1998 Suzuki Swift Xtreme review from Australia and New Zealand

Plastic body kit seals peeled off. Have been re-adjusted, but still fall off occasionally.

Dash rattles. This is a common problem with swifts.

Air con pump blew after 2 yrs light use by original owner. Dealer refused to fix, but took pump from the car. Owner did not realize this until the car was sold to me.

Squeaky brakes at 50,000kms. Original brake pads are of poor quality, replaced with brembo pads and brakes are now excellent.

I originally bought this car as I wanted a Suzuki Swift GTI, but the insurance was prohibitive. The Xtreme model has the body kit, seats and interior of a standard GTI, but is basically a dressed up Swift Cino.

The engine itself is quite torquey, but won't really come alive unless you floor the accelerator. At lower revs in first gear the car has a tendency to stall unless you hold the clutch and accelerator even while the engine catches up (just a matter of getting used to the car I guess). Most of the performance issues are related to the emission control measures which provide excellent fuel economy at the expense of performance. The car currently uses 4L/100km on the freeway and 6L/100km around town with premium unleaded petrol.

Still the car does keep up with most traffic, and can tackle overtaking very well by down shifting and hitting the accelerator.

I have added new springs, exhaust, extractors, mag wheels and a nice stereo to the car since I purchased it which has considerably improved the ride and handling of the car. Before these upgrades the car tended to jump and slide around in the wet, and the standard shocks are like a jumping castle. This makes for a relatively comfortable ride on most sealed roads, but significantly reduces the handling of the car.

Road noise is less than you would expect for such a small car, but rough roads are definitely noisy. The stock stereo is a Pioneer and quite acceptable for a standard small car system. The front speakers did tend to make the dash rattle at high volume though. Since I installed an aftermarket stereo system I don't have as many issues with the dash rattling, though the doors do rattle when bass is pumped through them.

Freeway travel is a little uncomfortable, the car struggles over 100km/hr and the road noise is noticeable. I wouldn't recommend driving this car on the freeway everyday. That said, I have driven over 8hrs in the car without needing a back operation. Around town it is at definitely at home.

Forget about passengers in the back seat for long drives, as space is very limited. There is plenty of space for the driver and front passenger though. The bucket Seats have excellent adjustments which should cater for most people.

The car has never failed to start or show any sign of a problem in the 12mths I have owned it. Swifts are renowned for their reliability and economy. Considering what the swift costs, it is forgivable that the interior rattles and the performance isn't that great.