Oh, Baby: Gti King Of Kids
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday March 31, 2004
WHEN we use the term ``cult car" we often think of something reasonably rare and probably exotic.
Lotus, Ferrari, Porsche, maybe an old Ford Falcon GTHO or something similar, but how about a Suzuki?
Yes, a Suzuki but not just any old Suzuki. This time around we are talking about the giant-killing Swift GTi, the Mini Cooper S of the 1980s and 1990s.
Like the redoubtable Cooper S the Swift GTi was a mini-powerhouse, a car that boxed above its weight and usually came out on top.
This week we catch up with the last of the line, the Swift GTi sold here between 1992 and 1999.
TYPE/MODEL: The Swift range of that period came in a variety of configurations with three- and five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles.
For the GTi though Suzuki chose just one look: a three-door hatchback.
Nor were there a variety of trim levels available. GTi was GTi and that was that.
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION: Suzuki knew a lot about making small, powerful engines from lessons learned with its motorcycle technology.
So it should come as no surprise that the GTi's little 1.3-litre engine sported double overhead camshafts, four valves for each of its four cylinders and electronic multi-point fuel-injection.
The result? A heady 74 kilowatts at a shade under 6500rpm and 113 newton metres of torque at an almost stratospheric 4950rpm.
If those numbers seem high, just keep in mind that the engine was always willing to work and felt like it enjoyed a good thrashing.
To help it achieve its lively performance potential it had five well-chosen gear ratios for its five-speed manual gearbox with fifth cog just slightly overdriven for highway work.
An optional automatic? Not in the catalogue. With GTi, Suzuki meant business.
Performance, by the way, was brisk, Suzuki claiming it could run the standing 400 metres in 16.6 seconds and on to a 185kmh top speed.
STYLING: Compared to the standard three-door, three-cylinder hatches in the Swift range it was a case of ``Mr Chalk, meet Mr Cheese".
The standard car was a pretty little thing while the GTi was more a case of looking ruggedly handsome.
Sure, the basic style was there (think ``formula hatchback" and you have it nailed) but GTi added a deep front airdam with inset fog lights, side skirts flowing off the trailing edge of the front wheel arch and blending into the leading edge of the rear wheel arch, and a delicate spoiler across the trailing edge of the roof, just above the hatchback door.
Wheels were 14-inch diameter steel units rather than the 13-inchers used on lower-grade models and the tyres were wider, lower profile numbers. Alloy wheels, unfortunately, were optional extras but these days buyers would be hard-pressed to find a GTi that did not have a nice set of alloys bolted on.
INTERIOR: Let's not kid ourselves, the Swift line was a cheap car and despite its higher price tag the GTi reflects that because, when all was said and done, Suzuki still had to work around the parameters set by the more basic models.
But the execution was still quite reasonable and the only things that really grate are the cheap-looking plastics used for the dash (hectares of the stuff and all black) and the cheap look and feel of instruments and switches.
That said, the sporty bucket seats had comfort to match their appearance with long cushions for good under-thigh support and biggish side bolsters on cushions and backrests to hold bodies in place during hard cornering.
A thick-rimmed, three-spoke steering wheel opened onto an instrument panel with two main gauges speedometer and tachometer (redlined at 7500rpm) and minor gauges for fuel and temperature.
Audio and ventilation controls lived in the centre of the dash below the middle air vents and a lidded centre console below the centre stack provided a safe place for cassettes and other bits and pieces.
Power steering, power front windows and a four-speaker audio were standard.
CHASSIS: Not unexpectedly, the GTi had a transverse front engine and front-wheel-drive and rack and pinion steering, but it also had a couple of unexpected features like four-wheel disc brakes (ventilated at the front) and fully independent MacPherson strut suspension with, naturally, firmer shock absorbers and dampers to cope with the anticipated press-on driving the little car was sure to encounter.
It ran on 14-inch steel wheels and rode on 175/60R14 tyres.
DIMENSIONS: When people describe the Swift GTi as being a baby performance car they are absolutely right about the ``baby" part of it.
The little rocket was just 3745mm long, 1590mm wide, 1350mm tall and ran with a 2265mm wheelbase. Front and rear tracks were 1365mm and 1340mm respectively and weighed just 835kg.
HISTORY: The car went on sale in January 1992 and, apart from pricing fluctuations courtesy of an at-times struggling Aussie dollar, remained unchanged for its entire model life, which ended in May 2000.
VERDICT: King of the kids? Without a doubt and for its era one of the greatest budget-priced hot hatches available.
The engine lived to be worked and the car felt happiest with the speedo and tacho needles hovering where they really should not have been.
The biggest problem for buyers is finding one that has been treated sympathetically. The next biggest problem could well be finding one that has not been modified in some way.
And another problem? Insuring the car could mean doing a lot of shopping to find the best price because GTis and insurance companies were never really friends.
PRICES: Between $5000 and $6500 for a 1992 and rising to $8000 for a 1993/94 model.
Between $8000 and $9000 should get you a 1995 or 1996 model and increase that by around $1000 for a 1997 and another $1000 for a 1998 example.
Expect to pay up to $12,500 for a 1999 or 2000 model (cars sold in 2000 were all 1999- build models anyway).
ALSO CONSIDER: Honda Civic VTi-R, Toyota Corolla GTi.
© 2004 Newcastle Herald
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