Suzuki Swift Sport, Delivered

The manual transmission car I ordered back in April was finally delivered the other day. It took about half a year from order to delivery—quite a wait… (laughs)

As the title says, the car delivered is the Suzuki Swift Sport.

I had said I would announce which car I chose in the delivery article, and I’m grateful for all the guesses. Some of you guessed the Swift Sport early on, and I thought, “That’s sharp!” (laughs)

There were three conditions for my car search this time. The first was that it had to be a 5-seater. Since I often travel with my three kids, a two-seater was out of the question—5 seats was a must.

The second was that it had to be a manual transmission. Until last year, I drove a BMW 320i MT, but sold it after having a baby. Since then, I thought, “Automatic is comfortable, I don’t need a manual anymore.” But this spring, driving an MT car on the Royu Driveway and other scenic routes rekindled my passion for manuals.

“I really want my own manual car!!”

That was the feeling.

The third condition was that the price had to be in the 2 million yen range. This was a big point—I wanted something in the low 2 million yen range. At home, my husband owns several Porsches (currently five), and if I said, “I want this car,” he’d probably agree to import cars and such, but…

I have a strange pride in buying my own car myself, so my budget was quite limited.

At first, I looked at used MINIs Crossovers and VW Golfs, but anything in good condition and that I liked was way over budget.

Then my husband said, “How about the Suzuki Swift Sport?”

But when I heard “Swift Sport,” I had the image of young car enthusiasts modifying them and racing on mountain roads (sorry…), so I half-listened thinking, “This isn’t a car for a woman in her 40s like me… lol”

*Image source: Suzuki Swift Sport

However, after watching several YouTube reviews my husband sent me, I started feeling “It’s getting rave reviews and looks really fun as an MT car.” Then,

“Considering discounts on new cars, the price difference between new and used might not be that big. So it’s better to order a new one with the specs I want.”

So I went to a nearby Suzuki dealer for a test drive. The shift lever felt fun to operate, acceleration was quick and exhilarating, and despite its light weight, the car felt planted and trustworthy. The power and compactness felt just right in my hands, so I decided on the spot.

At first, I was told delivery would be in June, or at the latest July, so I thought I’d keep what I bought a secret until delivery just for fun. But due to the semiconductor shortage, the wait stretched much longer than expected…

This isn’t a rare car that would usually take half a year, so I started feeling sorry to my readers, and I’m very relieved to finally announce it here on the blog.

Swift Sport Specs and Options

As for the Swift Sport specs, the main options and features are as follows:

Two-tone roof (Burning Red Pearl Metallic), 6-speed MT, hood decal, side decals, fuel lid cover, floor mats, Suzuki Safety Support equipped, no all-around monitor camera package

For the body color, I had always wanted red, and since a two-tone with a black roof and red body became available, I chose that (the two-tone roof comes in orange, red, and blue).

Also, having seen my husband’s and other Porsche owners’ cars, I had always wanted to put decals on my own car, so I added decals on the front and sides (manufacturer option).

You can also put decals on the headlights, but that makes the look a bit tougher, so to keep a “cool and cute” vibe, I didn’t add headlight decals.

Also, I removed the rear camera and emblems that normally sit in the middle of the hatch, for a clean rear look. (At a glance, you might not even know what car it is lol)

I’m very satisfied with my carefully chosen beloved car. I’ve been driving it every day since delivery and it’s a lot of fun. It offers a completely different kind of enjoyment from a Porsche, and it’s a car that’s rewarding to drive. I’ll share my impressions of the driving experience in a future article.