Vehicle: 2009 Suzuki Swift Sport
Price as tested: HK$169800

Handling: Currently, there are 2 different kinds of Suzuki Swifts available on different market. In North America, the Swift+ is basically a rebadged Daewoo Kalos, which dressed as a Chevrolet Aveo and Pontiac G3. In the rest of the world, the Swift is completely developed by Suzuki Motors Corporation in Japan. On this edition of test drive, we take a look at one of the world’s most capable hot hatches ever. The Suzuki Swift Sport.

Suzuki Swift is a franchise that has always been known for pure driving fun in the hot hatch universe. That’s except for our Swift+, mind you, which is a tranished for this very good name. In the case of our tester, Swift Sport has got a strong and stout chassis to begin with. Its a stiff chassis that is completely free of anything called groans and rattles, which also serve exceptionally well for suspension system to hang its hats. Combined with the well-calibrated suspension with Monroe shocks, the result is a hot hatch that is anything but. The suspension is compliant without being too harsh for everyday driving. While the ride quality is on the firm side, its far from being harsh and unsettled. You would feel at home driving in Swift Sport as in any famed European hot hatches. The steering provides fluid steering feel and extremely precise, without being twitchy. The body rolls are minimal and understeer is almost non-existence. That really shows how balanced the Swift Sport handles. Its cornering prowess is on par with anything from Polo GTI to Mini Cooper S. Best of all, all Swift Sport has done without all the electronic nannies that tried to step in. Its the exact pure and exhilirate driving pleasure that makes driving hot hatch so much fun. Talk about having fun.

Performance: Swift Sport is only available with a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve with variable valve timing. In terms of technological advancements, this little mill is nothing special. What it is surprising is how refined and smooth this little willing engine is able to provide compare with Suzuki engines of the past. 125hp is on par with most of its rivals. But its 132 lb/ft of torque arrives at 4800rpm is able to make up at the bottom end of the equation. Matched with this engine is the smooth-shifting 5-speed manual gearbox. True to the Swift tradition, the manual box has well-defined gates and short throw. The clutch is light and progessive, with a perfect blip point.

Brakes: Swift Sport has excellent pedal feel and modulation thanks to its large 4-wheel discs and ABS. Even after a couple of hard stops, it still retains its pedal crispness without showing any signs of brake fades. The ABS also acts accordingly without unwanted intervention.

Interior: Suzuki interiors really have come a long way in the last couple of years, as we have witnessed in Vitara and SX4. The latest Swift is no exception. The use of plastic materials and fit-and-finish are on par with anything in its class.

The single biggest highlight of Swift Sport has to be its awesome front sports seats. They provide great supports at all the right places for both driver and passenger. The automatic climate control works flawlessly. The rest of the interior is typical Japanese subcompact fanfare which means all the controls are in the right places.

There are enough rear space for 2 passengers but 3 has to be at a squeeze.

At the back of the Swift, it got a rear wiper for better visibility. Open the trunk, it got a low liftover design with proper side sills for extra versatility. With the rear seats fold down, you can put anything into the Swift without breaking a sweat. In short, you won’t sacifice any versatility even when driving a fun car.

Conclusion: There you have it. This is a Swift that is truly worthy of the Swift nameplate. It handles exceptionally well, it got a decent enough powertrain to suit most performance needs and it is very well-made. What really seals the deal for me is the significant price advantage Swift Sport over its competitions, without cut corners when it comes to build quality and feature content.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2009 Suzuki Swift Sport
=====================================
Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.75/5