We have a soft spot for the Suzuki Swift Sport of 2010-17, a result of its puppyish, naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engine, crisp suspension and accurate steering.
Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6, £5750: It was facelifted in 2012, when it gained a sixth forward gear, firmer suspension and a more rigid front subframe and steering bracket. All these refinements and still it registered just 1045kg on the scales. Together, they kept the Suzuki Swift on top of its game at a time when rivals were moving to lustier turbo motors.
Prices for facelifted Sports start at around £5000, and these are 2012- and 2013-registered cars with only around 50,000 miles under their wheels. That’s fun motoring on the cheap.
We found a privately advertised 2013/63-reg with 52,000 miles for £5750. A little strong, granted, but the one-owner car has full Suzuki service history. It was last serviced only in March, when it had new brake pads fitted. It’s finished in black and is the three- rather than the five-door version; not as practical, true, but to these eyes, it looks better.
What should we check for? Its full Suzuki service history means it’s likely to have had its 9000-mile oil changes (fully synthetic 0W-20) carried out on the dot, and new rear brake piston seals fitted as part of the 2015 recall. The engine has a timing chain rather than a belt, so little to worry about there. Round at the gearbox, we’d ensure all is smooth and quiet.
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Wind
or Swift. It's little wonder new car sales are falling. The Swift looks better than the new gen version has a similar equipment level and will probably do another trouble free 80k miles owing to Suzuki realiability.
The Wind, if you're in a 2 car family why would you'd spend £5k on Fiesta/Corse etc, when you could run this Wind for 3 years with next to no depreciation and have some summer fun.
xxxx wrote:
Not just that, but unless you want an SUV, manufacturers are offering little to attract the younger buyer. The other day I saw a lad getting into his recent model 3-door Corsa, complete with nice metallic blue paint job, black alloys and a mild bodykit, probably only a small engined version. What would he buy when he goes to his Vauxhall dealer in 6 months time? Vauxhall aren't the only manufacturer following this pattern, of course, but few younger drivers are going to want the same 5-door saloon or SUV that their parents and grandparents drive.