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ENJOY PERFORMANCE WITH SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT [Herald, The (Plymouth, England)](Herald, The (Plymouth, England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) THERE are many cars on the road which have high revving engines, loud exhausts, added spoilers and fancy wheels, but there are few which are built as a refined sport compact car from the ground up. The Suzuki Swift Sport will achieve 62mph in 8.7 seconds and will go on to a top speed of 121mph. A six speed manual transmission is fitted as standard and owners who enjoy performance driving will find a sports car with precise handling, instant performance and good all-round driving appeal. Based on the Swift, the compact car has three or five doors but the road test car arrived with a useful five doors which offers good access, practicality and lots of rear room for passenger comfort. Suzuki has added satellite navigation and DAB radio to the standard list of equipment this year but I did find the controls for this equipment difficult to understand, during a quick week of road testing. I got by using the steering wheel controls for the radio and CD player. There are also steering wheel buttons for cruise control. Only ten per cent of Swift buyers will go for this sports option and this may be because the 1.6-litre engine has higher than average CO2 emissions of 147 g/km and lower than average combined fuel consumption figures of 44.1mpg. But then practicality probably isn't top of the agenda when buying a sport version from any manufacturer. Sport buyers will be more interested in knowing that the engine will achieve an output of 136ps. From the outside in, the Swift Sport looks what it is, a car that puts performance before everything else. There is a large tailgate mounted roof spoiler at the rear which helps with aerodynamics. The large front grille is flanked by big distinctive finned fog lamp bezels, green tinted glass, twin tailpipes and 17-inch aluminium alloy wheels. The interior has new design sport seats which help with comfort but the suspension is firm. Useful standard equipment includes keyless entry and engine start up, automatic air conditioning and pollen filter, automatic headlamps, heated door mirrors and a long list of safety equipment. While Suzuki says the Swift Sport has comprehensive sound insulation I did have to turn up the volume on the radio. The Swift Sport is a great little pocket rocket and one that will appeal to those who favour performance with a reasonable amount of practicality. Sue Cooke MODEL Suzuki Swift Sport 5dr PRICE Pounds 14,499 FUEL ECONOMY 44.1mpg CO2 147 g/km (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |