A quiet voice in the back of my mind was telling me that this was the one. I hadn't even driven the car yet, or seen it in person, but it felt like it was going to tick every single box in earnest.

But, before we get into the details of what would ultimately become my 2015 Suzuki Swift Sport, a little background is required.

Back in August 2018, my ever-increasing daily mileage forced me into finding a more efficient replacement for my trustworthy Subaru Forester.

The Subaru had racked up over 170,000 miles, and rarely bettered 25mpg, but finding a compelling yet suitable replacement was a tall order.

I liked the idea of a frugal Fiat Panda 4x4 or Trekking, as both had some of the rough-road capabilities of the Forester, but cars with the options I wanted were rare.

Another frontrunner was the Mini Countryman Cooper S All4, due to its performance, distinctive interior and wide array of aftermarket upgrades. The few I subsequently tried felt leaden and fragile, however, so I scrapped that idea.

I had also tentatively earmarked the ZC32S generation of Suzuki Swift Sport. I’d tested one several years ago and loved its eager nature, low kerb weight and high equipment levels. What additionally appealed was its inherent sense of mechanical integrity, which echoed that of the Subaru’s.

Alas, good Swift Sports in five-door form – which was what I wanted, for practicality reasons – were just as uncommon as presentable Pandas in the right specification. They were also often out of budget, and not entirely in keeping with my requirements at the time, so I settled on waiting for the right Fiat Panda. It seemed the most appropriate choice, given the circumstances, and it was a car that I wanted to own.

Weeks soon turned into months, as none of the Pandas I viewed were worth buying, but I then spotted a neat Volkswagen Up at a local dealer. It wasn’t something I had any particular desire for but, with no joy on the Fiat front, I just wanted a solution and a cure for my increasing car-buying fatigue. I bit the bullet and, in July 2019, I slapped down my debit card and solved the problem.

Unfortunately, everything went into a flat spin after that. It came to light that the Up had a fault and, while it went back and forth between workshops, I sold my Forester. I then had to reject the Volkswagen, leaving me with no car whatsoever. Well done, Kingston.

Out of sheer frustration and the need for a car, I defaulted to my usual approach of simply buying something of passing interest. I promptly ended up with a Subaru Legacy 3.0R spec.B, which was a car I had always been curious about.

I found it dull, to be honest, and it blotted its copybook further when it later pulled the classic 3.0-litre Subaru trick of wiping out one of its head gaskets. Repairing it was a potential black hole, in terms of finances and time, and its thirst and drabness meant I had no further interest in it – so I sold it to a Subaru breaker. At the very least, it would help keep other spec.Bs alive.

I then bought a serviceable first-generation Ford Focus for buttons, as an emergency keep-me-moving purchase, which turned out to be great; it was relatively economical, comfortable and gratifying to drive. It was only ever a stopgap, though, as getting it set for ongoing service and into fine fettle cost too much.

At that point, fortune smiled on me and a good Panda Trekking materialised. The Focus got traded in against it and, in February 2020, I finally had a clean, fuss-free and frugal car that did what I needed it to do.

Inevitably, everything then went sideways again; the COVID-19 pandemic caused my mileage to drop from lots to basically nothing, making all of my car-buying efforts and expenditure entirely moot. Nevertheless, the Panda was proving to be a charming, economical and low-maintenance companion.

However, as time marched onwards and things began to improve, my attention slowly turned back towards my long-parked project car – a 1989 Chevrolet Corvette.

Work on it had stalled, in part due to the pandemic, but I wanted to get it drivable and prepped for upcoming track days and shows. That said, some of the later servicing and upgrades I had planned would entail immobilising it for unknown quantities of time.

It struck me that what might potentially happen is that I’d book onto events, not have the Corvette ready and then only have the option of taking the Panda. That wouldn’t be much fun, nor would I want to thrash the TwinAir to bits around Thruxton.

Changes elsewhere also meant that numerous longer-distance trips were going to work their way back into my schedule. I could tolerate such drives in the Fiat, just about, but facets such as its weak halogen headlights would prove irksome.

While I didn’t go out of my way to look for another car – primarily due to all that was and still is going on – I happened to cast my eye over the classifieds in late December 2020 and, lo and behold, there was a purportedly immaculate five-door 2015 Suzuki Swift Sport nearby.

Depreciation had seemingly softened their values since I'd first considered them and this one was both affordable and temptingly priced. It was even in my preferred colour, Boost Blue, and it hit all the right notes; it'd be more entertaining and comfortable than my Fiat, it had powerful HID headlights, it'd be great for track days and serve as a lightweight foil to my Corvette, and it had lots of neat features.

Furthermore, the dealer was happy to take in my Panda against the Swift Sport. It all seemed perfect and meant to be, and that I was perhaps finally getting into what I should have stretched my budget for and bought some two years earlier, so I put down a deposit within minutes.

It wasn’t until January 2021 that I could see the car and pick it up, due to some delays and shifting restrictions, but it came as a great relief and a delight to find that the compact Suzuki was even better than I had hoped.

A few months down the line, I couldn't be happier with it. As a case in point, one arduous trip entailed some seven hours behind the wheel, sleeping in the car, and then another few hours behind the wheel.

All told, I was effectively in the Swift for 30 hours. And yet, after all that, I wouldn’t have hesitated to get back in it and drive on. That, to me, is particularly telling – but more on that, and the car itself, in the next long-term update.

Facts at a glance

Model: 2015 Suzuki Swift Sport

Price new (2015, five-door model): £14,499

Used price (2020): £6000

Engine: 1586cc, four cylinders, naturally aspirated

Power: 134bhp @ 6900rpm

Torque: 118lb ft @ 4400rpm

0-62mph: 8.7 seconds

Top speed: 121mph

Fuel economy: 44.1mpg (claimed) – averaging 42.92 (calculated)

Mileage: 62,926

Previous updates

None.

Interested in buying a Suzuki Swift?

Find used Suzuki Swift