Suzuki plays dirty

They may be a far cry from the two-wheel and four-wheel off-roaders that Suzuki is renown for, but nevertheless Suzuki was keen to prove the performance prowess of its new Swift and SX4 hatches in the rough stuff, and signed both of them up to different dirt rally championships.

The Japanese company’s latest release, the SX4, is riding the performance wave with a one-off WRC SX4 rally car, which takes centre stage at the Australian International Motor Show.

It is based on the 2WD SX4 hatch, but carries the all-wheel-drive SX4 drivetrain (confused yet?). The many hi-po rally mods to its body and bones makes it look far removed from its comparatively conservative production base car, and will spruik the new addition as a full WRC production rally car.

In fact, its racing debut is tomorrow, at the Rallye de France in Corsica. Of course, we don’t get the actual race car, just a carbon copy; but if the roads of France are cruel to the new competitor, you can bet the SX4 show car will be flying home in a hurry.

Whether the SX4’s performance potential affects its potential owners is yet to be seen, as the car only launched two months ago. But a long racing heritage certainly hasn’t harmed the Swift.

The cult following of the old Swift GTi variant, and two successful years in the Junior World Rally Championships with a turbocharged Super 1600 Swift, which produces 160 kW at 8750 rpm and 186 Nm of torque at 7250 rpm, the WRC is a feature at this year’s stand - has bolstered the small hatch’s popularity and cut down the age of its buyer demographic significantly.

Many young drivers and first-car buyers will drive straight to the mod shop after purchasing the car to make a speedy statement with decals and alloys, and this is where the limited edition RE1 makes its move.

The RE1, or Rally Edition One, is like a distant second cousin of the rally car, twice removed. It is essentially a limited edition extras pack, with 600 units specced up a the factory with a claimed $4000 of goodies for a $1K premium ($16,990).

It gets ROH alloy rims, a go-fast bodykit, a six-stacker, and some badges. While the glitter pack looks unimpressive on paper, these are the prime market mods for the younger Swift market, who can get their mods factory-fit, instead of expensively fit, at an aftermarket modifier.