Photo: X-Tomi Design
Ah, the Suzuki Swift Sport. They just don't make them like they used to. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about that car, and yet it was more fun to drive than other vehicles that had five times more power.
The joy of a hot hatch with a naturally aspirated engine is hard to describe, but it's probably down to the fact that it represents an access point into the world of reasonably fast, sports cars. In more cases than not, it's the first go-fast vehicle young drivers have access to, which instantly makes it the first one they have a more serious crash in.
Regardless, the days when Renault offered its Clio RS with a 2.0-liter non-turbo engine doing 200 hp and revving like crazy are long gone. Nowadays, it's all about downsizing and forced induction, and while the extra torque is a nice thing to have, you can't help but feel some of the character is gone.
The Suzuki Swift Sport was one of the last to offer this type of setup. The SSS was an incredibly simple machine harking back to the days when you could stop on the side of the road and fix pretty much any issue the car might have had with a set of spanners and a hammer. Of course, it wasn't THAT simple, but that was the impression it gave.
It felt like a distilled version of what cars had become. It was a chassis with four wheels, a naturally aspirated engine, a manual gearbox and, most importantly, a driver. It was light, it was nimble, it had good handling and, even though it wasn't, it felt fast. Oh, and it was plenty cheap as well.
The new Suzuki Swift has just been introduced, and even though its starting lineup misses a Sport version, the Japanese manufacturer promises to include one in the future. The sad news is that it will most likely get a 1.4-liter turbo unit, but the good news is that everything else will remain unchanged.
The exterior design, on the other hand, is also worth mentioning. The Swift retains that high cabin of the old generation, but it gets more modern lines and a desirable look. We see no reason why the Sport version won't resemble this rendering a lot, with a new bumper, larger air intakes, and bigger wheels. The only thing missing are the two stripes down the middle.
Regardless, the days when Renault offered its Clio RS with a 2.0-liter non-turbo engine doing 200 hp and revving like crazy are long gone. Nowadays, it's all about downsizing and forced induction, and while the extra torque is a nice thing to have, you can't help but feel some of the character is gone.
The Suzuki Swift Sport was one of the last to offer this type of setup. The SSS was an incredibly simple machine harking back to the days when you could stop on the side of the road and fix pretty much any issue the car might have had with a set of spanners and a hammer. Of course, it wasn't THAT simple, but that was the impression it gave.
It felt like a distilled version of what cars had become. It was a chassis with four wheels, a naturally aspirated engine, a manual gearbox and, most importantly, a driver. It was light, it was nimble, it had good handling and, even though it wasn't, it felt fast. Oh, and it was plenty cheap as well.
The new Suzuki Swift has just been introduced, and even though its starting lineup misses a Sport version, the Japanese manufacturer promises to include one in the future. The sad news is that it will most likely get a 1.4-liter turbo unit, but the good news is that everything else will remain unchanged.
The exterior design, on the other hand, is also worth mentioning. The Swift retains that high cabin of the old generation, but it gets more modern lines and a desirable look. We see no reason why the Sport version won't resemble this rendering a lot, with a new bumper, larger air intakes, and bigger wheels. The only thing missing are the two stripes down the middle.
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