|
|
|
|
17/11/2008
By EWAN KENNEDY
|
|
|
Suzuki's Swift made a welcome return to Australia in February 2005 after an absence of too many years. It had been a huge hit in the 1980s and ‘90s, even being sold by Holden at one stage with ‘Barina’ badges, and was sadly missed when it left our shores in 1999.
But now it’s back, and is bigger and better than ever, being well-built, exciting to look at and a real pleasure to drive. Suzuki has been a master of small car design for decades and this certainly shows up in the way the new Swift feels on the road.
 Style is arguably the number one reason for the new Swift’s success. The chunky lines appeal to just about everyone. As a bonus, they respond really well to a set of bigger wheels and tyres and come up looking particularly neat when a body kit is applied.
There's good interior space for a car in the 3.7-metre super-mini class. That’s enhanced by front seats with a lot of fore-and-aft adjustment, and a driver’s seat that can be raised and lowered. There's seldom stretch out room for big adults in a car like this, but the Suzuki gives you plenty of opportunity to juggle the seats to get the best from them. Boot space is decent for a car of this size and there's the usual option of folding down the seat back to make it better.
As a family car for parents and a couple of kids under the age of about 14 or 15 this Suzuki will do the job well. And be very economical to run as a real bonus.
Power comes from a new design of twin-cam, multi-valve engine, with a capacity of 1.5 litres in most models. It puts out a handy 74 kilowatts and 122 Newton metres. The latter comes to a plateau at 3000 rpm and remains there until the tacho gets to 4000 rpm. That makes for a nicely driveable car. There's also a Sport model, more about it in a moment, with 92 kW and 148 Nm.
Many Swifts in Australia have a five-speed manual gearbox, which is probably the pick of the transmissions in a car of this class. There's also the option of a four-speed automatic transmission, in all but the Swift Sport.
 The Swift is sold in several models; the standard Swift and the semi-sporty Swift S-series (called Z-series in Queensland). The Swift S and Z have alloy wheels, foglights and four airbags (the standard Swift gets two).
You can also buy an interesting Swift Sport. Unlike many so-called sports models, the Swift gets a larger engine, at 1.6 litres, to back up its firmer suspension, sporty body kit and enhanced interior.
As mentioned, this engine is able to produce a reasonably healthy 92 kW which, in a relatively light car, gives good performance. But it’s not really in the same class as the swift Swift GTi that won over so many buyers back in the early series cars. There have been persistent rumours of a full-on sports model coming, but so far there's no sign of one.
Though this is a small car there's generally good underbonnet space so it’s possible to do a fair bit of repair and servicing work yourself. But please leave anything that could affect safety to the professional mechinics.
There is a reasonable number of Suzuki dealers in Australia, though they tend to be concentrated in the metropolitan and major country cities. It’s a pretty simple design so most mechanics will have no trouble looking after it if you’re in an area without a dealer.
We have heard of no real problems with spare parts supply and the prices aren't too bad for a fully imported car.
 Insurance costs are towards the lower end of the scale and we don’t know of any companies that charge extra for the Sport model. As mentioned, while it does have more power than the standard Swift it doesn’t have an excess of performance.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
It’s still relatively early days, but build quality is high both inside and out and we will be very surprised if the reborn Suzuki Swift isn’t every bit as reliable as its honourable ancestors.
Nevertheless have a good look over the complete vehicle, then call in a professional for the final inspection.
In particular, look for body damage and/or signs of it having been repaired. Ripples in the panels when viewed end-on may well be a cue to the state of repair. Also look for paint colours that don’t quite match and for tiny spatters of paint on areas that should be unpainted.
Check that the engine kicks over pretty well straight away when you turn the key, even if it’s completely cold in the morning.
Manual gearchanges should be light, easy and quiet. Anything else should immediately make you suspicious.
Automatic transmissions that hop up and down through the gears when they don’t need to do so could have problems. A service might we all that’s required. Anything else could lead to a big repair bill.
Make sure the brakes pull the car up evenly and that none of the wheels locks up before the others.
CAR BUYING TIP
Small cars that live in big cities often get knocked about a lot, both in the body and mechanically. So never assume that low kilometres mean a car will be in good condition. |
|
|
|
|
|
Print Article
Submit Feedback
Email This Article
