Julian Strangward and his Swift Sport

Julian Strangward drives professionally day in and day out and his Suzuki is his trusty companion. We wanted to find out how driving a Swift Sport performs in terms of fuel efficiency and handling. If you're going to be in a car all day, you're going to want to love it! Julian shares his experience, below.

Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in West Auckland, Te Atatu Peninsula, and I do a combination of driving jobs - delivery as well as Uber and Ola.

Is this your first new car?

No, it’s the second Suzuki I’ve bought. My first one was a Suzuki Vitara.

Why did you choose Suzuki over other brands?

I did a lot of research for small engine, economical turbos because I need the power at times to overtake, but also because of the type of work I do, I need the economy and Suzuki came out on top in my research.

What do you love about your Suzuki?

Underrated!

You don’t hear as much about them compared to other manufacturers, so when I was looking for a smaller, economical vehicle that also had power I went to Suzuki because they have the engine I need.

It’s been fantastic, very reliable and economical which is exactly what I was looking for.

Was your Suzuki Swift Sport model the right fit?

Yes!

I had the slightly bigger Vitara model before, and twice a week on a Tuesday and a Friday I do a 600km round trip, so I thought I would move down the size of the model and keep the same size engine because it’d be more fuel efficient - and it was!

How has owning your Suzuki Swift Sport made a difference in your life?

It definitely has improved on petrol - it’s a lot more economical. It’s also got better handling and grips to the roads which is what I need for those regular long trips I do.

Describe the experience you had buying your car?

Dealing with Suzuki has been nothing but positive, they have a great team up at West City Suzuki who I’ve dealt with before and each time they’ve been very professional, not forceful and let me make the decision.

They also left me to test drive the car on my own and were extremely helpful afterwards. The finance manager there has been fantastic, and the same with the service people - they’re always helpful, polite and obliging.

I’m very customer service orientated and I like the way they do business.

Have you got a nickname or pet name for your Suzuki and why?

The ‘Pocket Rocket’!

What will you be doing/where will you be going when you next pick up your car keys?

I’m actually out at the moment trying to find a new car holder for my cell phone! My cell phone is where I receive my jobs and it broke on me while I was doing one of my 600km trips so I’m in the market for a new one.

What's some advice you would give to someone looking to buy a car?

Go and test drive, definitely. Try a few different models. The first time I went to buy my Vitara, I didn’t actually go in to buy a Vitara, I went in to try the S-Cross and found it was too light on the steering for me.

The car that you think you might want, might not be the one that suits you, so definitely test drive different models before buying.