Fiat 500 Twinair or Suzuki Swift Sport?
Discussion
I know on paper they are not natural rivals but my wife has had her Fiat 500 1.2 Pop for nearly 3 years and we would like to upgrade it. She adores her Fiat 500 and I think would be quite happy with another red Fiat 500 but she would like a bit more power and air conditioning this time, so a Fiat 500 Twinair in Lounge spec would seem like the obvious solution. However, the Twinair engine holds quite a hefty price premium over the 1.2 (about £1500) and would put a new Twinair at £13k +, which is Suzuki Swift Sport money.
I really like our current Fiat 500, it has been reliable, cheap to run and is fun to drive despite its dynamic limitations (rather numb steering and a really bouncy ride). Practicality is also quite limited as the tailgate slopes quite a bit and makes it impossible to put boxy items in the boot. I'm sure we would be really happy with another and I like the idea of the character of the Twinair (and the free road tax).
However, as an ex Peugeot 205 GTi driver, the spec of the new Suzuki Swift Sport has got me salivating. It's light, well-equipped, has a revvy NA engine, is conspicuously good value (even though I don't think it is being offered VAT-free like other Swifts at the moment) and has some excellent reviews in evo and from JC in the Times (isn't it unheard of that he likes a car that costs less than £20k)! Incidentally, our 2nd choice when we bought are current Fiat 500 was an old-shape Suzuki Swift 1.3, which we thought was a really nice car for the money but didn't have the same "must-have" factor of the Fiat.
So should we go for the style and low running costs of the 500 (I think it still offers a level of personalisation and showroom appeal that the Swift can't and I imagine that the residual value would be better) or a proper old-school hot hatch (Swift Sport)?
I guess that we could also consider a lightly used Twinair Convertible or even an Abarth 500 but I must point out that we are not cash buyers and I suspect that the monthly finance payments would be more attractive on the new car.
I really like our current Fiat 500, it has been reliable, cheap to run and is fun to drive despite its dynamic limitations (rather numb steering and a really bouncy ride). Practicality is also quite limited as the tailgate slopes quite a bit and makes it impossible to put boxy items in the boot. I'm sure we would be really happy with another and I like the idea of the character of the Twinair (and the free road tax).
However, as an ex Peugeot 205 GTi driver, the spec of the new Suzuki Swift Sport has got me salivating. It's light, well-equipped, has a revvy NA engine, is conspicuously good value (even though I don't think it is being offered VAT-free like other Swifts at the moment) and has some excellent reviews in evo and from JC in the Times (isn't it unheard of that he likes a car that costs less than £20k)! Incidentally, our 2nd choice when we bought are current Fiat 500 was an old-shape Suzuki Swift 1.3, which we thought was a really nice car for the money but didn't have the same "must-have" factor of the Fiat.
So should we go for the style and low running costs of the 500 (I think it still offers a level of personalisation and showroom appeal that the Swift can't and I imagine that the residual value would be better) or a proper old-school hot hatch (Swift Sport)?
I guess that we could also consider a lightly used Twinair Convertible or even an Abarth 500 but I must point out that we are not cash buyers and I suspect that the monthly finance payments would be more attractive on the new car.
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