Suzuki Swift 1.4T Sport Auto (2020) review: Can it please the purists?

I consider myself somewhat of a motoring purist. While that very term can have multiple connotations, most will agree that a motoring purist is the one who likes cars to possess certain design elements and characteristics in order to provide the purest motoring experience. You will hear self-proclaimed purists fawn over cars like the Lotus 7, Elise, E36 BMW M3, Honda S2000 and of course, the ever-popular Mazda MX-5.

All of those cars have similar traits, a naturally aspirated engine for near-instant throttle response, a rear-wheel-drive layout, direct steering and a communicative chassis that feeds back information to the driver with intricate details. But that's also not to say that a purist car cannot be front-wheel drive. On the contrary, several front-wheel drive hatchbacks have garnered their own place in the purist good-books for their exciting dynamics. One only has to think back to the original Golf GTI model and the barrage of challengers to see that the front-drive purist car was a successful model.

It starts with the GTI and the challenge from the French, with Peugeot's 205 GTI. Renault followed with the Clio Sport and later the Clio RS models. Ford gave us the XR3 Escort and then the impressive Fiesta ST150. Any list of purist offerings would be amiss without a mention of the Suzuki Swift Sport, a car that held onto the original recipe for perhaps longer than the market appreciated - but that was music to the enthusiast's ears. 

The Swift Sport was, for the longest time, a front-drive, naturally aspirated, manual-shift hatchback that could be driven hard nearly everywhere, rewarding the driver with impressive levels of grip. This all changed though when the fourth generation of the Suzuki Swift was revealed. 

Related: Suzuki Swift Sport loses weight and adds muscle - First Drive Impression

Gone was the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engine and in its place, a 1.4-litre turbocharged unit. Purists scoffed and Swift Sport fans ran around with their hair on fire. Adding insult to injury was the announcement that the Swift Sport would be made available with an automatic gearbox. Tears were shed, dogs were kicked and cacti swung.

Was it all doom and gloom though and had Suzuki sold out? These were questions I asked as an automatic Swift Sport was left in my care recently. Would I, a professed purist be rather peeved off that Suzuki had changed the recipe?

 

 

Styling

Initial impressions were good here - the latest generation Swift is unmistakeably a Suzuki product and there's no mistaking it for anything but a Swift. With the Sport it's more of the same. A deep front air dam dominates the front end while large alloys rest in the corners. At the rear, a purposeful (if only cosmetic) diffuser, finished in black, houses a set of dual exit exhausts.

LED headlights and cherry-red LED taillights round off the package with daytime running light elements for the front. It still retains the current Swift floating roof element but with its hunkered-down stance is appears to have all the right makings of a sports car in a 5-door hatch package.

So far, so good.

 

 

The Drive

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried that the switch to a turbocharged engine was going to kill the experience. Couple that to an automatic gearbox and you're teetering alarmingly close to mediocrity. You have all the right ingredients for this whole story to go belly-up at the swing of a key.

The gearbox is a traditional torque converter setup and not a dual-clutch affair and gives you six gears to use, whether you opt to put it in D and let it make up its mind as to what gear is best or you can select your own with the steering-wheel-mounted shifter paddles. That's some big-car features in a rather compact package.

Thankfully, all my concerns were nearly immediately dispelled the moment I drove off. There was an instant impression of urgency and at part-throttle applications, the auto 'box was hardly noticeable. While the initial impressions were good, I've seen too many similar combinations go horribly awry when pressing on.

As the traffic cleared and the road opened up a little, I gave it a little more pepper. The gear shifts were dealt with precision and the programming of the gearbox seemed to be as good as required. It was made even more engaging with the switch to the steering paddles. Despite the omission of a third pedal, this new Swift Sport seemed to be living up to its promises. 

 

 

Performance

The switch to a turbocharged engine was a point of much contention when it was revealed that the naturally aspirated lump would be dropped for this generation Sport. Turbocharged engines, by there very nature, lack the same immediacy that NA engines offer. Fly-by-wire throttle assemblies compound the fact. In this new Sport though, they seem to have paid a lot of attention to this and while there is still a delay, it is little enough for it to be acceptable.

The power delivery though is something that no previous owner will agree with. The NA engine in the earlier Sports loved to be revved to the redline but that's a pointless exercise in the new Swift Sport. It runs out of steam before the rev limiter and keeping it in the turbocharger's sweet spot yields the best results. 

The 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder, BoosterJet engine produces 103 kW and 230 Nm torque which is slightly higher than the outgoing model. Acceleration is quoted to be 8.0-seconds from a standstill to 100 km/h and this is thanks to the reduced weight. The new Sport is 10% lighter than the old model and thanks to the HEARTECT platform, the new Sport is stiffer as well.

Further tweaks to the suspension and anti-roll bars give the Sport precise handling and chassis feedback was rather surprising. I would have loved to explore the limits of the diminutive Suzuki in the open expanses of a racetrack, but for the spirited drive through the mountains, the new Sport delivered all it has promised.

 

 

Space and Comfort

Space has never been a Swift strong suit but with the latest generation, you certainly get more than before. It remains a compact car and expecting a cavernous interior is foolish at best. Nevertheless, the interior will comfortably accept 4 adults and a fair amount of baggage with a boot that comes in at 242-litres - provided you have mastered Tetris.

The sport seats of the Swift Sport are body-hugging and supportive and overall, the cabin is pleasantly trimmed with materials that are acceptable for the price point. Red panels, stitching and chrome trims separate the Sport from the GL and GA models in the lineup while aluminium pedals are a performance car nod.

A massive improvement over the previous generation is the update to the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible and has a reverse camera.

Related: Suzuki Swift Sport vs Polo GTI vs Opel Corsa GSI: which one has the best infotainment system?

 

 

Safety

Safety is high on the priority list with the Swift Sport and Suzuki has ensured that the Sport isn't only fun, but safe for families. You will get 6 airbags as well as ABS with EBD, ESP stability control and ISOFIX mounting points in the rear for child seats.

Despite the fact that the Sport is lighter than before, the HEARTECT platform includes high-tensile steel construction and additional weld points, creating a sturdier cage for the occupants. The little brother of the Sport, the 1.2, scored a mediocre 3-stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests with a 4-star result in the ASEAN NCAP (Southeast Asian). However, the 1.2 is not fitted with the same number of airbags that one gets in a Sport. NCAP is yet to test a Swift Sport.

 

 

Fuel Consumption

Suzuki claims that the new Swift Sport should be returning fuel consumption figures of 6.2 l/100km on the combined cycle. Usually, Suzuki is very accurate with their fuel consumption claims but, I'm going to be honest with you, I did not see 6.2 l/100km... but that's not the car's fault, that would be mine. You see, I was just far too busy having fun putting it through its paces to worry about the fuel consumption. Sorry.

 

 

Price

The Suzuki Swift Sport will set you back R317 900 for the manual version and the automatic version, as tested here, will cost you R337 900. It comes with an included 3-year / 100 000 km warranty and a 4-year / 60 000 km service plan. 

There are no hidden costs with the Swift either. While there are a host of additional extras that you can add to your Sport, these are cosmetic add-ons and lifestyle accessories - the standard spec level is as high as you're going to get it.

 

Verdict

So does the Suzuki Swift Sport appease the purist in me? It does. It's not the holy grail of motoring and it certainly doesn't subscribe to the exact same mantra as we've come to know a purist car, but it hits very close to the mark. One can easily see that Suzuki spent a lot of time getting the handling and dynamics right and they've undoubtedly agonized over the engine and gearbox programming to create a vehicle that remains as true to the spirit of the Swift Sport as possible.

Enthusiasts and petrol-heads alike will appreciate the approach of the Swift Sport and walk away, as I did, suitably impressed.

 

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