phelpsa
|
| posted on 1/6/05 at 07:52 PM |
|
|
New Suzuki Swift
What do you think? I think it's a vast improvement on the last Swift/Justy/Pride.
Adam
|
|
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 1/6/05 at 09:11 PM |
|
|
dunno what it looks like - as most suzukis are between 5 and 7k, i dont recon you can argue much cos you get what you pay for.
i drove a vitara on holiday 4 years back and i can say without doubt its the worst POS ive ever driven
atb
steve
|
|
|
phelpsa
|
| posted on 1/6/05 at 09:26 PM |
|
|
This one actually looks quite good and well built.
Adam
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 1/6/05 at 10:54 PM |
|
|
ive just remebered, cristiano ronaldo is driving one past a bunch of kids on sky sports ads at the moment. doenst look too bad, tho i cant see a
megabucks footie player actually owning one!
atb
steve
[Edited on 1/6/05 by stephen_gusterson]
|
|
|
Hellfire
|
| posted on 1/6/05 at 11:14 PM |
|
|
Just had a look at the littel car... I'd have the rally versio one! 
NeW sUzUkI SwIfT
|
|
|
britishtrident
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 08:18 AM |
|
|
Driving the last Swift was like driving a 1958 105e Anglia --- except the Anglia was a lot smoother and handled better-- strangely the driving
position and seating felt like they came straight out the Anglia . Any car with 3 cylinders shloud be crushed
Suzuki can produce such an abhoration and thrive yet Rover produced decent motors but got sold down the river by successive asset strippers.
|
|
|
ned
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 08:59 AM |
|
|
looks like a citroen with the wrong badge to me 
beware, I've got yellow skin
|
|
|
splitrivet
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 09:08 AM |
|
|
Mate of mines a salesman for the local suzuki dealer,got to point out he's the only salesman theyve got.He brought one home and let me have a
go,cracking little car very mini-ish in styling and great fun to drive(styled by a brit by the way).
Perhaps Suzuki have turned a corner how can a firm that makes such good bikes make such shite cars.
Cheers,
Bob
I used to be a Werewolf but I'm alright nowwoooooooooooooo
|
|
|
phelpsa
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 09:40 AM |
|
|
But the car side and bike side are almost completely different companies. One of my mates dad (he's japanese) is very high up in Suzuki
motorbikes, but he knows nothing about the cars.
Adam
|
|
|
NS Dev
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 12:27 PM |
|
|
I'd shoot myself in the foot!
What the hell is this "small car" thing all about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
New mini........................mini by name but it's the size of a sherman tank ffs
New swift.............saw one promo model outside our local shopping centre by the car park. Its huge!!!! Supermini my ass, it's huge on the
outside, no room inside and looks pretty much like any other small shite car.
I am really fed up with the crap that many car manufacturers (not all!) keep feeding us with.
Does anybody that buys one of those actually go out and drive a decent small car...................... or do they just get one "cos it's
not a fiesta" and then end up driving a worthless pile of crap for the privelige.
Still................at least in europe car manufacturers don't churn out "same crap, new box" as much as the north american market
does!!!!!!
I still remember a work trip to the USA 3 years ago when I had a "Dodge Stratus" 3 ltr front drive thing as a hire car. When I arrived at
the offices, people asked what hire car we had, and when we said, they said "oooh, sporty!"
Christ, if that's sporty then omg!!!!!
It was sluggish, in fact downright slow for a 3 ltr, had no room in it and was just crap to drive, there is no other way to put it.
anyhow, I'll get off me soapbox now!!
|
|
|
JoelP
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 01:00 PM |
|
|
id take a diesel one if it was cheap but i dont buy new cars, so its moot
|
|
|
Dick Axtell
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 05:39 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Any car with 3 cylinders shloud be crushed
What about this "fine" example, from history :-
The Fedden Prototype
Has anyone heard of this car? It was conceived by Sir Roy Fedden in the early 40’s, and was notable for its radical layout.
Sir Roy Fedden had been the engine department supremo of the Bristol Aeroplane Co. In 1942, he formed his own company, to pursue the development of a
small, mass-production car using his knowledge of aircraft technology.
The eventual prototype design was unorthodox (and that is stretching the description!). Power was supplied by a 3- cylinder radial engine, (yes – I
did say radial), which was rear-mounted.
However, this rear-mounting was with the radial cylinders arranged in the horizontal plane, above the rear axle, and with the crankshaft driving
vertically downwards to the final drive. Incidentally, Fedden used sleeve-valves for this engine.
More significantly, this prototype employed a swing-axle layout at the rear.
As a result of this unorthodox engine layout, the proto vehicle had a relatively high centre of gravity, which, when combined with the swing-type rear
axle, resulted in some extremely alarming handling characteristics. Has anyone experienced that very disturbing sensation, for example, in an old
Triumph Herald, when the outer rear wheel “tucked-in”, under tight cornering? Apparently, that’s exactly what happened with the Fedden proto – all too
frequently.
It was during testing, around the perimeter track at Stoke Orchard airfield, that the proto vehicle was pushed to its limits. Inevitably, the now
well-known “tuck-in/jack-up” response of the swing-axle caused the driver to lose control, resulting in a severe crash. Unsurprisingly, this vehicle
design never achieved production. After all, who on earth would consider combining the weight distribution of a rear-mounted engine with a swing-axle
rear suspension?
Hmmm. Does the name Ralph Nader ring a bell? Or the unorthodox design (here we go again!) of the Chevrolet Corvair – flat-6, rear-mounted engine,
coupled to that good ole’ swing-axle at the back end? Did nobody suggest to the GM design team that they might just look at some of the UNsuccessful,
earlier designs, as part of their learning curve? But perhaps we should bear in mind that hindsight is always the clearest view, and that it is all
too easy to make mistakes. And if we’re not careful, they could be t-h-a-t BIG!!!
Work-in-Progress: Changed to Zetec + T9. Still trying!!
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 2/6/05 at 09:38 PM |
|
|
i wouldnt say suzuki thrives - they are a pretty minor manufacturer, just their off road crap has a niche. in what car, most of their cars get a 1 or
2 out of 5 star rating. Just like most of the rovers did
atb
steve
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Driving the last Swift was like driving a 1958 105e Anglia --- except the Anglia was a lot smoother and handled better-- strangely the driving
position and seating felt like they came straight out the Anglia . Any car with 3 cylinders shloud be crushed
Suzuki can produce such an abhoration and thrive yet Rover produced decent motors but got sold down the river by successive asset strippers.
|
|
|
andkilde
|
| posted on 3/6/05 at 08:38 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
I still remember a work trip to the USA 3 years ago when I had a "Dodge Stratus" 3 ltr front drive thing as a hire car. When I arrived at
the offices, people asked what hire car we had, and when we said, they said "oooh, sporty!"
Christ, if that's sporty then omg!!!!!\
We get a lot of crap cars over here -- small Chryslers are cheap and nasty, I've never driven one of the large ones...
I had a Stratus as a rental after a nice old lady smashed the wife's car up last year. I kept it for a day, took it back and demanded something
else -- had horrible throttle action, nothing, nothing, people behind honking, nothing, OMG horrible tire squealy noises and it's torque
steering into oncoming traffic, yet I'm being passed by an old man on a three wheeled bicycle.
I think 3 litres was the quantity of milk that would fit in the boot...
Cheers, Ted
[Edited on 3/6/05 by andkilde]
|
|
|
britishtrident
|
| posted on 3/6/05 at 04:01 PM |
|
|
As I write there is bright red a last generation Swift sitting in my driveway --- its a rental (70 pounds for 4 days) --- I can confirm it is
truly awful, by comparions a early Metro would seem like an XJ to drive. Everything on the car is cheap and badly made, the feel of the switch gear
and minor controls is cheap tatt, The door skins are so flimsy the buckle around the handle and lock when you open or lock it. The 3 cylinder sohc
engine is rough but willing --- but the car would be much better with the 4 cylinder version fitted to the SJ jeep.
So why do I rent it ? --- its very cheap and hate driving it so I won't be tempted to keep it for just another few days.
[Edited on 3/6/05 by britishtrident]
|
|
|
britishtrident
|
| posted on 3/6/05 at 04:10 PM |
|
|
The Chevy enginers were just told to copy the early beetle -- which they did rather too well.
Swing axles can actually work pretty well provided the pivot point/roll centre is low. Mercedes used swing axles on the rear of the sports models
for very long time. -- Merc had a low pivot point and used a compensating/self leveling spring between the two halves of the axle to reduce the roll
stiffness.
[Edited on 3/6/05 by britishtrident]
[Edited on 3/6/05 by britishtrident]
|
|
|
stephen_gusterson
|
| posted on 3/6/05 at 06:50 PM |
|
|
I have driven a 100k mile dodge stratus at the company i used to work for in the usa. I didnt see it as being any different from any other mid sized
american car. on open roads, most americans seem to trundle along at the same speed in all three lanes in a straight line, and the car is more than
able to do that.
last week I had a chrysler sebring for a week. BIG convertable with a 2.7 v6, and did about 23 to the gallon. must have been 16 ft long, but the boot
would only take one suitcase, and there is the same room in the back as a euro hatch back. Still, it wasnt too bad.
a year ago, i had a mazda six. i imagine the usa model is different from the uk setup, as this thing had no grip and was uninspiring.
out of the 8 or so different types of hire car id say that most mid sized american cars are about the same, and the status is no better or worse
atb
steve
quote:
Originally posted by andkilde
quote:
Originally posted by NS Dev
I still remember a work trip to the USA 3 years ago when I had a "Dodge Stratus" 3 ltr front drive thing as a hire car. When I arrived at
the offices, people asked what hire car we had, and when we said, they said "oooh, sporty!"
Christ, if that's sporty then omg!!!!!
We get a lot of crap cars over here -- small Chryslers are cheap and nasty, I've never driven one of the large ones...
I had a Stratus as a rental after a nice old lady smashed the wife's car up last year. I kept it for a day, took it back and demanded something
else -- had horrible throttle action, nothing, nothing, people behind honking, nothing, OMG horrible tire squealy noises and it's torque
steering into oncoming traffic, yet I'm being passed by an old man on a three wheeled bicycle.
I think 3 litres was the quantity of milk that would fit in the boot...
Cheers, Ted
[Edited on 3/6/05 by andkilde]
|
|
|
