Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6 VVT Review: Here we go again...

Present both cars with a set of corners, and you’ll be hard pressed to tell them apart should you close your ears. The automatic has it all – good balance at the limit, “pizzaz”, and that wonderful, tight feel to the whole steering and suspension setup.

Just like the manual.

The brakes bite good and hard to haul you down from speed in a straight line, but shouldn’t be used in corners; the tail end of this car can be provoked fairly easily.

Lift-off oversteer is indeed possible, and it can be used effectively in the Swift to tighten one’s driving line. The tail slides out, and regains traction without much drama, or the need for you to correct it, very much like a well mannered Britishman.

Just like the manual.

You want a driver-friendly car, which in Singaporean terms means anything that has a torque converter and/or a self shifting mechanism, geared at pleasing your mother-in-law or the girlfriend, both whom posses Class 3A licenses...

You are also concerned about resale value, of which automatic cars seem to be the key. Loads of second hand car dealers love the prospect and selling qualities of an automatic, not to mention the wider buying audience, no?

Lets be honest.

You are lazy. You hate the inconvenience of a manual, no matter how easy it might be to operate, as with the manual Swift Sport’s case. At the same time, you value the image of a Suzuki Swift Sport in its signature, bright sunflower yellow that almost blinds pedestrians in your presence.

Reason enough for you? We don’t doubt so. Therefore, at the risk of sounding like a Suzuki advertisement, we’re going to tell you to “head down to Suzuki to test drive the Swift Sport automatic, today!”

Surprise. It might be faster than you think.

Credits: Text and Photos by Amery Reuben