Swiftly, swiftlee catchee Suzuki

The Sport will cling and go in the direction in which you want it to go.

The standard five-door Suzuki Swift, which was launched locally about two years ago, has become a hugely popular small hatchback, much loved for its cheeky looks and bubbly 1,5 engine that kicks out 74kW/133Nm.

But now Suzuki has upped the stakes by producing a sporty three-door which is a tweaked version of its little scorcher that has been beating the pants off the opposition in the Junior World Rally Championship.

What a pleasure

The new Suzuki Swift Sport is armed with a larger 1.6-litre engine that produces 92kW and 148Nm which is quite a substantial performance increase over the standard model.

And as much fun as the standard Swift is to drive, the new swifter Sport Swift lifts the pleasure bar by quite few notches.

All the bells and whistles.

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In fact, any other baby hatch will have to move rapidly to catch this stepped up version which does the 0-100km/h sprint in 8,9 seconds, which is about the same time claimed for the newly-launched Mercedes-Benz C180 with its a turbo-charged 1,8-litre engine, and quicker than the Renault Twingo Sport and the Ford Fiesta Titanium.

The go-fast styling of the Sport model more than hints at its keenness to trot: aggressive crouch, sporty alloys, low profile racing rubber, twin big bore exhausts, roof spoiler and black mesh air intakes, red and black race-style seats, grooved metal pedals and its stubby, quick-shift gear-lever are clear warnings to other baby racers rockets to stay clear or face embarrassment.

The go-fast styling of the Sport model more than hints at its keenness to trot.

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My love-affair with this little rebel began from the minute I turned on the ignition, blipped the throttle and delighted at the keen gurgle from the twin pipes.... A gurgle that turns into a healthy growl that gets louder the more you feed it high octane.

Nippy

Floor the fun pedal and the Sport is briskly off the mark and will keep going right up to about 200km/h before it eases off.

But, like most pedigreed rapid movers, the fun in the Sport Swift begins in the twisties where it clings with amazing tenacity.

The start of a love affair is watching this disappear in front of you.

What helps to glue it to the tar is its seriously upgraded chassis and suspension, fat takkies, stability control which is more safety net than nurse maid and feel-good steering which is impressively sharp.

And when you lose the plot...

The Sport will cling and go in the direction in which you point it with a solidness that makes it feel like a bigger, more expensive sedan with sporty credentials.

The ABS brakes, ably backed by brake assist, are happy to take the strain, no matter how hard or how often you stand on the stop pedal.

The stubby shift helps in those quick changes through the bends.

And should things go unpleasantly awry when you run out of road and experience the hot Suzuki offers last line protection in the shape of front, side and curtain airbags.

Although Suzuki is renowned for its sporty heritage there is no stinting when it comes to fancy bells and whistles in the living quarters of the Sport.

Just about any colour you like

Standard kit include electric windows and side mirrors, automatic climate control, trip computer, power steering, central locking and an integrated CD/MP3 sound system which even has speed-sensitive volume control.

You have a wide range of colour options. Go wild!

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Our test car came in fire engine red but there is a whole range of colours to choose from and even metallic paint is included in the R199 900 price tag. Also included are a four-year/60 000 km service plan and a three-year/60 000km warranty.

In the hunting grounds where hot hatches and their smaller baby rockets prowl the Suzuki Sport should not be under-estimated - it's a stylish newcomer with performance to match its cheeky looks.

Specifications

Suzuki Swift Sport:

Fifth Gear Suzuki Swift Sport review

Suzuki Swift Sport