The 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport Navigator CVT gets a Sat-Nav and other subtle new features. Despite the minor touches, the Swift still remains as pure as the original one that came out in 2011; there’s so much of a similarity that this might as well be a throwback to the review of that older car.
The 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport Navigator CVT is Meant as a Hot Hatch But it Can’t Hold a Candle to Newer Hatchbacks
The throwback trend continues as the exterior of the 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport Navigator CVT remains largely unchanged since 2011 but still looks rather good with its boxy appearance, black accents especially the black trim that extends from the front windshield to the sides, it gives the car more lines and contrast. Powering the Swift is the aging 1.6-liter 4 cylinder that delivers 134hp at 6900rpm and 160nm of torque at 4400rpm; that said, the engine characteristics is a rev happy engine and loves to be kept buzzing at higher revs to deliver the engaging drive. For the review unit, we tested the CVT unit; a CVT for a Swift Sport? To be honest, it’s fairly decent. The CVT has manual shift ability and powers the front wheels.
Interior wise, the 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport model is a bit more featured than the more humble trims; featuring leather a steering wheel with red stitching, alloy pedals, supportive, well-bolstered seats, as well as the standard equipment that includes a touch screen interface with Sat-Nav for the Navigator trim, USB, Bluetooth and more.
Driving the Swift is well, swift (excuse the pun) as it really does feel very agile. The thing that separates the aging Swift Sport from the newer hatchbacks is that it has better power to weight ratio and it all comes to play in power delivery and handling. The result is an underpowered car in paper but in practice is a peppy, rev-happy, agile little car that loves to be thrown around corners like it’s made to do it. Like the body, the steering is light and very accurate; however, at low speeds the steering becomes heavy and is a bit cumbersome when doing some parking.
Handling the 2016 Suzuki Swift Sport Navigator CVT is still a joy and we’re glad that Suzuki didn’t bother to change that. The peppy engine despite being old has heart and character; as if it communicates to you. Good fuel economy. Decent CVT (who knew?) but it does lack in cargo space even for its class. While it may be underpowered against other hot hatches, I guess you could call the 2016 Swift Sport a warm hatch in performance specs but a pure hot hatch nonetheless when it comes to driving fun.