Now that I have had my car for a couple of months, I thought I would make a few brief comments.
Exterior:
The motoring press has made a lot of comparisons between the Swift and the Mini. Many comment that the new body shape of the Swift is a copy of (or homage to) the Mini. I am not so sure. If anything, it looks like Suzuki have been borrowing from (inspired by) the designers at Audi. Compare the front of the Swift and the TT.
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Perhaps my favorite external feature of the car, are the subtle twin exhausts. It may seem like a strange pet peeve, but the asymmetry of a single exhaust on a car niggles me. However, a single central exhaust like on the Porsche Boxster just looks a little odd. Of course no exhaust would be even better, but the Tesla Roadster is a little out of my price range.
Interior:
One of the best features of the Japanese spec car is the option for grey Recaro sports seats rather than the bright red generic seats that come as standard. Firm and supportive it took a few days to get used to being clamped, but now I love them.
Economy:
The official figures for the car are 15 km/l. I am not driving the car aggressively, but it’s summertime in Okinawa and the air conditioner is blasting away most of the time. On average the car is doing 12.2 km/l.
Performance:
The Swift Sport has a similar 1.6 liter engine, the same amount of power, and is a comparable weight to my previous car, a 20 year old Mazda Miata MX-5. It is nimble and quick, but doesn’t feel as fast or as well planted . The first reason is that Swift is simply much quieter. The thin canvas roof of the MX-5 meant you were far more aware of the engine and exhaust. The second reason is that the Swift sits much higher on the road, compared with the low slung roadster. Another big difference is that the Swift is front rather than rear wheel drive. I would have to agree with purists that rear wheel drive is more engaging, but for everyday driving the Swift is still a great car to be in.
Overall:
Fantastic little car. Motorists around the world are beginning to realize that bigger isn’t always better. If you want a fun, practical, small car it doesn’t have to be Mini.
And the comments from Fifth Gear…
TRAVEL 67 : Chris Willson Photography 
Hey- I recognise you from Flickr!
Anyway, before my husband and I moved over here (to Okinawa) last summer we had a VW R32 (much like a GTI on steroids) and the exterior appearance of the Swift brings the R to mind. I am sure they are not at all similar to drive, though. The R was a great car (we really miss it), aside from the performance aspect, we managed to get 2 adults, one baby in the car seat, one large lab, stroller, and weekend bags in the car comfortably!
I am hoping to buy a Suzuki Swift Sport (1.6) within the next couple of weeks (used). However from auto-trader it seems that not many owners chose the recaro seats as the optional extra. Now I wouldn’t mind buying the Swift Sport Recaro seats off eBay or anywhere online but I can’t seem to find any, any chance of help?
Hi Wesley,
I think different countries have different standard models and also different options available. For example all the Suzuki Swift Sports are three door while in Japan they are all 5 door. With regards to Recaro seats I am not sure if they are even an option in the UK or US. I think I saw an Australian version of the car with Recaro seats however. Shipping seats from Japan or Australia would cost a lot of money.
If you really want Recaro seats it might be best to check out their entire range at a dealer. This would have two advantages A) you can get one which fits your frame B) you can get one that suits your ideal ride height. The Recaro seats in the Japanese Suzuki Swift Sport are perhaps a little tight and a little high for larger drivers.
Hope this helps,
Chris