The pros and cons of owning a Suzuki Swift Sport (2018)

The Suzuki Swift Sport that we show in this article has been on sale since 2018. At the beginning of its commercialization, it was available with a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and 140 horsepower. Since May 2020 it has had an engine with the same displacement, but with 129 horsepower and associated with a light hybridization system.

Suzuki hasn't made any changes to the Swift Sport's suspension since it went on sale in 2018. So the driving impressions we published then should still hold true with the new engine. So the Swift Sport isn't exactly a sports car developed for maximum efficiency or enjoyment on a curvy road (as was the case with the Ford Fiesta ST, which is no longer sold) or on a track. However, it can be a good choice for those looking for a fast car that can be used every day with absolute normality, without the drawbacks of a hard suspension, a noisy interior, or high consumption.

Inside, the most differentiating feature of the Suzuki Swift Sport is the seats, which give more lateral support to the body in curves, without pressing it excessively. There are red accent moldings and purpose-built instrumentation with additional gauges for boost pressure and engine oil temperature (seen in the top left of this composite image). Also exclusive are the gear lever knob and steering wheel (image).

Swift Sports 20th Anniversary

In May 2023, Suzuki Motor Ibérica launches a special edition of the Swift Sport called 20th Anniversary and whose production will be limited to 35 units. It commemorates the 20th anniversary of the creation of this company that distributes and sells imported Suzuki models. This 20th anniversary has the same technical characteristics as the "normal" Sport.

Aesthetically it is distinguished because its body is painted in silver and the roof in black, and because there is a strip with the word Sport on the doors as well as a 20th-anniversary logo on the back. It has other details in red in the mirrors, the lower part of the grill, the wheels, and in the interior (images of the Suzuki Swift Sport 20th anniversary). Its price is 27,445 euros, 1,700 euros more than the Suzuki Swift (comparative file).

Engine and consumption

The Swift Sport 1.4 Boosterjet Hybrid's engine is essentially the same as before but with injection and compression ratio modifications. The hybrid system is made up of a 14 CV electric machine that is coupled to the motor by means of a belt and a 0.38 kWh capacity battery. The electric machine does not increase the maximum power of the set, since it only supports medium and low revs and, as in the rest of the light hybrid systems, it does not have the capacity to move the vehicle on its own. This hybridization system (which works at 48 volts) is different from the one carried by other Swifts (which works on 12 V and whose electric motor only has 3 horsepower).

The average consumption of the 129-horsepower Suzuki Swift Sport is lower than that of the previous 140-horsepower model and it has the DGT ECO environmental mark. As drawback, its acceleration capacity is less, something that may be due to the loss of maximum power and the fact that it is 50 kg heavier (comparative file).

The safety equipment includes an emergency brake booster with obstacle detection (acting between 15 and 140 km/h), an alert for an involuntary lane change, an automatic high beam connection, and active cruise control that can be adjusted to three levels of speed. distance from the preceding vehicle.

Price, alternatives, and insurance

The Swift Sport is on sale for 25,745 euros. There are only two cars of similar size and power (list of cars from 3.8 to 4.0 meters and from 120 to 145 CV). One is the Toyota Yaris 125, which costs much less (€18,400) and the other is the 136 hp MINI Cooper, which costs more (€28,650).

In the km77.com insurance comparator, we have calculated the price of an all-risk policy without excess. The policyholder (and only driver) is a 35-year-old man who lives in Madrid, keeps the car in a garage, and travels about 20,000 kilometers a year. This person has been insured with the Allianz company for 7 years and six without giving a car accident report. With these conditions, the lowest price is offered by the Allianz company for 247 euros.

The following driving impressions are for the Suzuki Swift Sport that was sold from 2018 to early 2020 (i.e. without a mild hybrid system):

The Suzuki Swift Sport is very fast, easy to drive, and even comfortable on a day-to-day basis. It is fast because it has a very good relationship between weight and power (7.46 kg/CV). Its mass in homologation conditions is 1045 kg, which is a minimum of 120 kg less than that of any of its rivals of similar power (comparative file).

It accelerates a lot without the need for the driver to have to work with the gear change; generally, it is enough to sink the right foot to get all the acceleration necessary to move with agility. On the highway, for example, it is not usually necessary to remove the sixth gear (and that is very long since its development is 41.8 km/h per 1000 rpm) unless there is some circumstance that forces you to slow down a lot (such as it could be a construction zone or a very slow vehicle).

The best response of this engine is obtained at medium speed. From about 5500 rpm it loses power and, of course, it does not compensate to reach 6000 rpm (which is when the injection cutoff occurs). We have appreciated this in our acceleration test between 80 and 120 km/h since we have obtained better records doing this maneuver only in third gear (where the initial speed is 3619 rpm and the final speed is 5430) than in second and third gear (starting from 5,500 rpm and shifting into third gear at 6,000 rpm to end the exercise). In the first case, the Suzuki Swift Sport needed 4.8 s and, in the second, 5.1.

Therefore, this engine cannot be described as sporty if we look at how it delivers power. Neither is it due to its sound, which is not very evocative (the exhaust seems mute from the inside because it is not heard during acceleration or retention). However, the acceleration capacity that it gives is more than enough to circulate with enormous agility.

Consumption is always kept at reasonable and even low figures. In a mixed-use, with more kilometers on the highway (of all kinds) than in the city and practicing agile driving, fuel consumption can be around 7.5 l/100 km. In our usual route on the highway with steep slopes at a real average of 120 km/h, we got a figure of 6.0 l/100 km, which is very good for a car that can accelerate so much. The autonomy is not great because the deposit has only 37 liters.

In order for the Suzuki Swift Sport to be more exciting in curves, it lacks somewhat firmer steering and a suspension that allows the body to have fewer roll and pitch movements (something that they do offer, for example, the Ford Fiesta ST or the Renault Clio RS).

This Suzuki Swift is somewhat reminiscent of the small sports cars of long ago because the bodywork has a relatively large roll, the supports do not follow one another immediately and, when the pace of the march is forced, the slippage of the wheels is noticeable (our test unit had a Continental Conti Sport Contact 5 measuring 195/45, which are not very wide by today's standards).

On fast roads, it transmits confidence although, again, it is not one of the small cars that works best in these circumstances. It has given me the impression that lateral gusts of air affect it more than others, although it is a risky statement because I really do not have the means to know how much wind there is at each moment or in which direction it is going.

The brakes do their job well as they manage to stop the car from 120 km/h in a relatively short distance (52.2 meters) and resist heating well, somewhat less than as well is needed on a road open to traffic.

Suzuki has mounted on the Swift Sport shock absorbers from the specialist Monroe. To improve cornering efficiency compared to the rest of the range, the front suspension (McPherson type) is 15% stiffer with a small increase in spring rate. The stabilizer bar is thicker and is attached to the chassis with Teflon bushings. For its part, the hub and bearing of the wheels are made in one piece and the distance between hubs is 15 mm greater. In the rear suspension, there is a specific (stiffer) torsion bar.