We wanted fireworks but got a damp squib
Not swift enough, not sporty enough, and up against better alternatives on all sides. By Curtis Moldrich
There are some things I’ll miss about the Suzuki Swift Sport. The lively chassis, for one. And of course the unrivalled ease with which you can locate it in a car park. But now the time has come to give it back, I find myself content to don some extra-strength sunglasses before giving that Champion Yellow paintwork one final buff and handing the keys to the gent in the Suzuki anorak.
It’s all rather sombre compared to the final days of my previous long-term test car. I just didn’t want to let Honda reclaim the Civic Type R, and kept making up flimsy excuses to go for one final drive… then another… and another. The manga-like Type R blew away pretty much everything else on our 2018 Hot Hatch Giant Test – save for the Renault Megane RS – but also proved to be easy to live with.
The Suzuki is a car you want to like; expectations were high all around. With its Pokemon-like face, vibrant colour and frisky performance, it’s more like Pikachu (a yellow livewire) to the Honda’s Charizard (a fire-breathing dragon). And while it doesn’t offer the same performance as the Honda, its direct steering and impressive chassis means it’s fun to drive.
Where the surgical Civic Type R encourages you to do more, to be confident that the car’s limit are way higher than yours, the Swift Sport invites you to enjoy coming up against the limits of its grip – and try to find a little more besides.
It can be a lot of fun. But compare the Suzuki with its direct contemporaries and even the brightest paint known to mankind can’t distract from its shortcomings.
Let’s compare it to James Taylor’s Ford Fiesta ST: a car that starts at around £1500 more than the Suzuki (or around £4000 if you want James’s spec’d-up ST-3 version). That’s a decent chunk of money, but one that gives you significantly more entertainment for your cash.
The Ford has a sense of occasion that the Suzuki can’t muster. Jump into the Fiesta ST, switch to Sport mode (the Swift has no modes) and it’s immediately more entertaining to drive. A rally-esque burble, telepathic steering and eager throttle response really make it the Berocca of hot hatches. Small, fizzy
and alert: the Fiesta ST makes the sometimes enjoyable Swift feel very flat. And the gulf in performance is much larger than the prices suggest.
The Swift Sport faces tough competition from the lower end of the spectrum too, as the VW Up GTI also gives the Suzuki a headache. Though it looks like a washing machine, the Up is nippy enough and sounds good, and at a starting price of around £14,000 – £4000 less than the Swift. But the worst match-up for the Swift? The car it replaces. Those who have driven both new and old find this car lacks the magic of the outgoing Suzuki supermini, which leaves it in something of a no-man’s land.
Count the cost
Cost new £17,999 Private sale £12,660 Part-exchange £12,020 Cost per mile 12.9p Cost per mile including depreciation 99p
Even the brightest paint known to mankind can’t distract from its shortcomings