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Suzuki Swift Sport 5dr review

30 Jul, 2013 11:00am

Pocket rocket gets more practical, but is still fun to drive

Verdict

The Sport is a warm hatch rather than a truly hot one, but it’s well equipped, excellent fun to drive and is now all the more usable thanks to its extra doors and seating for five – just.

Suzuki has added an important option to the Swift Sport price list. For an extra £500, you can specify a pair of rear doors. And while there’s a slight financial penalty for this added practicality, the kerbweight remains the same as the three-door’s, at 1,045kg, and so does the economy figure of 44.1mpg.

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The best news is that the Swift Sport’s sharp drive hasn’t been affected. Its 1.6-litre engine doesn’t deliver the punch of the new breed of turbo hot hatches, led by Ford’s Fiesta ST, but it’s still a sweet, rev-hungry engine.

Plus, the six-speed gearbox is good, enabling you to keep the engine on the boil, although it’s not quite as slick as the five-speeder fitted to the 4x4.

The brakes are great, making light work of the low weight, while the steering has a really nice accuracy and weight to it.

There’s plenty of grip, too, allowing you to make the most of the modest power output, while the Swift Sport’s low driving  position and near panoramic windscreen make it easy to plot your lines as you tackle your favourite road. Even the ride is decent. It’s firm, so body roll is kept in check, but there’s a good amount of initial compliance in the suspension to smother bumps.

The rear has been tweaked to accommodate three seats, but given the Swift’s small size, you’d struggle to fit three adults comfortably for anything other than a short trip. Their extra weight would have a big impact on performance, too.