Sunday Lite: I Miss Suzuki Cars - Someone Should Start Bringing Them In Again.

I miss Suzuki cars. Sometime in 2016 Suzuki decided to pull out of Malaysia after deciding to enter into some sort of joint venture arrangement with Proton. They were to pull out of the Malaysian market and let Proton rebadge their vehicles starting with the Suzuki Ertiga. Of course, by some horrific twist of fate, they got snookered as Proton was forced by some unseen hand to quickly find a foreign partner which they did in the form of Geely.

So Suzuki basically got shafted. This is a sad story which I am too lazy to explain further as the outcome of it is that I now do not get a chance to try out anything Suzuki anymore. Maybe their motorcycles, but that isn't the Suzy I want to try.

There are a few 4 wheeled Suzuki models which I actually wish were sold here. The first is the Suzuki Swift of course. Especially the new Suzuki Swift Sport. This front wheel drive warm hatch now sports a 1.4 liter turbocharged engine which makes 140hp and 230nm torque. 

This is so much more than the previous 1.6liter normally aspirated version which was already a joy to drive. I do wish this was around as the car actually looks cute and being a Swift would actually bring a smile to your face if driven enthusiastically. I managed to catch a glimpse of it in Perth, Australia at the end of last year. 

The next intersting Suzy that we Malaysians miss out on is the Suzuki Ignis. This second generation model is super cute with its dinky toy crossover looks. It is tiny however, close in size to a Kia Picanto and should be super nice as a small city car to own. 

It is powered by a 1.2liter 4 cylinder engine which makes 88hp and 120Nm of torque powering its front wheels via a 5 speed manual or a CVT gearbox. Enough to pootle around town and look cool at the same time. I caught a glimpse of that car too last year!!! Cute as heck.

Finally is the newly launched Suzuki Jimny. This is Suzuki's iconic model and this new version of it looks so good. Styled as a homage to the 2nd generation Jimny SJ series the new 4th generation sports a 660 cc, three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine, while a wide version called the Jimny Sierra will have a newly developed K15B 1.5 L four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine which makes 100.5 hp  and 138 Nm. 

Look at these Suzies! So cute!!! My wish is that there will be someone brave enough to convince Suzuki of Japan to start selling them here in Malaysia again.  These cars offer great styling inside and out as well as that feel good factor when you drive them. We are missing out, folks!