1992 Suzuki Swift GTi 1.3 Twin Cam 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Faults:

Drivers Side CV Boot went at 75,000!

Hole in the manifold at 77,000!

Gearbox went at 79,000!

Gearbox again at 81,000!

Drivers side window broken, will not open!

General Comments:

When I first bought this car it seemed like the best thing on 4 wheels!

It was rapid going from 0-60 in 7.2secs and getting all the way up to 138mph!

I couldn't have asked for anything more!

The interior is good and long journeys are not a problem!

The handling is also brilliant, fly into a corner and it will glue itself to the road and even if it did start sliding it made it more fun because it was so controllable!

Not the best car to have people in the back, but you can squeeze them in!

No problems with the front leg room as I'm 6"5 and could sit in easy!

When you get behind the wheel of this car it just asks to be floored, 8,000rpm redline and it will go all the way there very quickly!

It's a shame that the car was so unreliable because this car is a wolf in sheeps clothing!

I didn't want to get rid of the car, but the way I drive means it just couldn't handle it!

If the car was driven properly I seriously doubt you would get any problems with it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th September, 2004

16th Aug 2005, 08:18

Yes it may be a similar power to weight ratio, but what really matters in a cars speed/acceleration is the gearing, not power. Case closed now.

28th Sep 2005, 14:05

Oh dear it seems we have a Saxo fan!!! Have you heard of modifications other than dodgy lookin neon's??? I doubt it!! The swift is a serious piece of equipment!! Near on same performance as a Saxo VTS!!! You should know that I've seen one of them hit 140mph!!!

8th Mar 2006, 19:00

Having owned a well-modified Mk1 GTi (50-70kg lighter than your version) with 100hp at the front wheels used for motorsport purposes, I can happily tell you that 138mph is well out of reach. The stock Suzuki speedo is so inaccurate at high speeds it is ridiculous. Test that constant speed with a GPS and you would be lucky to be within 15mph of it. The gearbox is an issue in later cars as compared to the Mk1 - as an aside if you were doing 8000rpm changes then your car was chipped - as it had a fuel cut at 7450rpm. To make it last, you need to make substantial gearbox changes too numerous to list here.

22nd Mar 2008, 18:42

0-60 7.2 flat out 138.

More like 0-60 10, flat out 115, just like all the other small cars with around 100 bhp, like the Saxo VTR, Fiesta Zetec S etc.

10th Jul 2008, 02:46

An unmodified GTi Mk1 will hit 0-60mph in 8 sec, tried and tested. But I can't get more than 120 mph top speed out of it.

And I don't want to either. These little beauties will last forever, as long as you take care of them.

22nd Jul 2009, 12:55

No wonder you burned it so fast, you beat it up, poor thing... They're long runners these little beasts if you take care of them. Please do, they are getting harder to find everyday!!

1992 Suzuki Swift GLX 1.6 16v from North America

Summary:

This car is a great commuter car, that is a lot of fun to drive.

Faults:

Ignition leads had to be replaced at around 70,000 km.

Wiring problem with tail-lights had to be fixed at 80,000 km.

CVs had to be replace at 155,000 km.

General Comments:

This Swift is a rare breed having the 1.6L 16 valve engine and is quite peppy for its size. However, because it is rare, it is often difficult to find parts for it. The interior is very comfortable (especially for long trips) and is extremely durable aside from the easy to scratch plastic sufaces. The gas mileage is also a plus. However, the stock tires that the car came with were a very rare size (165/65/R14) and had less than adequate traction in corners. 185/60/R14 are a much better size and makes for a zippy car in the corners, but as a whole is not quite as refined as some other Japanese cars. The purchase price makes up for this though. Finally, the suspension is quite firm which is nice for cornering, but makes for a bit of a rougher ride.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th April, 2004