2012 Suzuki Swift Sport FULL ROAD TEST

Light hatchbacks with brawny engines have been with us for over 30 years and how we have come to love them. The latest to join the fray is Suzuki’s second generation Swift Sport which has some rather big boots to fill.

The original Sport caused quite a stir when it arrived in early 2006, the hatch it was based on was already widely praised for its roomy, well built cabin and neat exterior design – the Sport added strong performance and crisp handling to the package. This new Swift Sport does the same again; we hit the road to find out how good it really is.

What is it?

The Swift is Suzuki’s B-Segment, or supermini, entry and as the name suggests the Sport is the most potent variant in the line-up. Following on from the run-away success of the previous generation Sport this new iteration is all new and was launched in January 2012. It aims to build on the impressive road manners and decent performance on offer before but with lower emissions, better economy and crucially vastly improved comfort – a major criticism of the old model. At the heart of the Sport is a heavily fettled-with 1.6 litre normally aspirated petrol engine serving up a beefy 136 bhp (up from 123 bhp) from 4,400 rpm fitted with Variable Valve Timing. Prices start at £13,499 and come with a remarkable arsenal of standard equipment.

Rivals: Renaultsport Twingo, MINI Cooper, Ford Fiesta Zetec-S

Key Features

• Automatic digital air conditioning
• Cruise control
• ABS, EBD & ESP
• 7 Airbags
• HID projector headlamps
• Keyless entry
• Bluetooth audio system
• 17" alloy wheels
• Twin exhausts
• Sports seats

The new car has grown in every direction to improve cabin space, has wider tracks all-round for improved agility and to look at it ticks all of the right boxes.

At the front there are generously proportioned HID Projector headlights that stretch way back into the wings, an imposing mesh grill and cool finned fog light surrounds. The floating a-pillar and high raised waistline sit well with the lowered suspension, sill extensions and eye-catching 17” alloy wheels. The best is saved for the rear in the form of a neat boot spoiler and best of all a racy lower diffuser which houses the twin exhausts. It’s a very butch looking machine that’s stance is squat, sporty and athletic especially in the metallic Silky Silver finish of our test car.

Press the small button on the chunky door handle – no key needed here – open the door and jump into the driver’s seat to admire the view. The cabin is neatly laid out with clear instrumentation and although the material quality on offer isn’t the best, it feels really well constructed. Red stitching on the meaty leather covered steering wheel, gear knob and seats lift the mood- reminding you of the cars sporting aspirations. The front seats themselves are wonderful, pinning passengers in place with their thick bolsters that offer plenty of support during enthusiastic cornering. The dials are also a joy to use and carry on the sporty theme with their metallic surrounds and red and white graphics.

Equipment levels are very good for this class of car, keyless entry with start button, digital air-conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity and automatic HID projector headlamps all come as standard. As do essential safety kit including, seven airbags, ESP, and antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution granting the Swift Sport the coveted 5-star Euro NCAP rating. It’s also nice to see cruise control on a car of this kind which is a boon for motorway driving.

Clean modern design inside lifted by sporty red stitching

Figure hugging front seats are very supportive and look fantastic

Enough room in the rear for short journeys but lack of legroom limits practicality

Cabin space, as you would expect of a car measuring just 3,890mm in length is decent in the front but less-so in the rear. Headroom in the back is fine but legroom is restricted if anyone approaching six foot is sat up front. Access to the rear however, is easier than a lot of 3 door cars as the front seats pivot and slide right-the-way forward. Annoyingly the seats do not return to their original position so need to be re-adjusted every time someone enters or exits the back of the car.

Boot space is adequate at 211 litres extending to 512 litres with the rear seats folded but is hampered by a huge load lip. It’s more than enough for a couple of weekend bags. Usefully there are also a quite a few well placed storage areas scattered about the cabin, one of which is located on top of the dashboard – perfect for storing CDs and keys.

Dip the clutch; push the Engine Start Stop button and the throaty 1.6 litre 136bhp engine bursts into life. Rev the engine a little and the roarty exhaust note makes itself know. With 118 lb ft of torque on offer from 4,400rpm and a 0-62mph sprint taking 8.7 seconds you aren’t going to be winning any records. What it lacks in outright pace it more-than makes up for in character and usability.

Thanks to a beautifully snappy 6 speed gearbox making swift - as the name suggests - progress is easy. Where in rival cars with more power and turbos you can floor it in any gear for fast getaways, the Swift Sport needs to be revved. Power delivery is smooth and progressive but everything starts to change when the engine reaches around 4000rpm, the soundtrack suddenly deepens and then a good kick of thrust follows and continues right up until the 7000rpm redline. At this end of the spectrum the experience is very addictive as the Swift seems to love being pushed hard.

HID projector lights look thoroughly modern as do distinctive foglight surrounds and large grill.

This continues when the road gets twisty too. The Swifts steering is perfectly weighted for all driving conditions. Around town it’s light and accurate, at higher speeds and when cornering it weights-up nicely. There’s also plenty of feedback so the driver always knows what the front wheels are doing. In terms of handling the Swift is incredibly rewarding with tightly controlled body movements and high levels of grip always feeling poised and composed at all times. If one does approach a corner with too much speed which will rarely happen, the car gently slips into understeer but with some careful dialling in of the throttle the nose tucks nicely back into the driving line. The disc brakes all round also do a great job of scrubbing off speed with a satisfying feel to the pedal.

When you’re not in the mood for some spirited driving the Swifts engine remains hushed and refined. Comfort levels are also surprisingly good with a firm yet compliant ride that does an admirable job of soaking up the UK’s pockmarked roads. Where others will crash over the roughest road surfaces the Swift will make light work of anything in its path creating a comfortable long distance companion. This is further enhanced by low levels of wind and road noise, light controls and the standard fit cruise control.

At £13,499 the Suzuki Swift Sport is priced on par with its Renault counterpart but undercuts the MINI Cooper and Fiesta Zetec-S by up to £2000 which represents superb value for money. It is also better equipped than them all. Costs are also not be sniffed at with a combined fuel consumption of 44 mpg which we were able to achieve while the car was with us. Furthermore noticeable improvements have been made over the previous model to the emissions which are now down to 147g/km equating to Band F which will cost owners a reasonable £135 per year.

Words and Photos by Rob McSorley

Technical Data

Price as tested: £13,499

Engine: 1.6 16v 136bhp - 0-62mph: 8.7 secs - Maximum Speed: 121mph -

Economy: 33.6mpg (urban) –54.3mpg (extra-urban), 44.1mpg (combined) - Emissions: 147g/km (Band F) - VED (12 months): £135

Dimensions: Length: 3890mm - Width: 1695mm - Height: 1510mm - Wheelbase: 2430mm

*data from Suzuki UK

The Verdict 4/5

The new Swift Sport is a real achievement that deserves to be successful. Suzuki have cleverly managed to improve the car in all of the areas of weakness previously such as its poor ride quality and refinement whilst making improvements in running costs and emissions at the same time. It offers buyers an exhilarating blend crisp handling and frisky performance. It is also impressively refined and its low asking price represents undeniable value for money. Some drivers will wish the Swift had more power but we feel the performance on offer is decent enough and suits the character of the car well. The only minor weaknesses are in cabin space and interior quality where some rivals offer more but this doesn't detract from the superb all-round package.

You will like

Sporty looks

Finely tuned handling

Comfort

Accessible performance

You won’t like

Cabin/boot space

Interior quality

Special Thanks to; Suzuki Motors, Steinbeck Crescent, Snelshall West, Milton Keynes, MK4 4AE

All photographs and text are the exclusive property of Rob McSorley (except where stated otherwise). They are made available for your personal viewing enjoyment only. No images are within the Public Domain. The photographs may not be copied, reproduced, redistributed, manipulated, projected, used or altered in any way without the prior permission of Rob Mcsorley (mrrobertmcsorley@gmail.com).

2012 Renault Twizy ROAD TEST

When presented with the veritable feast of models to drive and this years SMMT Test Day it would be easy to assume that the most in demand would be the stonkingly fast exotic models but strangely it was Renault’s curious little Twizy.

For those few readers that don’t know what the Twizy is all about it is Renault’s clever solution to urban transportation. It is essentially a two seater electric vehicle – you make your mind up whether you could call it a car – where passengers sit in tandem.

It looks like it’s come straight from the next century with its pod-like shape and tiny wheels that appear to be mounted on stalks.

At its core is a rear mounted 17hp electric motor mated to a 6.1kWh lithium-ion battery located underneath the front seat. Its tiny dimensions result in an impressive 474kg kerb weight. As with all electrified vehicles there are always going to be limitations when it comes to range, the Twizy has a maximum range of 60 miles, depending on your driving style, which research suggests is easily enough for the majority of journeys urbanites undertake.

Charging the Twizy is easier than you might think, it comes with a 3m cable that can be plugged into a conventional household 3 pin socket and takes just 3.5 hours to fully charge, this will cost consumers just £1 (dependant on their electric tariff).

The model we drove did without the optional scissor doors which only added to the experience. Climbing aboard is easy for the driver but not so much for the passenger who is forced to straddle the driver’s seat but once there it’s perfectly ok.

So what’s it like to drive? Well that’s easy – an absolute hoot!

The helpful people at Renault gave us a brief demonstration of how to get the Twizy going which involves turning the ignition key until it bleeps, hit the dash mounted D button then reach down under the steering wheel and release the horizontal handbrake. What’s most strange is the lack of noise bar a gentle whir. Gently press the gas pedal and you eerily begin to move off and thanks to an instant 57Nm of torque quick getaways are easy.

Once moving the Twizy feels much quicker than it is due to your exposure to the elements. Despite this its MacPherson strut arrangement at all 4 corners means that the little thing feels incredibly stable but also very bouncy at the same time. Driving around the teeny Milbrook city course gave us the opportunity to really chuck it around. As you would expect the 145 width tyres have to work hard to maintain grip but there is plenty of fun to be had especially when grip runs out. Then the Twizy is more than happy to slide around but it never feels unsafe. 

A starting price £6,690 is not to be sniffed at; it undercuts cars such as the Smart FourTwo by a large margin. There is however an additional battery rental charge to be added on which depends on the mileage the owner expects to cover. The least you will pay is £48 per month rising to a still very reasonable £67 per month. When you factor in that you will never need to stop at a filling station to pay over £1.30 a litre for fuel the Twizy makes a lot of sense.

Verdict

We fell in love with the Twizy and we think you will too. It’s a great way to get about if you mostly travel around busy city streets and if you don’t it is the perfect 2nd car. It’s incredibly easy and fun to drive, has a perfectly usable range and costs peanuts to buy and run. Whether us Brits will be put off by the lack of weather protection remains to be seen but we think you are going to start seeing a lot of Twizys zipping around over the new few years.

Words by Rob McSorley

Photos by Mathew Brooks

Price as tested: £6,960 Engine: 13 kW DIN 17hp Electric asynchronous - 0-28mph: 6.1 secs - Maximum Speed: 50mph - Economy: 60 mile range - Emissions: 0g/km (Band A) -VED (12 months): £0 Dimensions: Length 2338mm - Width: 1381mm - Height: 1454mm - Wheelbase: 1686mm
*data from Renault UK

2012 Mitsubishi ASX FULL ROAD TEST

Air conditioners, escalators, optical telescopes and hand dryers are all products that you probably didn’t know Mitsubishi produce. You probably did know that Mitsubishi and 4x4s go together like itchy and scratchy or cheese and crackers.

It all started with the Shogun back in 1982 which carved a healthy share of the market rivalling the Nissan Patrol, Toyota Land Cruiser and later the Land Rover Discovery. Over the last decade as fuel prices have skyrocketed and the cost of road tax has climbed, demand for heavy 4x4s has tailed off as buyers seek out lower running costs. As a result the compact crossover was born and every manufacturer wants a piece of the pie.

Since its launch in 2007 Nissan has shifted over 1 million examples of its Qashqai which kicked off the compact crossovers journey to world domination. Mitsubishi have enjoyed considerable success in the UK with the launch of their Outlander crossover back in 2004, the latest version is even available in a more frugal 2 wheel drive guise for those who love the idea of a 4x4 buy not the dent in their wallets.

The ASX, or “Active Sports Crossover” is Mitsubishi’s attempt at repeating its big brothers success but in a smaller package aimed squarely at not only established crossovers but also traditional C-segment vehicles. We hit the road to find out if the ASX is any good and whether it can crush the opposition.

2012 MINI Coupe JCW ROAD TEST (Leo Kimitri)

Long gone are the days when a Mini was actually small. Long gone too are the days when you had to put up with glacial performance to own a Mini.

And the fastest of the breed is the new Mini Coupe John Cooper Works (JCW), armed with a hefty dose of power and a lightweight, petite body.

The first thing you notice about the Mini Coupe JCW however, is not the performance but the unorthodox styling. Seemingly styled by a blind person, this Mini features very controversial looks and odd proportions. And for some unknown reason it has been designed to look like it’s wearing a back to front baseball cap…

Less divisive however, is how this machine drives. With its big power, light weight and compact size, the Mini Coupe JCW accelerates with real ferocity and devours corners with vigour. What it struggles with though, is doing both at the same time.

Mash the throttle into the carpet around a bend and the rabid power from the little turbocharged engine will send the wheels spinning wildly (should you switch off the traction control, that is), leaving expensive trails of rubber down the road.

Of course, you can keep the traction control on and reduce your tyre bills in the process, but this Mini forever feels like it has more power than the chassis can truly cope with. This isn’t a bad thing, but it does mean you have to temper how enthusiastically you accelerate.

Flat out the Mini Coupe JCW will oh so nearly hit 150mph and sprint to 62mph in 6.4 seconds. Suffice it to say, you won’t be wanting for speed in this Mini. The turbocharged 1.6 litre engine also pulls well at low engine speeds so you don’t have to rev it hard to make good progress.

A welcome side effect of the engine’s low down power is decent fuel economy and emissions. Combined fuel economy of 40 miles per gallon and CO2 emissions of 165g/km (with correspondingly reasonable road tax of £170 per year) mean that the JCW Coupe shouldn’t be hugely expensive to run.

However, a starting price of £23,800 is much less wallet friendly and is a hefty £1,345 more than the Mini JCW hatchback which shares the same lusty engine and chassis and offers several more seats too.

Despite its substantial price tag and slightly unruly handling though, the Mini Coupe JCW has such an immense sense of occasion, hunger for corners and enough power to consume long straights that it could just be worth that price. If you have around £25,000 to spend on a car and sheer fun is at the top of your wishlist, you could be looking at your next car.

And best of all, when you’re cocooned in the snug interior, with the chunky alcantara covered wheel in your hands and the big rev counter in front of you, you can forget about the questionable styling and savour the road ahead.

Words and Photos by Leo Kimitri (www.carliament.com)

Technical Data

Price as tested: £23,800
Engine: 1.6 16v 211bhp - 0-62mph: 6.4 secs - Maximum Speed: 149mph -
Economy: 30.1mpg (urban) –48.7mpg (extra-urban), 39.8mpg (combined) - Emissions: 165g/km (Band G) - VED (12 months): £170
Dimensions: Length 3758mm - Width: 1683mm - Height: 1384mm - Wheelbase: 2467mm

*data from MINI UK

SMMT Test Day 24th May 2012

Thursday 24th May 2012 was an exciting day if you are an established or up-and-coming car journalist. Annually the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) hold a driving day giving over 300 motoring gurus the chance to get behind the wheel of an array of cars from over 30 different UK manufacturers. This years manufacturers included Porsche, Bentley, Ford, Renault, MINI and Land Rover to name a few. The best way to describe the day is car speed-dating, drivers choose what they would like to drive, age restrictions apply, grab the keys from the press team and away you go.

Held at Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire there were a good selection of driving environments to put each car through its paces including the high speed bowl, hill route, city circuit and the gruelling off-road course. Each car had clear labels as to which routes could be accessed, there was also the option of exiting the site and taking the cars out on the open road but this was never going to be a popular option with so much on offer within Milbrook.

Not only is the SMMT test day a great opportunity to drive some of the most exciting cars but its also a really useful platform to meet the PR people behind each of the brands and to put names to faces. Rob McSorley on CARS already has good contacts with a series of press offices but it was nice to meet in person and also have a chat with unfamiliar contacts to discuss future plans.

If that wasn't enough the scorching day was perfect for meeting up with fellow writers face-to-face instead of behind computers and share thoughts on the cars on offer.

Over the coming weeks we will be uploading mini reviews of each of the cars we got a change to sample, sadly there wasn't enough time to drive them all but still a good selection made it onto our short lists. The following reviews will be on-line shortly;

Alfa Romeo Giulietta (LK)
Alfa Romeo Mito (LK)
Bentley Continental GT (RMc)
BMW 320d ED (LK)
Chevrolet Volt (RMc)
Fiat Panda (LK)
Fiat Punto Evo Abarth (LK)
Ford Focus EcoBoost (JR)

Hyundai Veloster (LK)

Honda Civic (LK)
Jaguar XF (JR)
Jaguar XKR-S (JR)

Lexus IS-F (RMc)
Skoda Citigo (RMc)
Range Rover Evoque (JR)
Renaultsport Megane (RMc)
Renault Twizy (RMc)
Seat Leon Cupra R (RMc)

Suzuki Swift Sport (LK)
Toyota Yaris (JR)

Mini Cooper (LK)
Mini Coupe John Cooper Works (LK)
Vauxhall Astra GTC (LK)

Volvo S60 (LK)

Helping bring you up-to-speed on what us lucky chaps got to drive are fellow colleagues Leo Kimitri (@LeoKimitri) and Joshua Ross (@JoshSRoss). 

Enjoy!

2013 Vauxhall Adam LEAK!

Thanks to our friends over at Jokeforblog here we have what could be the first decent image of Vauxhall/Opel's new premium hatch and aptly named Adam. We aren't entirely convinced this image is real but it gives us a good idea to how the finished car will look.

Since the launch of the MINI over 10 years ago a whole new market sector was born offering buyers stylish looks with a thoroughly premium feeling interior along with a raft of personalisation options from tattoos to funky coloured wheels. Next Fiat came along with the jazzy 500 and then Citroen with the brilliant DS3, now Vauxhall wants a piece of the action. 

Originally there was widespread speculation that Vauxhall would call there new baby Junior or Viva, both in our eyes would have been prefect but a few weeks ago it was announced that the chosen name was Adam in a bid to give the new baby personality and to get people talking about the new car in time for its unveiling at the Paris motorshow towards the end of the year.

As you can see the Adam has similar dimensions to those of its rivals and incorporates a number of Vauxhall's signature design features such as the reverse blade body crease and angular headlamps. What different however is the low-set grill and floating c-pillar similar to that on the Citroen C4-Aircross. Its unlikely that the Adam will redefine the premium hatch class in terms of its styling but its set to look small and fairly muscular with plenty of options to "make-it-your-own".

In terms of oily bits don't expect anything revolutionary, the Adam is based heavily on a shortened version of the next-gen Corsa platform also likely to be shared with the next Fiat Punto. Its likely to be tuned to offer a sporty, spirited drive similar to what's on offer from MINI.

Expect a wide range of petrol 3 and 4 cylinder engines to be offered although as yet its not yet confirmed whether a diesel power-plant will be available. 

More details are expected to follow nearer the launch of the Adam towards the end of 2012.

2012 Peugeot 107 FULL ROAD TEST

Back in April we reviewed the Kia Picanto raving about its value for money and new found maturity that we felt was refreshing for a city car. In the past few months the market has been flooded with all new models, the first of which from  Fiat in the form of the new Fiat Panda and then there are Volkswagen group’s hottest triplets the VW UP!, Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo. These clean sheet designs are intended to shake up the market and steal valuable sales from already established models. There is one car maker that has more reason to be concerned than Kia, and that is Peugeot. Its tiny-tot the cute 107 is about to celebrate its 7th birthday so Peugeot have launched a swift spruce-up to keep it looking fresh. There is no denying that the 107 is a more traditional city car in that it’s relatively basic and doesn’t mimic larger cars as the Kia does so well. We hit the road to find out if Peugeot’s baby can still compete against the barrage of new models that have crowded the market and raised the bar even further.

SUZUKI REVIEWS COMING SOON

Rob McSorley on CARS will soon be reviewing Suzuki models with the cooperation of Suzuki Press UK

2012 Kia Sorento FULL ROAD TEST

Crossover. It’s a word we hear all the time in the car world but what does it really mean? Broadly speaking a crossover is essentially a vehicle based on a conventional car platform that mixes elements of a 4x4 or sport utility vehicle (SUV). The reason that crossovers exist is purely because the majority of buyers love the idea of a 4x4 but don’t actually need their go-anywhere ability, truck-like driving manners and high running costs. Today most buyers are drawn in by the image that has been placed upon the crossover’s shoulders, they show others that you are doing well in life and you enjoy an active lifestyle when really this may not be the case. As we found recently during our time with the Skoda Yeti the crossover formula works incredibly well, suiting the majority of buyers which is reflected in the steady increase in sales and popularity. Kia are no stranger to crossovers, they have in their line-up the attractive Sportage and the small but perfectly formed utilitarian-looking Soul which in their own right are very appealing cars. From 2002 onwards the Sorrento has sat at the top of Kia’s range with its heavy-duty ladder frame underpinnings providing superb off-road talent and the ability to tow anything you can think of. Through market research Kia found that today’s SUV buyers are younger, increasingly likely to be female and often wealthy urbanites who want the car for family use rather than the traditional country lifestyle. For these reasons the second generation model is an entirely different beast, launched in 2010 the new Sorento is now a crossover based upon an entirely new monocoque platform in a bid to generate a more car-like drive whilst improving fuel consumption and passenger comfort. We hit the road to find out how good the Sorento really is.

2013 Renault Clio TEASED

Ahead of its reveal at the 2012 Paris motorshow in September Renault have released a teaser image of the eagerly anticipated Clio that will go on sale in 2013. The image gives us a glimpse of the rear corner of the car with its kinked waistline, slim rear light cluster and strongly suggests hidden rear door handles like Alfa Romeo Guiletta. The Clio is a very important car for Renault as its the first all-new model to feature their new design language but unusually will only be offered as a 5 door. Based on the same platform as the Nissan Micra its likely to grow in size slightly to free up space inside and promises big gains in refinement as well as ride comfort and on-road thrills. Engines won't differ much from today's models so expect a wide range of petrol and diesel units with the scorching Renaultsport Clio expected in 2014.