Souped-up Swift sure is sexy

She's nippy, so expect to see more of this end than the front. (Image courtesy LupiniPower http://www.lupini.co.za/)

They recently added extra wooma to the already enthusiastic V8 Chevrolet UTE and have now gone small and Japanese by injecting some extra zip in the cute little standard Suzuki Swift.

One or two prototypes are currently being whipped by the local motoring media and if all goes well the swifter Swift will become available some time soon.

And whilst there might be the odd lifted eye-brow or two as to why the aftermarket tuners have chosen a small 1.5 litre to convert into something zippy there is plenty of logic in the choice because Suzuki has been making phenomenal inroads into the local market since its return to this country.

The next cult car

Indications are already there that Suzuki could become the next cult car in the same way that the older Honda Ballade, the Toyota Tazz and VW Citi Golf were (and are!) revered in areas away from the sushi and champagne suburbs.

Suzuki already has a 1.6 litre Swift Sport on the market which is quite a bit faster than its three 1.5 litre Swift siblings BUT the current Swift range is due to be replaced by a new range of Swift models due to be unveiled in South Africa this month (April) - and there is no Sport version in the new range, so the gap for LupiniPower is perfect.

OK, so how this the jazzed-up Swift look and perform?

For openers, the first impressions of the LupiniPower Suzuki are good. Our test car arrived in all black and looking ready to rumble with its cocky black alloy rims, chrome exhaust outlet, bee-sting aerial and silver LupiniPower insignia on its boot-lid.

So off we scooted and the first lip pouts came quickly. Although its exhaust has become a tad gruffer it doesn't sound peppy and cheeky enough which is the first thing the boy-racers would expect, no, demand...

The first short ride was to Woollies and all went well until we hit the first speed bump and we nearly went through the roof because the suspension is about as flexible and as comfortable as a go-kart which, translated, means there ain't any!

Interestingly enough, Lupini makes no mention of any work on the suspension, so are the bigger optional alloys perhaps to blame?

Lots of smiles

But from then on things got better and the little Suzi produced a lot of smiles. It's nippy without being scorchingly fast and it is actually a lovely little city car with gentle steering, good road-holding, happy to purr along and to nip easily into the tightest parking spot.

However, when you floor the go-faster pedal there is a noticeable hesitation between 2500 and 3000rpm but it kicks on quite happily from then on.

The gear box is standard and works well across the swift range, so no complaints (or noticeable changes or improvements) there.

The brakes are sharp and the steering, although not razor sharp, is a good enough match for the car.

The little Suzi produced a lot of smiles. (Image courtesy LupiniPower http://www.lupini.co.za/)

Everything works according to the plan except when you hit a corner quite fast and the surface is a bit worn and rough. That's when the Japanese with the Italian name starts becoming a handful as it bucks and bounces and leaps about, mainly, I suspect because the suspension is too hard and/or the wheels are too big.

On that point, one understands the necessity of a taut suspension for dynamic driving, but it gets to the point where it takes away a lot of the pleasure. Some sharpening of pencils are required, methinks.

Be that as it may, it didn't take long for wife Penny to demand a drive - and from then on I had to hide the keys from her. She absolutely fell in love with it and couldn't stop rambling on about the car to her friends.

Nippy

Now this is exceptional from a woman who firmly believes cars were created to make shopping easier and to give men something to talk about over their beer when their chatter about sport dries up.

I must say I enjoyed the car, even though it is not quite as enthusiastic and perky as I thought, or had hoped it might be.

LupiniSport says their version is based on the standard Suzuki Swift GLS but produces 100kW at 6200rpm versus the standard car's 74kW at 6000rpm, while torque climbs from 133Nm in the standard car to 155Nm at the same 4000rpm peak.

The company also claims their modified version accelerates to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds (versus a standard Swift's 10-seconds) while maximum speed is up 20km/h to 195km/h.

They also claim fuel consumption and emissions improvements such as average petrol consumption of 5.9l/100km and carbon dioxide emissions down to141g/km.

This they say is achieved by cylinder head tweaks, a different exhaust system and clever fiddling with the control unit all of which will push the Swift's price to R199 750.

In addition, R6000 will get you 17-inch black rims and the company will also do a brake upgrade and various cosmetic changes for those with even deeper pockets.

We didn't do any scientific tests to evaluate Lupini's claims, but they supplied the following figures and they make the point that the LupiniPower should be measured against the bog standard off-the-showroom-floor Suzuki, not the Sport version:

Comparative road test data (Cars in Action)

Driven sedately the LupiniPower job is good fun and it did attract quite a few enquiries and interested glances, but one has to ask whether the extra cost (more than R40 000) of the LupiniPower conversion is good value for money.

I reckon the street-wise boykies, given the extra R40 000 to spend on a standard Swift, could probably do as well or better, particularly when they start playing around with the oily bits under the hood.

The swifter Swift should be ready for sale around the second quarter of 2011 as an option for the existing Swift GLS as well as the new Swift due in April.

A spokesperson for Suzuki South Africa says the manufacturer's warranty will cover the Lupini Swift, but only to parts that have not been touched by the modifiers. This will include consequential damage due to the modifications, so buyers take note.

Specifications.