This week, we are in the mood for a hot hatch that won’t break the bank but still provide bucket loads of driver involvement and fun-to-drive handling characteristics enter the Suzuki Swift Sport.
The previous generation Swift Sport is one of our favourite hot hatches as every other manufacturer had switched to forced induction while Suzuki kept the Swift pure with a free-revving naturally aspirated engine, a dynamic chassis and enough creature comforts to make the car very usable on a daily basis. These cars are reliable as rain however being a hot hatchback there is always warning signs of abuse and things to look out for before purchasing.
What to look out for
- Ensure that the clutch is in good working order, as in there is no slipping (you can feel the car rev but not pick up speed), noises or jerking when using the clutch.
- Ensure that the vehicle’s gearbox goes smoothly into every gear as the Sport is renowned for its rifle-bolt gearshift action so if there are any doubts when shifting there might be a problem with the synchros
- Ensure that the paint is in good condition as thee cars have been known to have thin paint that chips easily.
- The cars have relatively small batteries and therefore can have issues staring if the vehicle hasn’t been driven for a long period or have been driven for short periods only. This problem has been reported more in winter when the car takes a bit longer to turn-over
- There have been occasional reports of sensor issues in these cars so should the “Check Engine” light appear this could be due to a faulty O2 sensor.
- The vehicles can throw error lights on the dashboard stating that there is an emissions problem which could mean a faulty catalytic converter in the exhaust system.
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