The Suzuki Swift Sport (2020) undergoes family testing

Sometimes it's a bit of a let-down, climbing into a small hatch after becoming accustomed to driving large and luxurious, self-shifting SUVs. But this was not the case with the latest iteration of Suzuki Swift Sport! The black 1.4T manual model stood waiting for us in the parking lot, glinting all mischievously in the winter sun, and I just knew it was going to pass the family test with flying colours. Here's why.

 

1. The seats are supportive and comfortable

The semi-bucket seats in front offer fantastic support, and not just when you're tearing around corners. The driver's seating position is just right (the seat is height-adjustable), and after two hours on the road and in traffic, my behind had not gone numb, which is usually a good sign! Larger people may feel that the seat bolstering is a bit tight around the hip-area, though.

Related: Top 5 things you need to know about the new Hyundai Grand i10 (2020/2021)

 

2. A user-friendly touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Whenever I bring a new car home, the first thing the kids want to know is if there is a touchscreen, the amount of USB ports in the car, and whether Apple CarPlay/Android Auto are supported. The Swift Sport only offers one USB port up front, so my younger child complained about not having a USB in the back. Another one up front would have been helpful, since I like to take my Mi-fi along for music streaming and it also needs to stay charged up. The most practical solution would be to invest in a portable USB charging port that fits inside the Swift's 12V power socket below the air-conditioning controls.

3. The happiness factor 

A happy driver usually equates to happy occupants, and the Swift Sport has the ability to make whoever's behind the steering wheel, smile from ear to ear. The new Swift Sport is more powerful, (it's also 90 kg lighter than its predecessor and weighs in at a lithe 970kg), less noisy on the inside, and more forgiving over poor road surfaces. There's more power available from early on in the rev-range, so there's no need to wring the Swift Sport's neck to extract that extra zest. The steering wheel also offers satellite controls for setting cruise control and adjustment of infotainment system functions.

The small TFT screen between the odo- and speedometer also shows you how much boost you're getting from the 103kW/230Nm 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine, G-forces, and all other important 'petrosexual' information, or just the normal stuff like fuel consumption. The Swift Sport is an absolute hoot to drive and if you need to overtake a slow-moving vehicle, you need not worry that your Swift Sport will run out of grunt. This is quite important, as it can mean the dfference between life and death.

4. It's spacious

There is so much room on the back seat, even for adults. I won't seat three adults in a row on a regular basis, but for the average family space is more than sufficient. Even fully-grown and fussy high-school kids won't want for legroom. Boot space is a bit tight at 242 litres, but it's not too pokey either. (It extends to 556 litres, and with the rear bench entirely flat, there's 918 litres' worth of space.) Two large school bags with stuff stacked on top, or 3 overnight bags and 2 soft bags are about the going rate, I'd say. Our grocery shopping trip's five bags filled up less than half of the cargo area.

5. It's safe

Given the Swift Sport's athletic character, safety features were a priority for Suzuki. The Swift Sport has LED/Xenon headlamps with front fog lamps and LED taillamps, six airbags, electronic stability control (ESP) and ABS braking with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assistance (EBD). There are two anchored ISOFIX mounting points for infant and child seats, side impact protection and child locks on the rear doors. Hi-performance brakes will also help bring the Swift to a complete standstill. A rearview camera allows you reverse over your kids' toys with pinpoint precision.

Should I buy new or used? 

The Swift Sport does not come cheap, brand new. There's all that additional equipment, and a turbocharged 1.4-litre engine is more expensive to build than the naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre power plant like its forebears had. So, be clever and buy a lightly-used 2019 model on AutoTrader. The least expensive listing costs just under R280 000 and has about 10 000 km on the clock. New models start from R327 900 for the six-speed manual and R347 900 for the automatic derivative.

Verdict

​After spending a week with the Swift Sport and subjecting it to grocery shopping, the school run, and return trips to Cape Town with the kids, I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a compact family car for urban dwellers. 

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