Month: May 2013

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Tuesday – Animal Attraction

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Jeremy  It’s taken a week of head scratching but I’ve finally decided what creature the Suzuki Swift Sport reminds me of. It’s a very friendly bee.

The combination of looks and zippy performance fit perfectly – it fair buzzes along on a country road and those twin exhaust pipes give off a raspy little roar when you slip down a gear and pick the revs up.

So what do other cars look like? Well, the VW Scirocco is definitely a Ninja Turtle and the Bugatti Veyron resembles a koala bear head on. Sadly, from the front, the excellent BMW 5 Series does resemble a hippo. Didn’t somebody in design see that one coming?

The old Fiat Multipla was always a duck-billed platypus, the Peugeot 208 a very angry shark, while the Lotus Elise was entirely designed on the front of an angry wasp. Of course, VW capitalised on the whole idea many years ago of course. The Beetle was, and still is shaped liked a Beetle…

 

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Monday – Sit Here

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Jeremy For its size, the Suzuki Swift is immensely practical and well-equipped. With the rear seat fold down (no split-fold option), we managed to fit two large dogs in the back on Sunday and a load of shopping.

But it made me smile this morning when I sat in the driver’s seat and spotted a little logo in the door pocket, shaped like a water bottle. Just in case you wondered what the round hole was for in the pocket, Suzuki designers felt it needed a water bottle symbol to remind you.

It made me wonder what else they could do to make driving a car foolproof. Jeep and other American brands often have a rash of ‘reminders’ dotted around the dashboard stating the bleedin’ obvious.

These include ‘objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear’, plus in 4x4s, a graphic of the vehicle about to topple over. It’s supposed to warn you how steep an incline you can drive across before falling sideways…

My favourite though also comes from America but has nothing to do with motoring. It’s a sticker affixed to the top of a step ladder. It simple warns users – ‘stop here’.

I’m now searching the Swift for more timely reminders. There must be one on the seat somewhere reminder me to ‘sit here’.

 

 

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Sunday – No Flies On Us

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Jeremy What is it about white cars that attracts flies? The front of our Swift Sport looks like it has driven through a plague of the little blighters – a photographer’s nightmare, if we had one.

This morning, the car was covered in more of them, basking in the sunshine. Not for long though. Fifty yards down the road and the Swift was buzzing along at high speed blowing the cobwebs off.

Remarkable how the front of the Swift looks like a Mini – except the Suzuki is considerably cheaper and goes around corners a lot better a standard Cooper.

It’s still putting a smile on my face – shame about the acres of plastic trim on the inside and the fact you can’t spec it up with sat nav and leather seats. Otherwise, I’ll take a grey one, please.

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Saturday – Lesser Spotted Swift

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Jeremy Anybody who remembers the last generation Swift Sport might have feared the change to this current model a couple of years ago would water down the fun. Not a bit of it.

I’ve found it much more fun than the popular Ford Fiesta Zetec S – it also looks that little bit different to the ubiquitous Ford which I’ve seen several of already today.

The six-speed gearbox fitted in the latest version makes for a much more usable drive, quieter motorway speeds and improved performance. It also squeezes out a few more mpg, although you might struggle to achieve the 44mpg claimed because the Suzuki encourages drivers to push along.

On the down side, the boot is tiny! It looks slightly bigger than the Vauxhall Adam but not by much. You can fold down the back seats easily enough and increase the load area to 500 litres but four people and their luggage won’t fit!

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Friday – Fast & Fun!

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Jeremy Just back from a Friday morning spin down some busy A-roads in the Swift Sport. I’m finding any excuse to drive it at the moment because this car has lashings of something so many of its competitors lack – fun.

The first time I drove a Golf GTI 30 years ago, I remember being blown away by the power and agility of was otherwise a standard family hatchback. It’s the same feeling with the Suzuki – except it doesn’t have quite same the level of performance on tap.

But don’t let that put you off, the Swift is so beautifully balanced, so agile on the corners that it just urges you to ‘make progress’ wherever possible.

Sure, the Swift isn’t turbocharged like many sporty hatchbacks these days but the normally aspirated, 1.6 petrol engine is gutsy. It’s not ‘hot’ from a standing start but keep the revs up and it flies!

For gentlemen of certain age, the Swift Sport will turn the clock back to great GTIs like the Golf, Peugeot 205 and Fiesta. Uncomplicated, forgiving and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

 

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Thursday – White Bling Thing

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Jeremy The Swift Sport has just arrived and appears to have brought summer with it. Small, sparking white and rather cute, I get the feeling I’m going to get along fine with this lukewarm hatchback.

There is nothing spectacular about the styling of the Suzuki but it looks purposeful – like a little car that wants to be driven.

Inside, unlike the slightly overcooked Adam we tested last week, the trim is no frills and functional. There is plenty of plastic and the buttons and dials are more budget than bold. However, what it lacks in chic it makes up for in driving performance!

I’ve only driven the Sport a couple of miles and it’s already put a smile on my face – even though I don’t like white cars!

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Wednesday – Tech Savvy

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Jessica I have taken the Adam to a Polo match in the rain where it got fantastically muddy and was mistaken for a Fiat!  It seems 21 year old polo players think it is cute, even with the ‘Autumn leaves’ dash trim… It was raining and they can be excused for poor taste as they were being very polite, they though it was a new purchase of mine.

I actually like the little car inside, well laid out, chunky steering wheel, easy to operate touch screen sound system, but that is where it all ends.  What is it with the youthful dashboard trim and the option to have dead fly print on the wing mirrors?

When I started to drive the Adam I was disappointed at the lack of power ( and yes, I know it is better not to let our young folk loose with a powerful car) to the point where I was reluctant to overtake a 1950’s vintage car going up a hill as I did not have the zip. I dont know if any one has ever ridden a tricycle but it does corner in a similar fashion.

All of that aside, this car is sold as one that is fun and can be bought in a range of personalised options.

I must say I was very exited at the thought and rushed to the website once I knew an Adam was on the way – only to be utterly disappointed and fustrated by the set up, the lack of actual choice and the snail pace of the site. What are Vauxhall thinking?

Why sell a car on the basis of choice ( which can only mean a sophisticated interactive website) and not get even close to delivering that claim?

In my fustration I did visit the Fiat 500 website and easily put myself together a little blue car with smart wheels and a choice of trims and additions.  I also (to prove a point that it must be possible to have the software to manage car customisation) went to H Modder and had a fantastic time making myself a hot car with spoilers, trims, lights, and more.

Move over “pimp my ride” and catch up Vauxhall!

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Tuesday – Cute But Flawed

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Jeremy – It’s been an interesting week behind the wheel of the Adam – the upmarket city car that Vauxhall hopes will compete against the Fiat 500 and Ford Ka.

On the one hand, I really like the styling, the funky interior and the range of options available but the Adam is let down by lifeless engines and mediocre handing. Get those right and this really could be a great little car.

As it is, the Adam doesn’t match the expectations I had when it first turned up at Car Couture. So much work has gone into getting the image right that the actual driving experience has become secondary.

I’m really hoping that the next time I drive an Adam, it will have a range of new engines, a sportier gearbox and, perhaps, a ‘hot’ version that brings it to life. For now, it is going to struggle against the established opposition which have style and drivability in abundance….

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Sunday – The Life of Adam

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Jeremy Motor manufacturers spend a fortune on choosing a name for their new cars but still manage to get it wrong. Who can forget the Ford Probe, Nissan Cedric or Mitsubishi Carisma…

So, perhaps we can forgive Vauxhall for giving their tiny city car a name of Biblical proportions. The Adam was, apparently, going to be called the Junior. Thankfully they didn’t – I owned an Alfa Romeo GT Junior in the 1970s and the two cars couldn’t be more different.

Whether Vauxhall will go the whole hog and bring out a ‘female friendly’ version of the Adam called Eve remains to be seen. Maybe they should have just called it the Adam & Eve and be done with it.

Munching over breakfast this morning, I spent a good 30 minutes looking at the Adam parked outside, trying to think up a better name. I quite liked Bob, or Bert.

Maybe Vauxhall should simply follow Audi and go for a letter and number – the V1? Perfect.

 

 

 

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Saturday – Big on Style

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Jeremy ‘It’s not an Audi A1!’ A point I have made to a couple of interested onlookers as I drive the Adam this week. I think it’s mainly down to the contrasting roof colour – a popular options on the A1 – which gets the Vauxhall plenty of admiring glances.

The styling of the Adam isn’t retro cool – just modern cute. There are none of the old style buttons on the dashboard like the Mini or the Fiat 500, just a neatly laid-out look that works very well on the eye AND from a functional point of view.

I’m just back from a major Saturday shopping trip and had to use the passenger footwell for a few of the bags because of the lack of bootspace in the Adam. If I hadn’t had a back seat passenger I would have dropped the rear seats. Vauxhall should consider a more family-friendly stretched Adam – just like Fiat has done with the 500.

So, the little Adam is starting to grow on me. If I lived in London it would be a great city car. If only it was ore fun to drive on the open road…