Bucket Seat: Suzuki Swift & Dzire - First Impressions

Last week saw the launch of Suzuki's two new budget vehicles into the local SA market, first a name that needs no introduction, the Swift hatchback and the second which is a sedan version but has been re-branded as the Dzire, I was fortunate to have been invited to the launch which happened up the North coast from Durban, and this is how it went. 

The all new Swift is here. #AllTheRightFeels pic.twitter.com/iPHMNTd1JJ

— Suzuki SA (@Suzuki_ZA) June 6, 2018

Normally launches aren't as glamorous as it looks, it involves lots of travelling to get to the destination of the launch which start off with flights at sparrows fart in the morning, getting to the location, going through a briefing, jumping in a car and driving for 2/3 hours, have lunch and drive another 2 hours, then make your way back home all while trying to sum up what you did when your brain is working on empty. This one however was a bit different, it was extremely chilled and in essence gave off the vibe that Suzuki were marketing about that car, all the right feels. 

After settling in my luxurious room at the Fairmont Hotel in Zimbali, it was time for a meet and greet session where I got to meet the good people from Suzuki as well as members of the media whom were present for that rotation of the launch, this was followed by a dinner presentation, giving us insight into the new generation Swift and the Dzire. The Swift being Suzuki's leading budget hatchback has sold over 6 million worldwide, this the third generation swift is being built at a brand new facility in Gujurat in India. While the overall shape of the Swift looks very similar to its predecessor, the new Swift has had some dynamic changes to it's design, with the length decreasing but the width increasing. So in essence the new Swift is shorter and wider, thus improving the cars turning circle, making the cabin a bit more spacious and giving it a better driving feel, yup this car is all about the feels. 

Suzuki opted to leave the engine unchanged, and stuck with its 1.2 litre naturally aspirated unit which produces 61 kW and 113Nm of torque, not the most exciting figures but in a car like the Swift, it is plentiful. As I found the next day while driving it through the Cane lands. The car is extremely fun to drive, the low center of gravity makes it feel like a game as you maneuver through the bends. The car I drove came with the 5 speed manual gearbox which required minimum effort in gear selection and the same could be said about the clutch. The cabin is pretty basic but has most of the creature comforts, number one being AC for the warm KZN climate, bluetooth audio and telephone connection and electric power windows with auto down for the driver. 

The route was rather fun, with a nice mixture of highway, town and quiet road driving which the Swift performed well in all. Jumping into the Dzire, it felt virtually the same, only thing it had a boot. It gives much of the same feedback as the Swift but handling is slightly better on the hatch. The engines were rather new, so there was points where the engine was rev happy but on a long run you can be sure that it will settle in and nullify that problem. Driving back to our lunch spot in Salt Rock was a breeze and the Caravan park where it was being served provided the perfect example to test the tight turning circle, managing to gap the cars in close to one another facing the ocean. 

Overall, the new Swift and Dzire are perfect for what they're meant for, they sort of sit in the middle of the lower budget hatch segment and the higher spec ones, so for example between a Vivo and the standard Polo. The price is really a bargain and Suzuki are running a really great launch special nationwide on its range topping GL. So if you're in the market for a budget car be it hatch or sedan, that's not boring and extremely light on fuel, but also want that reliability and solid build quality, look no further that these two. 

Prices and models

Suzuki Swift 1.2 GA Manual R159 900
Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL Manual R175 900
Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL AMT R189 900
Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GA Manual R161 900
Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GL Manual R177 900
Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GL AMT R191 900

A night with Johnnie Walker Green Label

I've been to many a whisky tasting over the years and whilst I do enjoy them, most of them are sort of the same. An introduction to the whisky, story behind the distilling process and manufacturing, history behind the brand and so on which is fine but sometimes some whisky's deserve more than that and that's what the folks down at Johnnie Walker thought so as well. So in re-introducing their famed Green Label to South Africa, instead of the norm, they've opted to take their guests on a tasteful journey, that not only gave guest to opportunity to taste their single malt blend but a food paring to go along with it. 

Last week Thursday I was fortunate enough to partake in this journey, the venue, the magnificent Zimbali Fairmont Hotel. Tucked away in the lush five star estate lies the Fairmont hotel which over looks the Indian Ocean, it provides a tranquil getaway for those who want to relax and spoil themselves with the best that is on offer on the East Coast, it made the perfect setting to enjoy one of the finer whiskies available on the market. 

Johnnie Walker Green Label is a single malt blended whisky and needs no introduction for some of the older drinkers as it was available in South Africa before the brand opted to discontinue sales of it for various reasons in most part of the world. The only markets who kept it were in the America's and China but with the ever growing demand for single malt whisky, Johnnie Walker decided to re-introduce it to the market.

The night kicked off with welcome drinks at 31 degrees with a delightful cocktail which consisted of Johnnie Walker Gold Label with herbs and bitters. Quite a twist on a whisky which proved to be quite refreshing on the palette and set the mood for the rest of the evening. We were then greeted by KZN Reserve Brand Ambassador Haroon Haffajee, who gave us a short introduction to JW Green Label and it's re-introduction to the market, followed by a brief on what was to be expected on the evening.  We were broken into 3 groups and each assigned a colour, for we were going to experience the 3 different restaurants at the hotel for the 3 different courses. All the food which was served on the night was made to compliment the JW Green Label, and with it brought out the flavours in both the food and the whisky. 

For starters we headed over to Bite, which is the hotel's poolside deli. Set at the edge of the picturesque pool overlooking the hotel, with the dining table laid out open to the star filled sky, it truly an awesome setting to get the night going. Starters was a creamy corn chowder, served with a biltong breadstick, ostrich carpaccio and feta dip served with a shot of Green Label on the side, unlike other single malt whiskies, JW Green label contains a blend of single malts, so it offers a variety of flavours depending on the food you're having. With the chowder one got a touch of the walnut and that long spicy finish to warm you up on the cold winter night. 

Moving onto the next course, we made our way to OSA, a vibrant new offering at the hotel which specialises in Indian Cuisine. I know being an indian, I must be pretty used to curry but it is my favourite culinary option, as I find there is so many ways to make a curry and the variety of spices on offer to change a meal is endless witch each offering something special to enhance the flavours. For the mains we were served a tandoori chicken skewer which sat on top of a garlic naan bread, with sour milk sauce, fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds. I thought the spices and flavours of the meal would have been a bit over powering for the whisky but it blended quite well. It brought out a sweetness and oak from the whisky which worked perfectly with it. 

Ayoba which is located at the Beach Club at Zimbali Fairmont was the venue for our 3rd and final course of the night, desert. The restaurant is a fusion of Central America and Africa with more of a Mexican twist so with that being said, desert was none other than Churros served with a chili chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream. The light cripsy churro's and sauce brought our the coffee notes of the JW Green and bitter chocolate and espresso was evident with every sip. 

After our tasteful journey, it was time to reconvene at 31 Degrees for the conclusion of the night. we toasted the night with one more drink of the JW Green accompanied with cheese platters and a selection of sweets from the hotel's tea box. Speaking to Haroon thereafter about Johnnie Walkers reasoning to re-introduce this 15 year old single malt blend into the market again, it was interesting to note that their pricing for such a bottle is quite reasonable when compared to some of it's competitors. The average pricing would be around the R500 mark which is cheap in my opinion for a whisky of this caliber. On the whole it was a perfect night which fused great whisky with great dining and offered a range of tastes that played lovely on ones palette. It was certainly a night to remember.