The interior is dominated by a 7.0-inch
touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto. The lack of a volume knob
reminded me of the pre-refresh Hondas,
but thankfully the D-shaped leath-
er-wrapped steering wheel does have
volume controls. Up front, the red trim
on the door panels, center console, and
dashboard matches the red stitching and
“Sport” embroidery on the seats. Once
you start driving, you’ll notice the lack of
an armrest and proper center console.
The Swift is only 153.1 inches long,
about 7 inches shorter than a Kia Rio
hatchback, so there’s just enough space
for four adults. The low headroom in the
rear could be a problem for tall passen-
gers, but legroom was just enough for my
6-foot frame.
Overall, the Suzuki Swift Sport is a fun
subcompact hatch that offers an enter-
taining driving experience for a low price.
That we don’t have anything close to it
here makes us miss Suzuki on this side of
the border.It’s back! Well, not really. The Dodge
Neon is technically a rebadged Fiat Tipo,
and it arrived in the Mexican market
in 2016. Although there were rumors it
could make it to the U.S., those rumors
died once the Big Three abandoned
sedans in America. But in Mexico, where
the sedan segment is big and healthy, a
car like the Neon works well.
Its spacious cabin and affordability are
its biggest assets, but it would be much
nicer if it came with a more powerful
engine. We sampled the 1.6-liter E-torQ
that develops 110 hp and 112 lb-ft, the
punchier of the two available mills.
That’s simply not enough juice for
driving in the city. Nestled in a valley in
the center of the country, Mexico City
stands at over 7,300 feet elevation, and
the Neon was a victim of the altitude; it
struggled every time I went uphill.
The six-speed automatic only helped a
little under manual mode, but the lack of
power was evident from the beginning.The Neon’s transmission shifted
smoothly and mostly at the correct rpm,
heroically working with the down-on-
power engine, though downshifts were
ponderous.
Body roll was pronounced on twisty
roads, but the suspension capably
absorbed the rough pavement. The quiet
ride was unexpected in this price range.
Because the Neon is an economy car,
its list of amenities isn’t very attractive.
The 5.0-inch touchscreen with Uconnect
is pretty basic, and it lacks any kind
of smartphone compatibility. A four-
speaker audio system is as much as you’ll
get for your music. And because rearview
cameras aren’t mandatory in Mexico, the
medium-spec Neon we drove came only
with rear parking sensors.
Had the Neon made its way back into
the U.S. market, FCA would have had toupdate much of its equipment before its
arrival—thus driving up the price from
its $16,600 starting sticker (per current
exchange rates) in Mexico. But as FCA
has walked away from sedans, especially
compact ones as seen with the rapid exit
of the Dodge Dart/Chrysler 200, don’t
expect to see the Neon back on American
soil unless it has Mexican plates.The Dodge Neon’s small touchscreen lacks
any kind of smartphone compatibility,
unfortunately; the list of both standard
and optional features is limited.DELICIOUS^ FORBIDDEN^ FRUIT^ IS^ HIDING^ SOUTH^ OF^ THE^ BORDER
LIMITS
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