Frankfurt Motor Show 2011: Suzuki Swift Sport

Hot hatch fans and boy racers will soon be able sniff out their own new Suzuki Swift Sport after it was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It will be on sale in the UK in early 2012. The sporty version of the Swift first went into production in 2005 in Japan and 2006 in Hungary but this new flagship has some tasty upgrades.

Visual clues that the new Swift Sport will be a force on the roads include the big finned fog lamp bezels, high-intensity discharge headlamps with a metallic grey coating, 17-inch lightweight wheels and a big, mean grille. Aerodynamics are important too with a low-to-the-ground form and exclusive parts designed to control airflow and suppress lift. The short wheelbase keeps it agile at just 2,430mm long and the car has an overall length of 3,890mm and overall width of 1,695mm.

Inside, there are newly created sports seats in a fabric exclusive to the Sport model and an uncluttered five-dial instrument cluster. But what really matters is the performance - the engine pumps out 134bhp (compared to 123 horses on the last model) and 118lb-ft of torque (compared to 109lb-ft on the previous one). This boosted power is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, an extra gear up from the five-speed box on the last model. It has a triple-cone synchromesh for first and second gears for lower shift effort and the counterweight at the transmission end of the lever makes shifting light and sharp.

For better, sportier handling and stability when you chuck it around a bend, the new Swift Sport has larger rear wheel bearings, increased spring rates up front, added rebound springs in the front struts and greater toe and camber rigidity.

The Swift Sport is a little bit cleaner and greener too with CO2 emissions down by around 11% from 165g/km to 147g/km. Fuel consumption - always more of an issue with the sporty version of a hatch - has improved too. The last model got 39.8mpg but the new one is a slightly more wallet-friendly 44.1mpg.

Added safety kit includes traction control, antilock braking and seven airbags as standard.







www.suzuki4.co.uk

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By Georgia Lewis

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