2012 Suzuki Swift Sport Road Test Review by Oliver Hammond

Pocket Rocket Styling

Whether you consider the Suzuki Swift Sport to be a ‘junior hot hatch’, a ‘warm hatch’ like I do, or simply the sporty version of a B-segment ‘supermini’, Suzuki are clearly trying to turn up the heat with this all-new Sport model for 2012. With a face-filling and sportingly-purposeful black honeycomb front grille, a short wheelbase, wide track, very attractive finned front fog lamp bezels, HID headlamps, elegant 17” alloys unique to the Sport version, a rear spoiler and an exhaust pipe either side of the eye-catching diffuser, it certainly looks the part – both as a standalone proposition and also when compared to its more realistic warm mini-hatch rivals, the Renaultsport Twingo and Fiesta Zetec S.

The ‘Cool White’ pearl metallic paint job my press car came in worked well and would especially suit those wanting a feisty little car which is relatively discrete on the outside, combining flirtations of sportiness with elegance. Sitting lower to the ground than the bog standard Swift, the Sport model also comes with privacy glass, reinforcing its cool image. Compared to most cars of similar ilk on the market, the Swift Sport to me looks more mature, which is probably why I’ve recently met a handful of people who are contemplating downsizing from their Focus RSs to one of these.

Sure, this all-new model doesn’t look vastly different to the original, but Suzuki’s conservative approach is commendable. If it ain’t broke… The original model carved a niche reputation for itself as offering great performance for a bargain price, the ‘S’ badge not putting anyone off. So the subtle visual tweaks for 2012 work very well, further cementing the Swift Sport’s position as a cool, solid, desirable little machine, with not a whiff of pretention about it. And for only £13,449. Yes, really.

Interior

Before I talk about the actual interior of the Swift Sport, I must mention that the car comes with a fabulous keyless entry system. You can open the door with the key fob in your pocket, simply by pressing the little black button on the door handle as you open it. Then to start the car, just push the start-stop button. My week with the Swift Sport coincided with the dreadful rain which blighted much of June, so keyless entry proved a blessing – especially when we packed our wellies, anoraks, hats and camera bags and took the Swift over to Cholmondeley Pageant of Power.

I’m 5ft 8ish of average build and I found the front sports bucket seats in the Swift Sport to be absolutely fantastic. Not only did they look great with their chunky side bolster supports, contrasting fabrics with red stitching and ‘Sport’ embossed into the seat backs – they also proved surprisingly comfortable over long distances, too. Cars of this nature are often driven spiritedly and I’m pleased to say that the Swift Sport’s seats held me firmly in place round sharp bends and the like. They are relatively narrow, though, so drivers of a larger build may not find them quite as comfortable. Overall, though, top marks for the front chairs.

The dashboard is a fairly simple, what-you-see-is-what-you-get affair, made with sturdy-feeling materials which are just lacking in that final dash of quality, but certainly feel like they will stand the test of time. All the buttons and controls are nice and large, easy to use and ergonomically sound. The metal trim is a bit on the cheap side, but serves to brighten up the otherwise quite dark interior. The driving position is relatively high-up for such a car, which in fact works well, and the dial clusters are all easy to read in an old-school kind of way. Storage wasn’t a problem, with useful cubbyholes dotted around the place, including a compartment with a pop-up lid on the dashboard above the air vents. USB and 12V charging sockets are located just below the digital climate controls, below which are another couple of useful storage areas. For a small car, I was very impressed with the gargantuan size of the glovebox, which is large enough to fit at least a few average-sized car magazines into. The red leather stitching on the seats is carried over onto the leather gearstick gaiter and perforated leather steering wheel and, along with the stainless steel pedals, adds to the sporty feel of the cabin. There’s no central armrest or storage area and the plastics around the door bins and window controls are harsh and low quality, but without feeling delicate. The old-school but sturdy cabin is very easy to live with, all told.

For the price, the Suzuki Swift Sport brings an excellent specification to the table, including heated electric folding door mirrors, Bluetooth phone, cruise control, automatic High Intensity Discharge headlamps with washers, loads of airbags, ESP, ABS and automatic air conditioning.

Practicality

For two people, the Swift Sport makes for a superb little sporty number for the weekends – or any day, for that matter. The boot is small and suffers from a large, access-inhibiting lip, though, and the single rear bench didn’t split – although it did prove very easy to fold down, to increase the overall boot space from 211 litres to 512. With average occupants up front, rear passengers will actually be surprisingly impressed by the relatively generous leg, head and shoulder-room in the back of the Swift Sport. On longer journeys or with taller passengers up front, things in the back may start to get uncomfortable, though. Only one of the front seats had a pocket on the back of it for the benefit of those in the rear, and it was a hassle having to tweak the position of the front seat(s) each and every time I shunted them (fully – which aided access nicely) forwards to allow access to the rear. Overall, though, considering the tiny proportions of the Swift from the outside, it’s deceptively accommodating on the inside, at least for shorter journeys.

Does it live up to the adjective it’s named after?

You’d be forgiven for smirking at the all-new Suzuki Swift Sport’s 136bhp (the original had 121bhp) and for assuming that it’s just not able to compete with other dinky warm hatches. But then you’d be wrong. The Swift is indeed capable of living up to its name. The 1.6-litre VVT engine dishes out 160Nm of torque and is definitely an engine which likes to be revved to get the best out of it. If you’re after a car which likes to be pushed, the Swift ticks that box instantly. The sound when you start the car up is sweet, the specially fettled exhaust giving off a nice note. It did shake a bit on idle, such as when stuck in traffic jams, but I’ll brush over that. Dab the throttle and the engine purrs into life and maintains its sparkle as you work your way up through the short-ratio gearbox. Compared to the original car’s 5, this new model has 6 gears, the gearing on the 6th being quite tall, with the aim of improving the Swift Sport’s refinement and fuel economy on motorways. There’s a fair bit of wind noise at high speeds, but you do get used to it. Despite the extra gear, the engine can sound a bit boomy on the motorway, too, but the economy is very impressive. Over the week, I averaged 46.5mpg – and that was achieved even with a heavy right foot. Suzuki quote 44.1mpg as the combined average, so I was nicely surprised.

The lovely, revvy powerplant changes its tone the higher you go up the rev range and loves being shoved up to 7,000RPM, making the whole Swift Sport experience soon become quite addictive. After a couple of days, I was looking for each and every excuse to drive the thing – it really was that good! Each time I took the car out, I sought to perfect the gear changes that little bit more, utilising the slick gearbox to its full potential. Sitting lower to the ground than the original Sport, this new version once again has a relatively firm ride, but once you find out how good the handling is, you soon learn to overlook it. The steering is weighted very nicely, gaining sensitivity at higher speeds. Turn the wheel and it takes the car where you want it to go, in a reassuringly direct manner, breeding confidence. Feedback is good, too. Country lanes were an absolute hoot in the Swift Sport. Point it down a straight, plant your foot and it’s off. Effective braking is dished up by the discs front and rear. Being a light car at just over 1 ton and 100g lighter than a number of its rivals, the Swift Sport can reach 62mph in 8.7 seconds and its top speed is cited as 121mph. Okay, these headline figures might sound a bit mediocre, but the Suzuki compensates by being characterful and rewarding all-round. I found myself turning into each corner with increasing levels of confidence and resultant enjoyment, owing to the noticeable lack of any body roll, the sharp and direct steering, the compliant suspension setup and the rev-happy throttle.

The new Swift Sport is a safe car, too, with a 5-star Euro NCAP rating. All this, and the CO2 emissions are less than the original model – by 10%, in fact, at 147g/km. Very impressive stuff indeed, from such a reasonably priced car costing a mere £13,499 on the road. This is more or less the same price as the base RenaultSport Twingo, and a few grand less than the 134PS Fiesta with Bluetooth, privacy glass and other like-for-like options added. It sits in VED Band F so will cost £135/year in road tax.

In Summary

What a ruddy brilliant little car! Its design successful blends sportiness with a discrete matureness. Although some of the plastics could be of a better quality, the interior is a very nice place to be, with excellent sports seats. The ride and handling are fantastic, with only a tiny touch of understeer, and the new 6-speed gearbox with its short ratios suits the rev-me-baby engine very well. Okay, it’s not that spacious in the rear and the boot is small with a pronounced lip, but what do you expect from a sporty little car like this? With a relatively high kit list as standard, utterly addictive performance and impressive fuel economy all for a bargain price, the new 2012 Suzuki Swift Sport deserves all the praise it’s rightly receiving.

© Oliver Hammond

Specification of the 2012MY Suzuki Swift Sport tested in this road test review:

Engine: M16A m ultipoint injection with VVT
Cylinders: 4
Capacity: 1,586cc
Valves: 16
EU emission standard: Euro 5
Max output (kW/hp @ rpm): 100/136 @ 7,000
Max torque (Nm/lbft @ rpm): 160/118 @ 4,400
Gearbox: 6-speed manual
Brakes: Ventilated discs (front, discs (rear)
Suspension: MacPherson strut & coil springs (front), Torsion beam & coil springs (rear)
Steering: Rack & pinion
Tyres: 195/45/R17
Combined fuel economy consumption: 44.1mpg
CO2 emissions: 147g/km
Maximum speed: 121mph
0-62 mph: 8.7 seconds
Kerb weight: 1,045kg
Gross weight: 1,480kg
Towing capacity (braked): 1,000kg
Width: 1,695mm
Height: 1,510mm
Wheelbase: 2,430mm
Ground clearance: 130mm
Seats: 4
Luggage capacity: 211 litres (back seats folded), 512 litres (back seats erect)
Fuel tank: 42 litres

Standard Specification includes (but not limited to):

Electric windows with drivers side auto-down
Heated electric and folding door mirrors
Remote central door locking
Keyless entry and push button start
Front Sport seats
Automatic Air Conditioning
Pollen filter
MP3 / WMA compatible Radio/CD with USB port + 6 speakers
Bluetooth integrated audio unit with voice activation and music streaming facility
Audio controls on steering wheel
Cruise control
Tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel
Tinted glass
Rear privacy glass
Lights-on/key-in reminder
Digital clock
Outside temperature display
Fuel consumption display (average / instantaneous / tank range)
Driver’s seat belt warning lamp & alarm
Door ajar warning lamp
Boot light (2 positions)
Sun visor/vanity mirror (both sides)
Front map light
Centre console storage
Cup holders x 3
Front seat height adjuster (driver’s side)
60/40 split rear seat backs
Accessory socket
High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps with headlamp washers
Automatic headlamp levelling
2 speed & intermittent windscreen wipers
Rear wash/wipe with intermittent facility
17” Alloy wheels
Black coloured A & B pillars
Body coloured door mirrors & handles
Electromagnetic tailgate opener
Body coloured side sill covers
Body coloured Tailgate mounted rear roof spoiler
Front fog lamps
Driver and front passenger airbags
Side curtain airbags
Curtain Shield Airbags
Drivers knee airbag
Front passenger airbag deactivation system
Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)
ABS with EBD
Automatic headlamps
3-point ELR seatbelts for all seats
ISOFIX child seat restraint system with top tether anchors
Remote fuel lid opener
Side impact protection beams
Visible VIN
Freewheeling key cylinders
Deadlocks
Flat tyre repair system (in place of spare wheel)