{"id":1469,"date":"2020-09-13T07:39:13","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T07:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo6.aiwalls.com\/cars2news\/?p=1469"},"modified":"2020-09-13T07:39:13","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T07:39:13","slug":"suzuki-swift-sport-the-small-gutsy-car-that-punches-above-its-weight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/?p=1469","title":{"rendered":"Suzuki Swift Sport: The small, gutsy car that punches above its weight"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The new Susuki Swift Sport is a real little turbo jet. Photo: Supplied<\/p>\n

The Suzuki Swift Sport is something of a legend in South Africa. The almost cult-like following is largely due to the fact that it offers loads of handling prowess, a gutsy engine and Suzuki\u2019s penchant for adding lots of “kit” at a phenomenally competitive price. The new Swift Sport offers more of the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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My immediate reaction to the Swift Sport is that it\u2019s more equipped than ever before, with a balanced mix of technology, convenience and comfort features.<\/p>\n

Touchscreen infotainment<\/strong><\/p>\n

The interior is no doubt sporty, but new to the mix is the addition of a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment centre, featuring the likes of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as the ancillary AUX, USB and Bluetooth connectivity.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The screen and Android Auto \/ Apple CarPlay addition is entirely new and a very welcome feature. It\u2019s easy to use and entirely intuitive.<\/p>\n

As always, the touchscreen, in particular the volume controls, can be slightly finicky to get right — but as a driver, you do have the added feature of a multi-function steering from which things are much easier to operate.<\/p>\n

Cabin niceties<\/strong><\/p>\n

The cabin is an ergonomically sound design with niceties such as cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, climate control function as well as a central multi-function display that reveals some interesting vehicle information.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Boost gauge, as well as the Power\/Torque gauge, is another sign of the new times. There\u2019s a turbo under the bonnet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BOOSTERJET turbo makes an entrance<\/strong><\/p>\n

BOOSTERJET is Suzuki\u2019s name for their new turbocharged engines. In this case, it\u2019s a 1.4-litre engine, similar to the one in the Suzuki Grand Vitara, but tuned to deliver a more exciting experience. And that it does \u2013 very well indeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The old 1.6-litre NA engine was a high-revving, 100kW motor. The new 1.4-litre gains 3kW in power, but a mighty 70Nm more in torque.<\/p>\n

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The new Suzuki Swift Sport is a balanced mix of technology, convenience and comfort features. Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This torque is delivered between 2 500-3 500rpm and without too much turbo lag, it\u2019s the sweet spot for sporty driving, making the Swift Sport a fun mobile with respectable accelerative force: 0-100km\/h in eight seconds and a top end of 205km\/h are the numbers \u2013 but it\u2019s how they arrive that\u2019s the best part.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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While the Sport doesn\u2019t rev as high as the previous car, the turbo delivers power very quickly in each gear leaving the driver with a lot of work to do as you slice through the gears finding more and more speed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an immersive experience for those who love the clutch-gear-pedal combo. What is missing or different from the old car, is the solidity of the 6-speed shifter. The new shifter is very light and soft, perhaps easier for the normal everyday commute, but not as reassuring as the old car\u2019s gear action.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Less weight \u2013 more speed<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This lightness has really been part of the entire execution of the Swift Sport. The car weighs 90kg less than its predecessor tipping the scales at 970kg.<\/p>\n

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You can feel it from the moment you drive the car \u2013 it\u2019s a sharper, more nimble corner-dicing tool. Its ability to change direction quickly and with driver confidence is uncanny. Where those front-driven wheels do tend to understeer, it\u2019s done with enough feedback to allow an easier transition back into control.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nippy nature excites and entices<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Swift Sport boasts over 100KW\/tonne which explains it\u2019s nippy nature. It\u2019s a joyful car, designed to excite and entice. It\u2019s a car that is respectably competent yet completely unpretentious, something that only few cars can manage.<\/p>\n

Sold in a variety of funky colours including of course the now famous “Champion Yellow”, the Suzuki Swift is a fantastic replacement of the previous car. It\u2019s a car with attitude, competence and character \u2013 and at R315\u00a0900 for the manual, that makes it very hard to beat.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Help support journalists, the guardians of independent journalism, through our student media initiative that gives a voice to students and their generation! Find out more…Tags: BoosterjetSouth AfricaSuzuki Swift Sport <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new Susuki Swift Sport is a real little turbo jet. Photo: Supplied The Suzuki Swift Sport is something of a legend in South Africa. The almost cult-like following is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[808,805,274,806,807],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.icaridea.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}