small Japanese car with. It's not at the expense of control either, the balance struck ideal for maintaining speed on a B-road; it absorbs the bumps and it isn't deflected, but neither is it lazily squishing out imperfections and undermining confidence. It's brilliant. The drive back from Lotus for the Evora Sport 410 drive down the B1077 is one I'll remember for a while in the Swift, its compact dimensions, eager nature and well sorted dynamics perfectly suited to the road.

Furthermore, and rather frustratingly, I grew to enjoy the convenience of five doors. See I disagree with Dan on five-door hot hatches, and feel that small ones in particular should be exclusively three-door (primarily on styling grounds), but the Swift might be wearing down my resistance. I still think it's sharper looking as a three-door, but not significantly worse with five, and the ability to just throw things on the back seat (with the intuitive keyless entry, a feature lacking from Dan's £70K Jag) is very useful. If I had enough friends to use those back seats I'm sure they would appreciate not clambering over a folded chair. And the five-door premium is only £500. Hmm...

Blue one is back; white comes recommended too

Soon enough the blue Swift was back in action, ready and raring to have a few more miles put on it. If I'm honest, it's the blue hot hatch on the PH Fleet that I'm rather more excited about driving at the moment. Yet I'm back in the Focus; ungrateful though it probably sounds, that wasn't exactly the plan. See James took the car recently to head back up home to Leicestershire, which meant we could swap cars when he was back in the office. Only trouble being he hasn't been in the office; I'll let him explain that - it's for a very good reason - but hurry up with my car JD! Last I heard it was approaching 1,000 miles, so maybe he's just making sure it's well run in.

When I do finally get the car back, it would be great to see how the Swift fares on track. Goodwood may not be the ideal location for something with 136hp, but then neither is mid-November the best time to be looking for track days! However it works out, hopefully next month I can report on some meaningful, enjoyable and incident free miles in the Swift. I'm really looking forward to it.

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FACT SHEET
Car: Suzuki Swift Sport
Run by: Matt (well, it's meant to be...) 
On fleet since: October 2016
Mileage: 937 (delivered on 300)
List price new: £14,399
Last month at a glance: Biffed by a Range Rover, back in business soon after

Previous updates:
It's the last N/A hot hatch on sale, of course we had to run one!

Photos: Luc Lacey

[Ilovejapcrap]

I'm in the process of looking for a small car at the moment 13k budget.

With a bit of haggling I can basically get a brand new swift. I've seen some polo gti with the 1.8 with a few miles on more or less in my grip.

But I can't stop looking at the swift, it's not got the badge or perhaps as fancy inside. But it just feels honest as the day is long and sooo simple. Straight petrol manual box.

People keep saying vw has better resale etc, the swift just keeps calling me. Ahh what to do !

[HJMS123]

Ilovejapcrap said:

I'm in the process of looking for a small car at the moment 13k budget.

With a bit of haggling I can basically get a brand new swift. I've seen some polo gti with the 1.8 with a few miles on more or less in my grip.

But I can't stop looking at the swift, it's not got the badge or perhaps as fancy inside. But it just feels honest as the day is long and sooo simple. Straight petrol manual box.

People keep saying vw has better resale etc, the swift just keeps calling me. Ahh what to do !

Going by your very apt username ... swift sport!

[Turning Japanese]

The swift will loose value quickly so why not buy a 3 year old swift that has done most of its depreciating?

I love these cars but I'm strangely drawn to the standard 1.2 swift as it has 95bhp. I'm sorry but I think 95bhp from a 1.2 engine is pretty decent.

[Ilovejapcrap]

Turning Japanese said:

The swift will loose value quickly so why not buy a 3 year old swift that has done most of its depreciating?

I love these cars but I'm strangely drawn to the standard 1.2 swift as it has 95bhp. I'm sorry but I think 95bhp from a 1.2 engine is pretty decent.

Yes it's true will loose some money I have looked at a few 3yr old. Some don't have the garmin nav / phone at that age.

Most needed tyres etc. (I know tyres don't cost 3 grand).

Plus got 3yrs warranty. .

Never thought I'd consider brand new. But on a car like this we are not talking massive figures, and after a recent death of someone at 60 yrs old I could be over halfway through my life already. So I kinda think f it TBH

[Itsallicanafford]

Chap, I will make the offer again, you are welcome to have my S2 106 Rallye for the day to do a comparison, just sort out some insurance and put some petrol in it!

[VeeFource]

Ilovejapcrap said:

I'm in the process of looking for a small car at the moment 13k budget.

With a bit of haggling I can basically get a brand new swift. I've seen some polo gti with the 1.8 with a few miles on more or less in my grip.

But I can't stop looking at the swift, it's not got the badge or perhaps as fancy inside. But it just feels honest as the day is long and sooo simple. Straight petrol manual box.

People keep saying vw has better resale etc, the swift just keeps calling me. Ahh what to do !

Depends how long you're looking to keep the car and how valuable N/A is to you. If you plan to keep the car beyond warranty then the Swift is likely to be far less troublesome and cheaper to keep going than the Polo. Also the Swift will be the last N/A hot hatch so getting a new one is a no brainer if you value that.

I'm so happy I got my SSS new (like you I also thought I'd never buy a new car) but then I do plan on keeping it 10-15 years or more. Can't help but wonder whether it will be seen as a relatively recent 205 GTI at that point too which should help residuals.

[macky17]

Someone may tell me I'm wrong but isn't the kerb weight and bhp of these virtually identical to a mk2 16v Golf GTi? Bloody great achievement if so. They are tremendous little things anyway. Driven one many times.

Edited by macky17 on Thursday 17th November 12:44

[dieseluser07]

Everytime an article on these pops up i love reading it.

I love the prospect of this year, i have a company car but wanting to get one of these as a weekend car, is this a ridiculous idea seeing as its not some kind of 3litre v6.

My girlfriend has the twingo 133 and im always wanting to drive it when i can, dont know if it would make no sense getting one of these, but if i did i could customise it to my tastes and drive it as hard as i want.

[Matt Bird]

Itsallicanafford said:

Chap, I will make the offer again, you are welcome to have my S2 106 Rallye for the day to do a comparison, just sort out some insurance and put some petrol in it!

Thanks! That's very generous, I'd love to. Where are you based? It will probably be something for next year now given the weather probably won't be ideally suited right now.

Cheers,


Matt

[VeeFource]

dieseluser07 said:

Everytime an article on these pops up i love reading it.

I love the prospect of this year, i have a company car but wanting to get one of these as a weekend car, is this a ridiculous idea seeing as its not some kind of 3litre v6.

My girlfriend has the twingo 133 and im always wanting to drive it when i can, dont know if it would make no sense getting one of these, but if i did i could customise it to my tastes and drive it as hard as i want.

Mine's pretty much used as a weekend car. In bad weather (mainly when salting happens) it stays in it's custom ventilated garage under a dust sheet being trickle charged by solar panels. Got some ACF-50 ready to go and have done a fair few tweaks such as miltek exhaust, rear arb, submarine lighting, sound deadened doors, painted calipers and some soundproofing editing to hear the engine better.

Totally ridiculous I know seeing as many exotic cars don't even get treated that well and it's 'just a Swift'. But it's the perfect car for my weekend needs so I enjoy spoiling it.

If you want a fun, light, short wheelbase, naturally aspirated and fairly practical (i.e. can put a bike in the back) toy there really isn't anything else out there. If you're looking for excitement from a car then you'll want more power, but that's invariably at the expense of low speed fun in my experience.

Edited by VeeFource on Thursday 17th November 13:01

[dieseluser07]

VeeFource said:

Mine's pretty much used as a weekend car. In bad weather (mainly when salting happens) it stays in it's custom ventilated garage under a dust sheet being trickle charged by solar panels. Got some ACF-50 ready to go and have done a fair few tweaks such as miltek exhaust, rear arb, submarine lighting, sound deadened doors, painted calipers and some soundproofing editing to hear the engine better.

Totally ridiculous I know seeing as many exotic cars don't even get treated that well and it's 'just a Swift'. But it's the perfect car for my weekend needs so I enjoy spoiling it.

If you want a fun, light, short wheelbase, naturally aspirated and fairly practical (i.e. can put a bike in the back) toy there really isn't anything else out there. If you're looking for excitement from a car then you'll want more power, but that's invariably at the expense of low speed fun in my experience.

Edited by VeeFource on Thursday 17th November 13:01

Can i ask, did adding a nice exhaust improve the driving experience much? And what is this soundproofing removal i keep hearing about on the swift, is it just taking the plastic engine cover off?

[VeeFource]

dieseluser07 said:

Can i ask, did adding a nice exhaust improve the driving experience much? And what is this soundproofing removal i keep hearing about on the swift, is it just taking the plastic engine cover off?

The new exhaust improved things a bit, but only when driving with the window down through suburban streets or tunnels. I wanted to improve the tone exhaust note rather than make it any louder and that's pretty much what the Miltek offers (although not cheap unfortunately). I'd say the driving experience was improved more by removing the upper bulkhead soundproofing (inside the engine bay) which is a 10 minute job. I also removed a portion of the bonnet soundproofing on the intake side of the engine to help transmit the intake noise to the cabin but not other engine/exhaust sounds. The intake sound of the M16 engine is great as it has a metallic edge to it that's normally only heard on Honda v-tec and older BMW M engines. The slight whine of the gearbox can be heard with this mod too which all adds to experience.

It's the soundproofing removal and the rear arb that help the car feel as fun as the mk1 Swift Sport imho as I feel the mk2's a bit too refined out of the box. But having cruise and a 6th gear makes it a far better long distance car.

[Itsallicanafford]

Matt Bird said:

Thanks! That's very generous, I'd love to. Where are you based? It will probably be something for next year now given the weather probably won't be ideally suited right now.

Cheers,


Matt

No problem, I'm based in St Albans, if you PM me I will send you contact details.

My only stipulation is that you have to rev the nuts off it!

[dieseluser07]

VeeFource said:

The new exhaust improved things a bit, but only when driving with the window down through suburban streets or tunnels. I wanted to improve the tone exhaust note rather than make it any louder and that's pretty much what the Miltek offers (although not cheap unfortunately). I'd say the driving experience was improved more by removing the upper bulkhead soundproofing (inside the engine bay) which is a 10 minute job. I also removed a portion of the bonnet soundproofing on the intake side of the engine to help transmit the intake noise to the cabin but not other engine/exhaust sounds. The intake sound of the M16 engine is great as it has a metallic edge to it that's normally only heard on Honda v-tec and older BMW M engines. The slight whine of the gearbox can be heard with this mod too which all adds to experience.

It's the soundproofing removal and the rear arb that help the car feel as fun as the mk1 Swift Sport imho as I feel the mk2's a bit too refined out of the box. But having cruise and a 6th gear makes it a far better long distance car.

So have you had the mk1 as i drove that for a bit before, if so does it feel any quicker

[Vroom101]

Always loved these little cars. A workmate had one a few years ago which I had a go of. Huge amount of fun, and it reminded me very much of my first car: a classic Mini. Same 'get-up-and-go' character and verve. Great little thing.

Oh, and whilst comparing three and five door cars, it's worth mentioning that the three door is only a four seater, whereas the five door has three seats in the back.

[VeeFource]

dieseluser07 said:

So have you had the mk1 as i drove that for a bit before, if so does it feel any quicker

My Mum's got the mk1, I was so impressed with it I got a mk2. They feel about the same speed wise but that's not what they're all about anyway. It's the most fun car I've had and that's totted up to a fair few sporty ones over the years.

Vroom101 said:

Oh, and whilst comparing three and five door cars, it's worth mentioning that the three door is only a four seater, whereas the five door has three seats in the back

Also worth pointing out is the 5 door has a split folding rear seat whereas the 3 door is single folding. Would have thought it would be a much lighter seat without the third belt and reinforcement but not according to Suzuki's figures.

[dieseluser07]

VeeFource said:

Also worth pointing out is the 5 door has a split folding rear seat whereas the 3 door is single folding. Would have thought it would be a much lighter seat without the third belt and reinforcement but not according to Suzuki's figures.

Suprised they feel the same speed wise considering the new model weighs about a person less and has 13 more bhp, is the gearing longer or anything

[Boydie88]

Anyone got experiences of the previous gen model?

They are pretty tempting at the sub £3k price as a winter shed to save the VX from winter.

[Lunar Tick]

Ilovejapcrap said:

I'm in the process of looking for a small car at the moment 13k budget.

With a bit of haggling I can basically get a brand new swift. Ahh what to do !

I picked up a 16 plate 5-door Swift Sport for just £10.7K It was first registered in June 2016 and only had 1,105 miles on the clock - so basically brand new! Have good look around - if you're prepared to travel there are some fantastic nearly new bargains out there. Oh, and I LOVE this little car. Although it's a big power drop from my JDM Spec C Impreza, it manages to put a smile on my face, and I don't have to risk losing my licence to do it

[anonymous-user]

Ilovejapcrap said:

Yes it's true will loose some money I have looked at a few 3yr old. Some don't have the garmin nav / phone at that age.

Most needed tyres etc. (I know tyres don't cost 3 grand).

Plus got 3yrs warranty. .

Never thought I'd consider brand new. But on a car like this we are not talking massive figures, and after a recent death of someone at 60 yrs old I could be over halfway through my life already. So I kinda think f it TBH

Not sure if you want a 3 door or 5 door and what colour but you can get a 16 plate 5 door for £10,490 with 4,363 miles

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Or a 3 door for £9,990 but with 10,732 miles

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Obviously lots more out there if spec and colour are different.

Personally we have a Swift 5 door and it is more practical.

Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 17th November 16:56