the new swift sport

g unit · Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:34 pm Post subject:

i want them to bring down the 3 dr., then i will consider buyin

damieG82 · Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject:

Test drove the Swift Sport (manual) today and I'm very impressed.

The good:

The car felt glued to the road at 130km/h for such a small, light vehicle. The steering is reassuringly weighted and cornering was excellent, with near undetectable body roll or lean. The brakes are eager and fierce, and the grip is amazing since the ABS never activated despite me making some emergency stops. The car pulled superbly, especially from a standstill, and in all other gears too with the throttle fully open.

Interior room/ comfort is on par with the slightly larger but less powerful Yaris, Tiida, Accent etc. The Swift's interior isn't as insulated as those either, so if you value hearing your engine and exhaust note, then it's perfect, without ever being obtrusive. Ergonomics are spot on and all of the controls and gauges are instantaneously learn-able. Finally, the gear change is as good as everyone is raving... smooth, intuitive and quick.

Now for my dislikes:

1) NO SUNROOF! I know it's not for everyone but I'm a true islander-at-heart who puts down his windows, and opens his sunroof at 12 noon to take in the sunshine. I'm considering buying the car and the lack of this option is a real disappointment.

2) The close ratio gearbox needs a 6th gear. Driving along at 130km/h in 5th gear put the engine revs over 5000rpm. While this is great for performance driving as the engine power would always be on tap, it sucks big time for fuel economy, engine noise and engine wear. I strongly believe the addition of a 6th 'overdrive' gear would have settled things down quite a bit in terms of relaxed highway driving, esp for those trips down south, with the revs (and noise) dropping down to an acceptable level.

Remarks:
THIS IS A GREAT CAR! Overall, the Swift Sport was thoroughly entertaining to drive. It has that all important ingredient, which most new cars today are missing... character! It made driving (even in traffic jam) fun and it gave me that 'feel-good' feeling... so much so that I drove back home in sport mode with my 323F just to make the experience last that much longer.

pete · Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:24 am Post subject:

^^ you sure that wasn't 4th gear?

From videos I've seen 130 should be a little over 4000 rpm, close to the same as the Swift GTi..

damieG82 · Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:08 am Post subject:

A friend asked me the same thing, but I'm sure I was in 5th. Maybe the engine on the test car needed some more breakin' in. It had under 500 km on the clock.

foss · Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:13 pm Post subject:

i want oneee!!!

noshownogo · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:03 pm Post subject:

deh does bun gass; bout 320 - 350km and 110 to fill, can't fault it for anything else tho.

foss · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:49 pm Post subject:

what kind of driving?.. normal driving or x2 board Laughing

i really liking them tho.. nobody has a link on the inside that can get a better price than that 138K price tag?.. they sweet too bad tho, any owners of these cars have any negative things to say?.. or is it really worth it buying one?

oh yea, and besides the black, white and yellow.. what other colours they come in?

i loving the yellow tho Very Happy

foss · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:59 pm Post subject:

what kind of driving?.. normal driving or x2 board Laughing

i really liking them tho.. nobody has a link on the inside that can get a better price than that 138K price tag?.. they sweet too bad tho, any owners of these cars have any negative things to say?.. or is it really worth it buying one?

oh yea, and besides the black, white and yellow.. what other colours they come in?

i loving the yellow tho Very Happy

noshownogo · Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:12 pm Post subject:

nah dat is normal driving with no a/c and against the traffic 50% of the time; but again i can't fault it for much else. Well it comes with crappy stock dunlops but that is something most people will change in time.

zodiaque · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:23 pm Post subject:

I want one Embarassed

Yes, that's right, a mitsu fan wants a zuki!
Great little car from what I can see, best value for under 150k.

foss · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 5:08 pm Post subject:

well i am a toyota kinda guy.. and i really love these little cars.. hoping to go take a test drive this week!!.. and maybe buy one mth end *fingers crossed*

zodiaque · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject:

Any idea on payment plans on em? Deposit etc?

foss · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:55 pm Post subject:

i goin to check them either tomm or the day after for sure.. i would get the info and pass it on Cool

zodiaque · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:38 pm Post subject:

Cool, Thanks. I may also pass in within the next couple days and check em out as well Very Happy

foss · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:06 am Post subject:

dunn kno!.. cah go wrong Laughing

zodiaque · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:03 pm Post subject:

Went this morning to the San Fernando branch. Checked out one personally for the first time. That is one sweet little car!

The interior was much better than I expected and had a proper sporty feel to it. Black with red trim. Comfortably firm sport seats are complimented by a leather wrapped steering and shift knob. Carpet is also black and low maintenance and highlights the aluminum race peddles. Even for a relatively large person like me the fit was just right.
Smallish interior space overall but that was expected as this is a compact car.
Gauges are pleasantly laid out and appropriately trimmed with silver bezzles.
There is a CD/MP3/WMA player in dash, controllers are also located on the steering , did not get to listen to what it sounds like yet though. Full set of airbags as well.

Gonna take a test drive in the morning as the test drive car was not in at the time that I went in. Will give a review on the drive after.

Payment plan is basically the same as with any new vehicle, at least 10% down with both a 5 and 6 year payment plan available. 2 years free service, bluetooth hands free kit will also be included as of tomorrow at no additional cost. Forgot to ask what it works out to monthly as well as total, will also find out tomorrow after the test drive.

So far I have to say that this is the best value for money if you are looking for a sport hatch on a budget.

foss · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:34 pm Post subject:

well u just answer all the questions.. i just came from there, gonna take a test drive tomm as well!!.. i wont bother to post anything more cuz u already listed everything.. the price however went up from 138K to 148K, and the price was said to increase again in july. However, you are getting a better packaged deal with the listed price with the free road side assistance for two yrs. ah love it!

Zodiaque, maybe we could check it out tomm.. send me a pm with ur no# if u wanna meet up to go take the drive Cool

srnoth · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject:

Took a test drive last week, and was highly impressed. I've test driven a couple of this year's new cars, and remember various stuff about the interior quality, comfort etc. With the swift sport I can hardly remember any of that - didn't test the stereo, windows, anything, because I was having too much fun driving it, lol Laughing

. I got accustomed to the clutch position and gearbox feel very quickly, and out on the highway I got up to 160kph without even realising it. The car is quiet and easy to drive at normal speeds, and yet is only too eager to accelerate when you put your foot down. I was also very impressed with how stable it felt at high speeds - I drive a CK lancer and hardly ever go much past 150kph, because you start to feel vibrations and instability. With the swift on the other hand I reached 160k and was about to go further until I looked down at the speedo and realised how fast I was going with the rep in the car Mr. Green

.

The only complaint I have is that, as others said, it needs a sixth gear - either that or the fifth gear needs to be on overdrive gear. In the lancer I can accelerate quickly through 1st, 2nd and 3rd, (auto transmission) and then drop into fourth and cruise @ 140kph, with the engine only just over 3000rpm. On the swift sport in fifth gear @ 140kph the engine was @ atleast 4500rpm, which could get tiring on a long drive.

All in all a very nice car - go and test drive it in Barataria, there's a younger guy working there there who was all too happy to let me take it out on the highway and open the throttle Very Happy

.

zodiaque · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject:

I was very impressed by this car in the test drive. The car stuck to the corners like glue.

Throttle was very responsive but I found that I did not feel as much torque as I thought I would. This may be due to the firm suspension though which may have taken away some of the backward G-force. In any event the car was quick.

Only got up to 4th on the bypass and only up to about 120kmph. Again, the car felt well planted on the road and no where near as "flighty" as similar sized cars.

Gear shifting was crisp and accurate. The clutch was a bit high for my preference and had a relatively soft feel. That of course should be easy to adjust though.

Exhaust and engine notes are refined yet aggressive enough to bring a smile to your face. the seating ensures that the car and you become almost one which is ideal to my driving style. Steering feel also is very good, again, connecting driver with car. Braking force is just right as well.

Overall, again, great package and value for money. Definitely at he top of my list so far Cool

Mitsu power · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:24 am Post subject:

^^ to explain the 6th gear feel .. the torque in the car is high 4000 rpm in 1.5 and 4800 in the 1.6 ( swift sport ) .. so they lenghten the ratios in the 1.5 for drivability I go dead in 5th gear .. They shorten it in the 1.6 for sportness .. .. they are trying to keep you in the power band at with all time ist the ( s2000 syndrome ) . If you been to solodex Ig. igins will tell you its a pain in the ass to fall out of the powerband in the M1*A engines .. Thats why the introduce a supercharger insted of a turbo, for the sport to increase fuel efficency and bottom end torque. Its a pain in the ass for me to climb steep hills some 30 degrees .. I have to rev hard and hope for the best .... burnt my clutch a couple of times going up a couple ....