Turbo-Charged Twosome

Suzuki has jumped on the downsizing bandwagon, but don’t turn up your nose at the new 1,4 ℓ engine in the updated Vitara and Swift Sport – it’s a brilliant little piece of engineering.

- Kyle Kock

Suzuki’s previous go-to engine was the bulletproof M16A – a normally aspirated 1,6 â„“ petrol that was used in models across the range for more than a decade, including in the venerable Vitara and the previous-generation Swift Sport.

That engine is being replaced, and Suzuki couldn’t have chosen a better time to launch their new K14C power plant. The world is demanding more from internal combustion – every major automaker is on the downsizing, forced-induction bandwagon: smaller, turbo-charged engines, in other words, that deliver the same power and torque with far fewer emissions.

There’s consternation at the bigger end of the market – the bakkies and SUVs – where haters joke that only milk comes in 2 â„“. The smaller end of the market is more forgiving, and it’s here where the benefit of turbo-charging is more keenly felt.