Suzuki Swift to get a bigger engine
China Car Times always wanted a Suzuki Swift for himself, but unforunatly the 1.3 engine is a tad (very) puny for our long distance driving needs, however, Changan Suzuki have finally seen the terrible error they have made and have started to put 1.5 engines into the Swift. 1.3l engines are great for inner city travel but arent so great for doing repeated airport runs (a 100km trip for us) Its closest rival, the Honda Fit has a 1.5l engine and seems to outsell the Swift. Hopefully the Swift can make up some lost ground with the 1.5, pricing doesnt seem to high either and 80,000rmb to 100,000rmb depending on specs.
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still no 1.6L Swift Sport? that’ll make your dash to the airport alot more fun!
Id love the 3 door sport.
I should just import the engine, weld the doors shut and make my own sport.
the 1.6L is actually a modified 1.5L. So technically u dont even need to import the engine if u decide to work on it yourself
go for it. Ite cheap, well proportioned and pretty fast. Better choice than a mini cooper
I agree, buy a red one so the missus can look cool too. Swifts look pretty hot with some light tints and nicer wheels.
and twin white racing stripes down the centre of the car. it shouts ‘eat my dust’…on chinese roads anyway.
You guys really think that a Suzuki Swift is better option than a Cooper. I mean I love the Swift is a beautiful car, very well designed and the performance seem to be great, actually that would be one of my first choices at the time of buying a car, and not because of the price.
But the Mini Cooper is out of discussion, not only because of the pedigree, that car is a piece of art itself, that is one of the best designed cars ever and with an BMW engine. The mini cooper can not be compared with any other car, not even in the same category.
Will they upgrade the engine in the SX4 as well?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuOMsT7EJjQ&mode=related&search=
The Mini was 0.19 seconds ahead…. Pretty close.
i saw that, still, 0.19 compared to the whooping price difference, i know what i’d go for. The lil swift doesnt loose out too much in the athetics department
Id take the Swift over the Mini Cooper any day in China.
Maybe thats because I could buy 3.5 (or 4 now) top end 1.3 Swifts for the price of the MINI
I understand and actually I agree with all of you, of course I will also go for the Swift, that is a great and beautiful car. But if I was a person without financial problem and the money is not an issue at all I will always go for the Mini. I reckon that in my personal case as a designer, its a matter of snob pursue of great design and aesthetics.
But you guys are right! Being objective, the Swift is the best choice by far.
For more on Suzukis pedigree you can look here.. http://www.suzukisport.com/motorsport/hillclimb/07/ppihc/en/index.html
Not a bad guy to have behind you.
I bet it wouldn’t take 200,000rmb to make a Swift gain that time up, especially the new 1.5L ones.
i bought a 1.3l swift back in july 2007, at that time 1.5l werent out, and i couldnt wait (baby on the way) so had to buy something for the lady and new rug-rat (joke) so my two motorbikes (both chinese bikes) had to stay parked up for longer periods than normal. the swift has been a great compromise for this weekend rider.
quick, agile, economical, space killer, looker… get the idea.
i have covered 30k km in my swift, regularly serviced, just replaced the tread all round and also just had to replace the front wheel bearings (under warranty) as they ran dry, perhpas this is a servicing issue or not, since i dont have a workshop manual, i have no idea… but the typical servcing they do here are too simple… oil, gearbox, oil filter, air filter… thats it. anything else i tell them…
IMO its quick, sure there are some quicker cars, but most Chinese cant drive for sh… plus the swift can fit through the eye of a needle whereas most others get stuck. it handles really well, gives hard and straightforward driver feedback… now am selling as i’d like to upgrade.
i wanted a 1.5l (though would love a sport) and was envious of the bigger 1.5l engine, though i read many reviews that say theres not much in it between the 1.3l and standard 1.5l. anyway i am selling mainly as i was thinking about the sx4, since i do alot of mountain driving in zhejiang province, and the swift is such a tight hard car, i feel sorry for it on the goat tracks… haha! besides the sx4 has the useful awd ability and high ground clearance. but since the engine is small for such a heavy car, im thinking i might just look at the 1.5l swift iinstead, though i know what the wife will say… “why sell the swift then”
as it is, the smaller 1.3l has been a blast, i drive it like i did my other fast cars back overseas… fast!!!
im sold on the swift, but know the sx4 is useful for in the rural parts of china. some of my friends have 4×4, like the GW hover, nice lookers, but kind of slow… compared to my little rocket!
still if i did get a sx4 surely it’d be a compromise from the quick swift, but wouldnt it be faster than the hover?
whats others views…
should i sell and buy a sx4
sell and get a bigger engined swift
go and get myself a hover suv…
or keep the 1.3l swift…
???
Chinese edition SX4 lacks AWD, its simply FWD.
P.S.
If you want to sell that Swift, let me know, I have been LUSTING for one for years! Is it an auto?
Ash.
-i think you are referring to the sedan, as the sx4 hatch is defintately awd. i know, as i have looked at them each time i have had my swift in at the local suzuki dealer for servicing.
also where are you based (since it would make little sense to sell the swift to someone outside Zhejiang) besides i have 2 guys who are keen, one in particualr has the cash, and happy with paying cash in rmb or us$…
but i am open to higher offers
the swift is a manual… not auto… i wouldnt have an auto in this type of car… all my cars aside from two of my (5) suv’s were manuals… oh and my factory standard 327 pontiac perisienne with two stage powerglide automatic transmission…
that and the GM factory push button AM radio haha.
You are not a real person if you think the Swift is cool
The Swift is cool because its unlikely the clutch and gearbox will die before hitting 10,000km.
The original ‘flying brick’ S was cool, the new BMW sanitised thing is an expensive cliche!!
And Ash is correct the SX4 in China is not AWD unless they have a new model out here now- which i have not seen yet. Otherwise they are all front wheel pullers.
I stay in Zhuhai, interested in buying a second hand Swift especially from those whao are upgrading