Road TestCar reviews - Suzuki - Swift - S 5-dr hatchSuzuki modelsOverviewSuzuki's new-generation Swift hatch delivers style and substance at a sensible price19 Aug 2005 TWENTY years ago Suzuki was at the forefront of the emerging baby car class in Australia with the original Swift. Base models were pretty cheap and cheerful but it was the cracking GTi from 1986 that caught the imagination. In its 74kW 1.3-litre twin-cam second-generation SF guise from 1989, it provided plenty of thrills for legions of hot-hatch fans. Now the MkIII Swift is here, sporting real style, substance and value after five years of what must have been one of the dullest babies in memory, the narcolepsy-inducing Ignis. And even the base model will rekindle GTi memories. Model release date: 1 February 2005 to 1 February 2011 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelSuzuki's SF Swift replacement was the Ignis, a boxy light car with a personality so innocuous nobody could possibly long to own one. Yet it was an utterly pleasant if rather pedestrian front-drive three or five-door hatch, powered by a 60kW/106Nm 1.3-litre twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder. The utilitarian design approach spilled inside the bland cabin, where hard wearing materials faced a dash of completely conventional execution. Even the mildly titivated Sport from 2003 (pictured) was a tepid affair, offering 83kW and 145Nm from its warm 1.5-litre engine. No wonder then that its new Swift replacement is considered Suzuki’s renaissance. |
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