The United States has never been into small things much, especially when it comes to cars. While buyers in Europe and Asia gravitate toward compact, city-friendly vehicles, American tastes have always skewed in the other direction.
Recently, however, the Fiat 500, Mini Cooper and Ford Fiesta have shown that there is an appetite in America for small hatchbacks done well. With that in mind, Suzuki is seriously considering entering the U.S. market with a unique compact entry of its own. It is called the Suzuki Swift Sport and it's a small hatchback that has made quite a name for itself overseas thanks to sharp styling, nimble handling and a reasonable price.
The Swift is Suzuki's volume seller around the world, and a far cry from the Grand Vitaras and Kizashis it already sells in the U.S. But the previous Suzuki Swift Sport was widely regarded as one of the best bang-for-your-buck cars around, so there are high hopes that it might be time for a U.S. debut.
How Much Sport Do You Get?
The 2011 Suzuki Swift Sport comes with a modest 136-horsepower 1.6-liter engine hooked to a six-speed manual transmission. Thankfully, the inline four-cylinder engine is only asked to push around 2,304 pounds worth of car. Suzuki says it's good for a 0-60-mph time of around 8.7 seconds, so it's not bad for the class.
The low power means you plant the throttle on every bend. It's not a machine you have to respect, as you can just throw it into a corner and deal with it at the apex. The engine is thrashy, loud and unrefined at high revs, which is a shame, at it makes peak power at 6,900 rpm. All 118 pound-feet of torque is available at 4,400 rpm, so there's some punch at lower engine speeds.
The snappy throttle response makes it feel more urgent than it really is and even the gearshift has been given a sporting feel. It adds up to a comically rich driving experience that makes you love the car more than you should.
Don't be fooled by the power output: it's a little go-kart.
Feels as Small as It Looks
With its front-drive setup and direct steering, it's easy to really throw the Swift around on the twisting Catalan ocean roads in Spain. There's a slight numbness to the steering right on center, but if you trust the car to hold on, it rewards you with admirable grip.
Compared to the standard Swift, the 2011 Suzuki Swift Sport gets a retuned suspension with new bushings, stiffer springs and revised damper settings. There's also a retuned power steering setup along with 17-inch wheels and tires.
It works best with the stability control turned off, as it prevents the overbearing computers from scrubbing off too much speed and sending the car wide through hairpin bends. Without the electronic intervention, the tail tucks in much more readily and the car occasionally even cocks a rear wheel into the air and threatens, just for a split second, to oversteer. Don't be fooled by the power output: it's a little go-kart.
Even under duress the Brembo brakes refuse to fade, another legacy of the low curb weight. And its compact dimensions mean it's easily placed on the road. The Swift Sport measures 153.1 inches long and 66.7 inches wide, which makes it slightly longer than a Mini Cooper and about the same width.
It Definitely Looks Sporty
Designwise, the 2011 Suzuki Swift Sport is anathema to the retro-styled offerings from Fiat and Mini, with its squarer lines, a relatively high profile and a muscular waistline. The front is as vicious as a cute small car can be, with a mass of straight lines and a near cheese-grater front grille that sets off the aggressive body kit.
There's a hint of testosterone compared to the more androgynous-looking base version of the Swift. There's no getting around the fact that the rivals look more expensive, but the Suzuki's straight-edged, modern look is at least retro chic in the small-hatch world.
Inside there's a raft of relatively cheap-feeling plastics that at least fit together well. The figure-hugging bucket seats blend with the red stitching and chrome-lined dials to emphasize the sporting nature. Glamorous it is not, but then there's an unpretentious honesty to the Swift Sport that fits its budget price tag.
Can It Make It Here?
That unpretentious honesty has been the key to the 2011 Suzuki Swift Sport's success in Europe. Well, that and a price tag significantly lower than the comparable Mini Cooper.
Whether it would be a success in the U.S. is still very much a question mark. It would have to contend with the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper on the styling front while at the same time offering good value in the face of strong domestic hatchbacks like the Chevrolet Sonic and Ford Fiesta.
It's not an impossible task and we hope Suzuki at least takes a shot. The Swift is a neat combination of unique styling and a fun-to-drive feel that most inexpensive hatchbacks rarely have. It might not be the success it was in Europe, but even if it's just a toe in the water, it's a step in the right direction for Suzuki.
Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.
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k55 says:
09:50 AM, 02/22/2012
This car is way overdue for Suzuki and probably should have been brought in before the Kizashi. I remember reading SS info in 2008 and inquired with my local Suzuki dealer in summer 2009. Another reader mentioned direct injection ....agreed .....and maybe higher compression and free up the exhaust as the SS would need to be in the 6second club to be competitive. I say bring it as I am looking to replace my Cooper S and MINI's are getting damn expensive.
ferenc says:
01:10 AM, 01/09/2012
this car is manufactured in esztergom(a small city in hungary that has the largest catholic church in the country, it's on the danube river)the swift is the best selling car in hungary and the sport would be a great city vehicle, specially in los angeles.drive it from downtown la to the pacific ocean on sunset boulevard!
berkesati says:
04:59 AM, 01/08/2012
Hello, everybody !
Since - earlier - many complained, that there were no pictures of the inside of the 2011
Suzuki Swift Sport ( in Europe manufactured in Suzuki`s Esztergom plant in Hungary -
the name of the above mentioned place may sound quite weird for an English speaker,
it is a town in the country called Hungary...8-) ), here is a link with 2048x1536 resolution photos:
http://www.autogaleria.hu/index.php?s=tgal&tid=9356&marka=suzuki
...Happy New Year everybody !
jagat101 says:
09:04 PM, 01/07/2012
The 1.6L 138hp is not bad...though if Suzuki would eventually sell this car in the US, they could otherwise slap the current J20B 150hp/155lb of torque 2.0L already sold in the US. That engine would be badass fast enough for a car this light.
leftoflane says:
06:48 PM, 01/06/2012
I'd appreciate having this car as a subcompact choice here in the US.
I took one of these around the Nürburgring when I was out in Germany for business last year. The racing outfit I rented it from only puts on better pads and a rollcage. It had all the power I wanted for my first time on the 'ring and I came away very impressed with the handling and agility of the car. It seemed a tad livelier than my track toy NA miata.
Of course, that praise could be the afterglow talking after having finally driven the Carousel. Probably would've said the same thing about a Transit van.
bricknord says:
04:27 AM, 01/06/2012
Sadly, this car has no chance. Suzuki's dealer network sucks. Visiting a dealership is like going to a buy-here, pay-here lot. Go shop your average VW dealership, then a Suzuki store. Now, I'm not commenting regarding vehicle quality at all. I'm merely suggesting that the quality of the staff and facility at the average VW location far surpasses that of the average Suzuki store.
I've owned a couple of Suzukis, and have a favorable mindset toward the brand. I have good credit. I didn't consider a Suzuki last time I bought a new car, despite being intrigued by the Kizashi. Why? Because I figured there was a 50/50 chance the brand would pull out of the US during my ownership period, killing any shred of resale (meager to begin with) and making service a hassle. Even if I was able to get over that mental speed bump, to buy a Kizashi I'd have to visit the Suzuki dealer where they want to run a credit check before I can test drive a car. My credit is fine, thanks, so chill and let's worry about finding a car that fits my needs instead of what payment you think I can afford.
Horrible representation. Sketchy long term prospects in the US. Unless you just had money to burn, and resale had zero impact whatsoever on your buying decision, why in the world would you plunk down hard earned cash for a Suzuki? Lots of good cars on the market from more viable manufacturers. No compelling purchase proposition.
Sad, because once in a while Suzuki gets smart and offers something really cool like this or the Kizashi instead of utter carp like the Verona and Forenza.
alex38 says:
12:43 AM, 01/05/2012
This is a good looking car, i think Suzuki's best. Drop in another 50 horses and a direct injection engine and you have a compelling package if price doesn't increase too much..
eldaino2 says:
10:52 AM, 01/03/2012
oh and @hooklyn:
while my golf/rabbit was reliable, good luck with it holding its value in the used car market.
my fit? ha, not even my gti held its value as well.
eldaino2 says:
10:50 AM, 01/03/2012
@hooklyn:
dude: the golf gets better gas mileage? where? how? they are both rated at 33mpg hwy...but again, yo ulike to be selective with your 'info' because the a/t fit (the sport model in particular) is the one rated at 33mpg hwy..the ONLY 2.5 golf that reaches that mileage is the m/t one.
EVEN then, at best, ONLY the hwy mpg matches the fit. But dont be so naive: its what you average that matters. and the golf, is rated at 24 in the city with the automatic, 23 in the city with the manual. both average 26mpg. the fits average is 30.
how on EARTH do you conclude that the golf is more fuel efficient? dont even mention the tdi, which is the opposite of affordable.
do i deny that it has nicer interior materials? of course not. but no fit costs 20 grand unless it has equipment that the golf doesnt include, namely a navigation system. most fits sit around 18k.
sure you get heated nozzles and what not...but you dont even get alloy wheels. sorry, i just dont understand that in this day in age.
and lets not even get into long term ownership costs, hell even after the 36k maintenance warranty is up, you gotta replace stuff like spark plugs on the 2.5...and even if you have a local mechanic or you can DIY, it STILL costs more money to keep a golf on the road than any small honda, much less the fit.
and this is coming from someone who has OWNED BOTH. this isnt conjecture or random spec comparing....this is actual experience speaking. how many fits have you owned?
is one nicer than the other? yeah. and for not THAT Much more. but do i blame people for choosing the fit? absolutely not, for the aformentioned reasons. and no base golf is more fun to drive than a fit, though it may be more 'pleasant' to drive.
as an enthusiast, i'm sure you can understand that. you are something else man.
bricknord says:
07:08 AM, 01/03/2012
@ Hooklyn:
Let me know how that Golf does with real world fuel mileage. Prepare to be disappointed, especially if you get an automatic. Take a look at the various poor mileage comments on vwvortex, for instance.