by Seán Creedon
Santa is coming in a few days and while some people claim that ‘Christmas is only for children,’ I’m sure there are a lot of adults who would love a new car for 2019. Everybody will have their own favourite brand, but if you wanted to ‘squeeze a car down the chimney,’ I think the Suzuki Swift Sport might just about fit.
I drove a very attractive speedy blue colour, but the promotional photo which came from Suzuki was of a gorgeous yellow coloured Swift. It might attract a bit of soot coming down the chimney, but then Santa always manages to avoid getting soot on his presents!
Suzuki wouldn’t be one of the big players in Ireland, but they do have some very loyal customers, many of whom would be over 50. But this lively Swift Sport should attract a much younger market for the Japanese company.
Lively, yes, I think that’s a good word to sum up this sporty-looking car, which is very nimble around town and very easy to park.
The Swift has been around since 1983 when it replaced the Cultus. This new version, which is manufactured at Suzuki’s Sagara plant, is only available in a 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbo charged petrol engine. With 140 brake horse power Suzuki claim you can get from zero to 100km/h in just over eight seconds. I didn’t check that one out, but it went fast enough for me and you get a warning sound and a red sign on the dash, if you are travelling too close to the vehicle in front.
At the front the distinctive Suzuki grille stands out. But it was the 17-inch alloys that really caught my attention. They really did add to the sporty look of the Swift.
At first glance you may think this is a two-door car as the handles to open the rear doors are very discreet. I first saw these ‘hidden-type’ handles used in an Alfa Romeo.
Inside the only thing I didn’t like was the audio control for the radio, which is best used when you are in a stationary position. I found myself using the slave controls on the steering wheel, which I think was safer.
The comfortable front seats had a touch of red stitching and coupled with a few touches of wine on the dash and doors made for a warm interior feel. There is room for four adults, five at a squeeze. But I think there would be more elbow room in the back seats with just two adults. And there is good head and leg room for front and back seat passengers.
Prices for the regular Swift start at a very competitive €14,995, while the Sport version of the Swift I drove will cost you €22,995. But then for that money you do get a lot of goodies as standard. Road tax is €270.
The only small problem I had for a few days was that the radio kept cutting out. But then as a motoring colleague recently pointed out to me, that’s doesn’t mean that the radio is a problem in all versions of the Swift, just that it was erratic in the model I drove.
