Suzuki Swift Sport review
By: Calvin Fisher

TopCar was invited to drive Suzuki’s sportiest Swift months ahead of its release – and it’s about time too. A normally aspirated 1.6-litre engine might not sound exciting but thanks to a clever VVT multivalve system it manages to churn out an easily exploited 92kW and 148Nm with little fuss – stroked by a manual five speed transmission.

This endows it with a 200kph top speed and a 0-100kph time of 8.9 seconds. It’s not a hot hatch – but in the B segment it competes in its warmer than most. Point it through a set of twisties as we have repeatedly done in the mountainous blacktop around Pretoria, Hartebeestpoot Dam and Magaliesberg and the tight little chassis really shines.
 
Steering is satisfyingly heavy – belying its 1030kg curb weight – the result is a turn in at low and high speeds that encourages you to push. Mid corner acceleration is a particularly strong point thanks to the razor’s edge throttle response and minimal weight transfer on direction changes. Entertaining! If the bean counters manage to keep the Sport’s price tag under R200 000 it has a real performance gem on its hand, made all the more attractive courtesy of a ‘100 units only’ production run – come on Suzuki SA!
 
Look out for a comprehensive first drive of the Suzuki Swift Sport in our June edition of topCar magazine, on sale from the 17 May 2010.