Since its existence, the Suzuki Swift Sport is able to capture the hearts...
of enthusiasts around the world. It might be the perfect combination of low costs...
and huge amounts of driving pleasure. But what if you want to reduce the costs even more.
That's possible from now on, with the Swift Sportline.
The appearance of the Sport, with the price of a regular Swift, according to Suzuki.
The exact same strategy Kia uses with the GT-line, which is available on the Rio.
The difference is in the performance. The Kia becomes a GT-line in the factory,
and even though it's doesn't have the best finishing in the world, it looks more harmoniously.
It's a total package. The Swift however, is an initiative by the Dutch Suzuki-importer.
Is that a bad thing? At first, it's not, but the quality is a little inconsistent.
The big wheels and the double exhaust look very good, pretty sporty,
but the black plastic features on the car... It doesn't fit very well on certain spots,
and black plastic usually fits on an Allroad-kind of car, instead of a sporty car.
If you ask me, it looks like it's higher,
and that's something they didn't want. So, the claim that it's just like a Swift Sport when it comes to...
appearance, isn't true. It looks like a cheap imitation.
The Rio has clearly done a better job. Maybe the Swift can score some points when we drive it.
And it does, it scores a lot of points when you drive it, but it has nothing to do with the Sportline.
The technical package is exactly the same as the normal Swift, because Sportline only applies on the exterior features.
My point being, the base of the Swift is very good. Or rather, the Swift is very light. Only 940 kg.
For a modern car, that's a really low number,
and you'll notice that in everything, mostly in the driving pleasure.
You can feel there's only a low amount of mass. So, it's direct and it's very willing.
When you want to go from left to right in an instant... I mean, it's not a sports car,
so it doesn't have fancy suspension or anything, so it heaves and rolls about a lot,
but it moves directly. That's because there's not a lot of mass...
which can be held down.
And that's a lot of fun. It makes for a very exciting car, very agile,
there's not a lot of feeling to the steering, but it's precise enough,
so it's immediately on the line you want it to be, and that's a lot of fun.
Again, it has nothing to do with the Sportline, but its base is a very big advantage.
Then, the performance, and it's the same story actually.
It doesn't get first prize when it comes to refinement. The 1.0-litre Boosterjet doesn't do anything until 2.000 RPM,
it starts blowing, and it starts blowing fast.
Officially, 0-100 km/h takes up to 10,5 or 11 seconds, but when I measured it last week,
and it's a second quicker. From our experience with our Baleno-longterm,
there's probably a tad more power in the Boosterjet-engine than they say, but still.
The most important thing that it goes very hard. It feels alive and happy.
Sure, you have to compromise on comfort, because the springs are pretty sturdy.
The insulation isn't very good either and it doesn't have an incredibly good looking interior.
It's all hard plastic and there are some ergonomic flaws to point out.
However, you'll forgive the Swift, especially if you've got a slightly sportier version,
meant for the enthusiastic driver. As a whole, it's a very good car.
It's far from perfect, but it's incredibly fun.
Right, this Rio then. It's a totally different car.
The English have a very nice expression for the Suzuki; cheap and cheerful.
This car however, is a lot more serious.
And you'll notice that in everything. The finishing is better, more modern systems,
it's quieter, but because of that, it's also 200 kg heavier.
That's something you'll notice as well. So even though it's nice and comfortable,
it's stable enough and it keeps in line when you speed up, but when you really start pushing it to the limit...
The steering will be too indirect, and if you switch from the left side to the right side of the road,
you'll feel there's more mass to push around.
It's not a bad car to drive, but it lacks the enthusiasm of the Swift.
It's the same story for the Rio. The GT-line is a package which looks nice and sporty,
but it doesn't change anything under the hood. And I wouldn't call it a GT.
It's a very decent driving B-segment car, but you don't get the driving pleasure you get in the Swift.
And because it's 200 kg heavier and has a tad less power, only 100 horsepower from a turbocharged 1.0-litre 3-cylinder,
the performance is more modest. It's not bad or anything,
because it's a very smooth engine. Also, it kicks in earlier than the Swift,
so it doesn't feel like you're getting shot from a rubber band so much.
It starts producing power more gradually, and it will propel you forward at a modest speed.
It's nice and all, but a GT-line package with this exterior,
the big wheels with Contisport Contact 5-tires... It suggests an image which isn't really true.
On the other hand, as a car, as a total package, this Rio is actually a better car.
It's a tad more spacious, it feels more grown up, ergonomically it's better,
and this GT-line has a lot of extra features, which is a big advantage.
The Swift Sportline is actually a Select, with some exterior changes.
Other than that, there's nothing. That means it's €20.000 and you only get a decent trim.
You'll get heated seats, which are nice, but two electric windows as well and airconditioning.
So you've got the bare basics. This GT-line however, is the most luxurious trim available.
You don't only get heated seats, but a heated steering wheel as well. You've got all kinds of active safety systems,
cruise control, climate control, and those things are very nice to have.
It does make it expensive though. How expensive? €24.000 to be exact.
And that's a lot of money. Compared to the Swift,
you get more car for your money, so as a whole,
this Rio feels like the better choice in this comparison. There's another option however.
If you're going to spend €24.000 anyway, why don't you save up another €1.000?
Because for €25.000, you can get an actual Suzuki Swift Sport. And it doesn't only have a similar trim as this Rio GT-line,
the Swift Sport will go beyond 'just appearance'.