130 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2019We wanted fireworksbut got a damp squibNot swift enough, not sporty enough, and up against
better alternatives on all sides. By Curtis MoldrichThere are some things I’ll miss
about the Suzuki Swift Sport. The
lively chassis, for one. And of course
the unrivalled ease with which
you can locate it in a car park. But
now the time has come to give it
back, I find myself content to don
some extra-strength sunglasses
before giving that Champion
Yellow paintwork one final buff and
handing the keys to the gent in the
Suzuki anorak.
It’s all rather sombre comparedto the final days of my previous
long-term test car. I just didn’t
want to let Honda reclaim the Civic
Type R, and kept making up flimsy
excuses to go for one final drive...
then another... and another. The
manga-like Type R blew away pretty
much everything else on our 2018
Hot Hatch Giant Test – save for
the Renault Megane RS – but also
proved to be easy to live with.
The Suzuki is a car you want
to like; expectations were high allaround. With its Pokemon-like
face, vibrant colour and frisky
performance, it’s more like Pikachu
(a yellow livewire) to the Honda’s
Charizard (a fire-breathing dragon).
And while it doesn’t offer the same
performance as the Honda, its
direct steering and impressive
chassis means it’s fun to drive.
Where the surgical Civic Type R
encourages you to do more, to be
confident that the car’s limit are
way higher than yours, the SwiftSport invites you to enjoy coming
up against the limits of its grip – and
try to find a little more besides.
It can be a lot of fun. But compare
the Suzuki with its direct contem-
poraries and even the brightest
paint known to mankind can’t
distract from its shortcomings.
Let’s compare it to James Taylor’s
Ford Fiesta ST: a car that starts at
around £1500 more than the Suzuki
(or around £4000 if you want
James’s spec’d-up ST-3 version).
That’s a decent chunk of money,
but one that gives you significantly
more entertainment for your cash.
The Ford has a sense of occasion
that the Suzuki can’t muster.
Jump into the Fiesta ST, switch
to Sport mode (the Swift has no
modes) and it’s immediately more
entertaining to drive. A rally-esque
burble, telepathic steering and eager
throttle response really make it the
Berocca of hot hatches. Small, fizzyG oodbye