Maruti, please bring this to India!
Suzuki’s Swift Sport hot hatch debuts at Frankfurt
THE NEW SWIFT HAS impressed the folks at evo but now Suzuki has gone ahead and debuted its bombshell variant at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The numbers tell the story in a concise manner with the 1.4-litre Boosterjet making 138 horses, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. It’s the perfect recipe of a hot hatch and the prospects are yummy.
Not just the engine but the mechanicals have undergone the knife too. The car is now 20mm longer, 40mm wider and 15mm lower for better handling. The new Monroe front shock absorbers fitted to the car make it retain camber better during hard cornering. It even looks the part with an aggressive body kit, gloss-painted bits everywhere and carbonfibreesque embossing on the grille. There is also a front diffuser, side skirts and a rear diffuser. There are dual exhaust pipes to give it a meaner look and all-new 17-inch wheels with low profile rubber for a sportier ride.
“It’s lighter, sharper and quicker. It’s more aggressive and emotive, but we’ve also refined the elements that make it practical to use every day,” said Suzuki chief engineer Masao Kobori at the launch event. “The clutch feel, the manual transmission shift throw, the seats and steering wheel – everything that puts the driver at the heart of the experience. We know that our customers value a dynamic driving experience above everything else, so we’ve made the new Swift Sport lighter, faster and more stimulating in every way.”
Very thoughtfully, a slew of driver assistance and safety features have been added which, include advanced forward detection, dual sensor brake support, lane departure warning, weaving alert function, high beam assist, adaptive cruise control, radar brake support, emergency stop signal, ESP, tyre pressure monitoring system, TECT impact-absorbing body, 6 SRS airbags and pedestrian injury mitigation features.
India already has the 1-litre 3-cylinder Boosterjet and the 1.4 is one extra clyinder on that engine, so while Maruti have given no indication of bringing this engine to India we still have hope. They did bring us the Baleno RS and that keeps us hopeful for more. Watch out Abarth and Volkswagen!