2018 Suzuki Swift Sport
When it comes to getting more for your money there’s not many better cars than the Suzuki Swift Sport. The 2018 Swift is now much lighter and has the addition of a turbo-charger but is this enough to keep buyers happy? In this short article we’re going to find out.
It’s hard to disagree that the Suzuki Swift has always been a good looking car and the 2018 version in no exception. It’s still a very good looking car with its honeycomb grille and carbon fibre effect side skirts. It also comes with brand new 17-inch alloy wheels, updated brakes and two exhaust pipes. Yes, we said two exhaust pipes but don’t get too excited because they don’t sound all that great. The Swift is only available in four-door guise and Suzuki have tried their best to hide this fact by hiding the rear door handles but haven’t done the best job of it. What they have managed to do though is make everything work together to set the Sport aside from the more common or garden Swifts.
As any hot hatch fans would expect you do get plenty of touches inside the cabin to remind you that this is the sporty version. For example, you can expect to find the Sport logos on the figure hugging seats, red stitching dotted around almost everywhere, glossy red panels, alloy pedals and a leather flat bottomed steering wheel. Unfortunately, there’s also a couple of things that really let the interior down. The first is with regards to the seats. The seats will be absolutely fine for smaller adults but their figure hugging nature probably won’t suit everyone. Also, whilst the interior is nicely put together and it feels pretty well-built the quality of some of the plastics is a real let down. They’re just so scratchy and feel really cheap and one thing this car is certainly not is a cheap car.
You’ll pay extra for the Sport but you do get plenty of kit for your money. You can get everything from LED headlights to sat-nav and the ability to display smartphone apps on the central display along with Apple Car play and Android Auto. You also get a raft of driver assistance technology such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings and a rear parking camera. One of the main reasons for the hike in price from the standard Swift is the engine. Whilst on paper the output has only increased by four horse powers to 138 the turbo-charger in the new 1.4 litre Boosterjet engine means that you get 40% more torque. What this means is that it arrives far earlier in the rev range which is a very good thing indeed. It really does feel that you’ve got a more powerful engine under the hood. These figures put the Swift Sport in the mid ground between the cheaper and less powerful Golf Up GTi with a 113 bhp (break horse power) and the much more powerful hot hatches like the Peugeot 208 GTi. In fact, the Swift will now find itself in competition with the Fiesta ST line whose 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine is offered with either a 128 or 138 bhp.
There’s no doubt in our minds that the engine is one of the Suzuki Swift Sport’s best features. Its 0-60 time of 8.1 seconds just doesn’t really do it justice because it comes out of corners with a real spring in its step. Strangely, this car really does feel at its best in third gear but this may not do it many favours when you’re going in a straight line. However, what it does do is make it a real joy to drive on those twisty country roads. We’re guessing that there may be some complaints from buyers that this version feels a lot more grown up than the outgoing model. However, when you add in the slick precise six-speed manual gearbox along with its really nicely weighted steering you get a car that’s still a lot of fun to drive.
The Swift Sport also has the larger front brakes and these can make the brake pedal feel a little grabby at first. However, you soon learn to appreciate their ability to slow the car down in a hurry. You can also keep an eye on how quickly you’re braking through the driving computer that monitors braking, acceleration, torque and finally power. It also tells you how much boost the turbo is producing. The more boost that you’re after the bigger the impact it has on fuel economy. We know that in the world of the hot hatch running costs comes second to driving fun. However, the Swift Sport actually has quite a lot going for it in this department. The Sport has shed a lot of weight and this of course is a major advantage when it comes to fuel efficiency. This means that the new version is more fuel efficient than the old 1.6 litre seen in its predecessor.
As for the rest of the car it’s basically in line with the standard Suzuki Swift with surprisingly comfortable and spacious back seats and good headroom. However, the boot is rather compact and smaller than the Ford Fiesta’s and it does have an awkward load length. Overall, this car is still a very good looking and really fun hot hatch. However, the big thing about this car was always its price and we’re just not so convinced that it makes a good enough case to justify the considerable increase. If you feel that this may be the car for you then head over to DesperateSeller.co.uk for great deals on used Suzuki Swift cars for sale.
