OPINION: Suzuki’s ace

By Michael Banovsky
Photos Courtesy Suzuki

Suzuki has a bit of explaining to do, simply because I'm a bit jealous.

The days of the crazy-fun early-90s Swift GTi are gone. Now Suzuki peddles the more benign Swift+ - a competent vehicle, but unfortunately a far cry from what driving enthusiasts believe Suzuki is capable of.

“What they’re capable of?” you ask. Suzuki has an excellent record in racing; they captured the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) last year with the Ignis Sport, while the Swift+ was the basis for Bill Bacon's P3-class title in the Canadian Rally Championship. They have also engineered two notably monstrous machines: The Hayabusa motorcycle and the Escudo Pikes Peak rally car.

They are capable of making a great car – that something I firmly believe in. The evidence lies with what they have replaced the Swift in Europe with. It's a brand new car - also called the Swift – and the press are comparing the driving experience to a Mini Cooper. The new Swift looks excellent, handles well, and with the upcoming model, will have some power.



The new performance derivative (which will probably be called the Swift Sport) is the basis for Suzuki’s new JWRC car. It will feature a 1.6L twin-cam 4-cylinder engine, a full bodykit, twin exhausts, lowered suspension, close-ratio 5-speed transmission, and sport seats will be on offer for the top model.



If Suzuki brings this car to North America (don’t hold your breath), it would give serious heartburn to all of the current and upcoming small-car champs: the Toyota Echo Hatchback, Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, Scion xA, and Scion xB.

Let’s hope Suzuki lets us drink from its newest vintage.