Lighter pocket rocket’s Su good

Northern Ireland’s Driver and Vehicle Agency is bringing in a Graduated Driver Licensing scheme in 2019-20 for those who have just passed their test.

It means they face further training – and a second test – before undertaking hazardous driving such as going out at night. I’m in favour of modernising driver training and incorporating more skills such as motorway, night and wet conditions driving but I fear a graduated scheme will simply put young people off learning to drive. IF you’ve never driven across Sally Gap in Ireland’s Wicklow mountains, it’s one to tick off.

Unbelievable road, totally free of traffic – and a dream ride when I drove across it a couple of weeks ago at the wheel of the new Suzuki Swift Sport.

I’ve been a fan of Suzuki’s pocket rocket since it was launched a dozen years ago.

The original had a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine that produced 125bhp and the one that followed it in 2012 had the same engine but with 134bhp. The car was light, nimble and provided simple fun. The only drawback was a five-speed low-ratio gearbox so you were revving the blazes out of the engine on motorways.

That was fixed with the second generation car’s six-speed gearbox. Gone is that engine and in its place a 1.4-litre turbocharged four cylinder with an extra 4bhp. What was the point of turbocharging the engine if it’s barely more powerful?

Lower emissions and fuel economy is the main reason – but with that turbocharger has come a huge increase in torque. At 170lb/ft that’s almost half as much again as the original car’s engine. There’s more good news, too. Suzuki is the master of weight saving and has done another good job on the Swift Sport which is now an amazing 70kg lighter than the outgoing model.

The result of that torque and a