FREEWHEELING April, 2012
scotland . c om
Spirited Swift has the looks
FreewheelingScotland.com — Driving the way forward
SUZUKI SWI IN MY BOOK, THE LITTLE Suzuki Swift has to be best-looking supermini currently on the market. While a raft of other offerings come pretty close to matching it in the looks department, for me the Japanese marque’s little compact just pips the best of the rest by a whisker, for it’s just one of a small band of motors that looks great from any angle. The latest addition to the range, the three-door Swift Sport, adds even extra visual appeal, with its lower slung stance, 15-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured roof spoiler and side sill covers, large front grille and finned fog lamp bezels all helping to add to the car’s sporty-looking character. Under the bonnet is honed a revised 134bhp, EU5-compatable edition of the previous Sport model’s 1.6-litre engine.
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SUZUKI SWIFT SPO
But it now offers more power, increased torque, lower emissions and improved fuel economy, aided by a new slickchanging, six-speed gearbox. Top speed is a respectable 121mph while the zero 62mph dash can be accomplished in 8.7seconds, more than a match for most competitors in its class. The Swift Sport is a fabulous little gem to drive. Thanks to its wide track and short wheelbase, there’s oodles of grip
matched by great amount trol which helps to give co through tight bends. As expected from a hot h is a little on the firm side, hard that it will rattle the f your teeth. Inside the cabin there’s a
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SUZUKI SWIFT SPOR SPO amount of space all round for such a small car, and the rake and reach adjustable steering wheel coupled with a height-adjustable seat, means the driver can’t fail to get comfortable. When it comes to interior design and quality of fittings Suzuki have made big advances in recent times and you would be hard to find any serious fault in the new Sport. Ok, some of the plastics may be on the hard side but that doesn’t really detract from the overall ambiance of the interior. The five-dial dash certainly looks the business and the leather-covered steering wheel contains the switches for the cruise control, sound system and Bluetooth, keeping them all at the driver’s fingertips. All Swift models excel on the safety front and the Sport continues the trend. Seven airbags – including one for the driver’s knees – are fitted as standard, along with stability control, ABS, ISOFIX child seat system, projector headlamps with wash function and side impact protection beams. At just £13,500, the Swift’s price tag makes it a truly affordable piece of kit to
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SUZUKI SWIFT SPO
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put on the driveway, and while it sits in insurance band 18, its 44mpg fuel consumption figure means it won’t break the bank to keep on the road. Suzuki hope to sell around 1000 Sport models to UK buyers this year, around 10 per cent of total Swift sales. While this is not a huge number by any stretch of the imagination, it should help keep the little Sport’s resale figures at something of a premium.
SUZUKI SWIFT SPO SP
PRICE: £13,500. DRIVETRAIN: 1586cc, 136bhp petrol engine, driving front wheels through six-speed manual gearbox. TOP SPEED: 121mph. 0-62MPH: 8.7 seconds. FUEL CONSUMPTION: Combined 44.1mpg. CO2 EMISSIONS: 147g/km. WARRANTY: Three years/60,000 miles.
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SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT
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