Which Island Runabout Would You Take? 2017 Suzuki Swift vs 2020 Toyota Probox

Happy Friday, Autopians! We’re finshing out our week of international exploration with a trip to a beautiful island with very few cool cars: Jamaica. It’s definitely a place you can find a shitbox, but I decided to go just a little bit upmarket and show you two cars that aren’t beat-up.

Yesterday’s choices came from Spain, and it was absolutely no contest: the SEAT 1430 took an easy win. I’m absolutely certain that the Chrysler 150 is vastly superior to the cars Chrysler was selling here in the US in 1978 (looking at you, Dodge Aspen), but up against a cool RWD Fiat-based sports sedan, it didn’t have a chance.

Obviously, that’s my choice too. I have a thing for that boxy ’70s European sedan style, and that one just sits right. From some of the comments, it sounds like I may have overstated this one’s spec; it might have less of an engine than I thought it did. But I don’t care. Horsepower is overrated; looking cool and having fun is way more important than going fast.

By virtue of being married to an avid and accomplished SCUBA diver, I have visited more tropical islands than I would have ever imagined. I’ve been to Jamaica, Barbados, Aruba, Curacao, Tahiti, Moorea, and most recently the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. All beautiful places, all rather expensive to visit, and all places where cars are typically seen as tools for transportation, and not much more. There are cool twisty little roads aplenty, it’s true, but there’s also an awful lot of traffic. Opportunities for fun driving are few and far between.

So with that in mind, let’s take a look at a couple of basic, utilitarian cars for sale in Jamaica, in better-than-average condition, and see which one you’d rather get around in.

2017 Suzuki Swift – $1,550,000 Jamaican, about $9,850 US

Engine/drivetrain: 1.2-liter DOHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD

Location: Kingston, Jamaica

Odometer reading: 80,000 kilometers

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Suzuki’s departure from the US auto market in 2012 was a blow to those of us who like our cars cheap and cheerful. Cars like the Swift, the Aerio, the SX4, and the Esteem were never at the top of any sales lists, but they were all good, honest cars. And we could use a few more of those. Meanwhile, we watch as the rest of the world gets a new Jimny, and new generations of the Swift charm drivers around the world. This little Swift has been plying the streets of Kingston for nearly ten years and eighty thousand kilometers now, providing its owner with reliable transportation. It’s not exciting, but it’s noble.

This generation of Swift is powered by a 1.25-liter inline four, available with either a five-speed manual or a CVT automatic. A decade or two ago, this car probably would have had a manual, but automatics are taking over the market everywhere. I am not surprised at all that this car has the CVT. The ad says “woman driven,” which I guess is supposed to mean it has been driven gently, but if the drivers in Kingston are anything like the drivers in Montego Bay, it doesn’t matter; everybody’s crazy.

The photos in this ad aren’t great, but it looks like this car is in reasonably good shape. None of the photos show the driver’s seat, which makes me wonder what they’re hiding. It has power windows and locks, and the all-important air conditioning. Trust me; in the tropics, you want it.

Outside, the seller says it has a few scratches, but all I see is a little ding in the right rear door. It actually looks really good. It has aftermarket wheels, but they’re not gaudy or offensive. It also has deeply tinted windows, but if ever there was a place where you’d want to keep the sun out of your car, it’s the Caribbean.

2020 Toyota Probox – $1,950,000 Jamaican, about $12,400 US

Engine/drivetrain: 1.3-liter DOHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD

Location: Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica

Odometer reading: unknown

Operational status: Runs and drives well

We’ve been to Jamaica twice now, once in 2006 and again in 2016, and back then, the most common taxicabs around were Toyota Hiace vans and Corolla station wagons, and almost always white. But now, from what I’ve heard, this vehicle has taken over the taxicab role. The Toyota Probox is a simple, utilitarian vehicle based on the same platform as the Yaris. The ad says this one has just been imported to Jamaica, from where is anyone’s guess. The ad also doesn’t list an odometer reading; any bets on how many kilometers are on it?

A utilitarian car like this doesn’t need a lot of performance, just enough to get around. The Probox is powered by either a 1.3 or a 1.5 liter engine; this one has the 1.3. A CVT is your only transmission option either way. It’s efficient and easy to drive, and that’s what matters in a car like this. The ad doesn’t actually say how well it runs, but it’s a six-year-old Toyota. We know how well it runs.

The interior is as simple and no-nonsense as the rest of it, and once again, I find myself wishing we could have something like this in America. I intensely dislike the interiors of most modern cars, with their touchscreens and gimmicks. This one has a steering wheel, a shift lever, and a speedometer, and that’s about it. The HVAC controls look straightforward, as does the stereo. Who needs anything more?

Outside, it’s, well, a box. What did you expect? It’s simple and effective. And it has steelies! I really like this thing. It’s not pretending to be anything but a tool, and it looks like a really great one.

I don’t mean to imply that there is no car culture in Jamaica; there certainly is. But nearly all of the cars you actually see on the roads look like these. And that’s fine, even for a die-hard gearhead like me. Put me in a lounge chair on the beach, give me a rum punch, and I don’t care about cars, at least for a while. Of course, being a car guy, I can’t help noticing the taxi that gets me there, or the other cars on the road. Your task for today is to decide which one of these would catch your eye more.

That’s it for Shitboxes Without Borders for now. Next week, we’ll be back in the US, looking at all-American cars for the run-up to the July 4th weekend. I haven’t decided yet what exactly we’ll be looking at, but it’ll be fun stuff. See you then!