The German-Exclusive Suzuki Swift X-TRA

For Suzuki, 2013 is going to be a year of rest, recuperation, wound-licking, and brand realignment. After the Japanese car maker finally cut ties to the American market late in 2012, the plan this year is to offer their leaner and meaner markets a series of upgrades, but not innovations, on their current model line. This will allow them to zoom in on what customers really like and what they don’t. However, that doesn’t mean that there is nothing special on the docket.

To reward their still-loyal customers in Germany, Suzuki is releasing a brand new, special edition version of their best-selling subcompact, the Suzuki Swift X-TRA:

Why Pick the Swift?

Frankly, because the Suzuki Swift has been a smash hit across Europe since the current model was released in 2010.

There are several reasons that the subcompact sedan / hot hatch has seen such success: It has pluck, a natural aerodynamic design, great visibility, it’s very lightweight, and the inevitable whine of the 1.2L engine is actually quite soothing from behind the wheel. Even though the car only offers 94 hp, you’ll still feel like you’re going fast and the maneuverability is generally excellent. When you include the fact that the Swift Sport starts well under 14,000 EUR and has several features you’d only expect to see in a 20,000 EUR car of its class, the vehicle’s popularity becomes much more understandable.

Of course, the special edition Suzuki Swift X-TRA will not be based on the three-door Swift Sport, but on the five-door Swift Club. But don’t worry, despite the extra weight the Swift X-TRA still manages to only burn through 5L of fuel per 100km. For our non-metric readers, that equates to about 47 miles per gallon according to US standards, and 56.5 miles per gallon according to UK standards. The special edition vehicle achieves such excellent fuel economy thanks to, again, it’s light weight and efficient 1.2L petrol engine.

The Suzuki Swift X-TRA also gets a sleek set of 16 inch alloy wheels and a suite of sweet new features. Your special edition Suzuki Swift will come with:

* Roof Spoiler
* Tinted Windows
* Pollen Filtered Air Conditioning Unit
* MP3/CD Stereo with Steering Wheel Controls and a USB Port

But wait, you haven’t even heard the best part…

I suggest you take a moment to grab a firm hold of your jaw because the limited edition Swift X-TRA comes in a rich new metallic paint job – “Bison Brown Metallic”! Apparently, Suzuki’s market research revealed that Germany’s favorite color is brown, and although I wouldn’t personally agree, I do have to admit that the new color-scheme looks very well executed. Not sure about the “Bison” part though … sounds like a load of bull!

All in all, I suspect that Suzuki won’t be losing many customers in Germany during 2013. If you find the special edition Suzuki Swift X-TRA appealing and you’d like to figure out how to buy your own, you’ll be interested to know that the basic package starts at 14,290 EUR, which converts to ~18,800 USD at the time of writing. Hurry – The X-TRA may become unavailable swiftly and without warning!

Of course, another place to satiate your Swift addiction would be the car auctions in Japan.

Source: Carscoop