Test drive of the Suzuki Swift Sport: Smart buy or simple whim?

We’ve test driven the Suzuki Swift Sport and asked ourselves whether it can satisfy us both for enjoying a mountain pass and for getting you to work from Monday to Friday

The culture of sports cars is not going through its best moment. On the one hand, new emissions regulations are leading brands to remove some of their most performance-oriented models from their ranges, replacing them with greener alternatives in order to reduce the emissions of their line-ups. However, Suzuki has found the recipe to keep a model like the one we test today, through measures such as the installation of Mild Hybrid systems in some of its models.

On the other hand, although the offer of small GTIs is quite extensive, young people no longer long to get hold of one of these models. It’s hard to find a millennial who covers their bedroom with posters of their favourite small sports car, something that used to be very common.

However, models like the Suzuki Swift Sport that we bring you today are fighting to change this trend. These are cars with small dimensions, with power figures that, although they keep getting higher, are not outrageous and, above all, low weights.

This makes it possible to enjoy driving without having to break the bank, since selling prices are moderate, maintenance is nothing out of the ordinary and consumption is reasonable if we are careful with the right foot.

Driving fun in XL format on a mini budget

The Suzuki Swift Sport meets all these criteria perfectly, a car that from the moment we see it takes us through a process with three stages: you see it, you drive it and you fall in love. It’s hard to find a car on the market that offers so much for so little, but before presenting all its virtues, let’s introduce it to you in more depth.

When we carried out the first test of the Suzuki Swift Sport, we noticed that it keeps the same length as the previous generation, although now it is somewhat “chunkier”: it gains 40 mm in width and is 15 mm lower. In addition, its wheelbase has grown by 20 mm and the track width gains another 40 mm. All this makes it look less like a toy and gives the feeling that we are facing a much more serious car.

As for its weight on the scales, Suzuki has managed to make this small sports car even lighter than the previous generation, so it manages to get below the magic figure of 1,000 kilos, with a total weight of 975 kilograms.

This is very noticeable when we tackle a mountain pass with the Suzuki Swift Sport, because it is a car that goes into corners how and when we want. However, we will talk about this a little later on.

The 8 keys to the Suzuki Swift Sport

Let’s pose a few questions to clear up one doubt: Is the Suzuki Swift Sport a smart purchase or simply a whim we will regret? Let’s see:

Is it too flashy?

Let’s look closely at its design, because although at first glance we can see that we are facing a model with a high dose of spice, it looks discreet and by no means gives the impression of a flashy car.

The sense of sportiness is emphasised thanks to a multitude of carbon-fibre-effect elements. At the front, we have a large grille that dominates the central section and two headlights with daytime running lights. The profile features an upward waistline whose ridge culminates at the top of the rear lights. The wheels are 17 inches and are fitted with tyres measuring 195/45 R17.

The carbon-fibre-effect front lip connects with the rear skirt. In addition, the fin-shaped design on the C-pillar is very eye-catching, and the rear doors have concealed door handles, in the style first introduced by the Alfa Romeo 156. To complete this very attractive ensemble, we have a rear diffuser with the same carbon-fibre effect, complemented by a double exhaust outlet.

Is it uncomfortable?

The interior is simple, without great luxuries but with a pleasant design and everything needed to become an everyday car. The materials used are nothing special, as we find hard plastics everywhere and the fit and finish could be improved. This can be seen, for example, in the hazard warning button, where there is more space on one side than the other, or in details such as the window switches not being illuminated, which makes them hard to locate at night.

Another ergonomic problem we noticed concerns the climate control controls. The right knee sits right at the height of the dial furthest to the left, so on any left-hand bend, as the body moves sideways, we will inevitably move it and the climate control will activate.

What is worth highlighting are the sports seats. They are outstanding from any angle: they catch the eye, are very comfortable for long journeys and provide excellent lateral support.

Another plus point of the Suzuki Swift Sport is the 4.2-inch touchscreen that comes as standard. It is a summary of the rest of the car; it is not a technological milestone, but it fulfils its function perfectly and even displays some interesting data when driving spiritedly, such as boost pressure. If there is one drawback, it is that it is not compatible with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.

Can I make a trip with friends?

Obviously, the city car segment is not designed for long journeys, so we cannot expect a trip with the comfort of a large saloon. The rear seats have enough legroom, so two people can travel without any problem. In addition, headroom is quite generous, so if you want to travel with the power forward and the point guard of your basketball team, they won’t have any trouble with their hair brushing the roof.

The boot has a capacity of 265 litres, a figure that does not make it the best in its category. If we compare it with the two models mentioned above, the Skoda Fabia offers 330 litres and the Seat Ibiza 355 litres. In addition, it has a rather high loading lip, so lifting a heavy suitcase off the ground can mean a few sessions with a physiotherapist. However, in its favour, it has fairly regular shapes and is therefore quite usable.

Is it fun to drive?

This is one of the most important points of the Suzuki Swift Sport, because it is a car created by and for the driver’s enjoyment. The feeling it gives at all times is that we are in a very light car, which makes it perfect for tackling mountain passes with winding roads.

The steering is quick and has good precision, and its weighting is very well judged, so it is not easy to put the nose exactly where we are pointing with the wheel.

Another point that impresses most is the feel of the gearbox, which gives very sporty sensations thanks to its short throws and the mechanical feel when engaging gears. The only complaint on this front is that the gear lever is positioned too low, so we have to pull the arm back too far when we want to change gear.

The suspension is firm but never punishing for the spine, achieving a very good balance between sportiness and ride comfort. Therefore, it works perfectly with the sports seats to make the Suzuki Swift Sport perfectly bipolar: it can be the car that puts a smile on our face at weekends and the one that takes us to work on Monday.

Are 140 horsepower enough for me to have fun?

With the 140 horsepower of the 1.4 Boosterjet engine, the Suzuki Swift Sport seems to be somewhat behind rivals such as the Ford Fiesta ST, Renault Clio RS or Volkswagen Polo GTI, which already reach 200 horsepower.

However, the Suzuki Swift Sport lives by the motto that less is more, because it perfectly combines its power with its 975 kilos. For that reason, we don’t miss any extra power at all: its 230 Nm of torque push with spirit from 2,000 rpm and it has enough grip to keep this momentum going up to 4,000 rpm. It is true that we can rev it beyond 6,000 rpm, but we won’t find the kick we enjoyed in the previous rev range.

Its official performance figures are not the best in the segment, since it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 210 km/h. However, as we have said before, this is an engine that rewards you with enough character to move the small sports car of Suzuki with real vigour.

Does it use a lot of fuel?

This is one of the main strengths of the Suzuki Swift Sport, because it is not the same to give drink to 200 horsepower as to do the same with 140. The 1.4 Boosterjet has proven to be a very rewarding engine at all times, so as long as we are careful with the accelerator, it is very easy to maintain combined consumption of 7 litres per 100 kilometres. If we get carried away and drive more dynamically, consumption will never exceed 8 litres per 100 km.

However, not everything is virtues, so the main drawback of the Suzuki Swift Sport in this respect is the size of its fuel tank. With a capacity of 37 litres, its total range will be around 500 kilometres, so we will be obliged to refuel if we are making a long-distance journey.

Does it have good standard equipment?

To this question we can give an emphatic yes. Another strong point of the Suzuki Swift Sport is its standard equipment, which is genuinely generous. We can find items such as sports seats, a navigation system with a 4.2-inch touchscreen and rear camera, or LED headlights which, incidentally, provide a good beam of light.

In addition, it offers at no extra cost a complete range of safety features: pre-collision assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue alert, predictive braking control or Start&Stop.

Is it expensive?

And we come to the most important point: How much do we have to pay for a fun, practical car with a very complete standard equipment list? Logic dictates that to get all this, we would have to spend a fortune.

Nothing could be further from the truth, because the price of the Suzuki Swift Sport is really attractive. For 19,370 euros you can take home one of the cars with the best price-to-product ratio on the market.

If we compare it with its most direct rivals, we see that they all have more basic equipment and a higher price: the Mini Cooper with 136 horsepower starts at 23,200 euros, the Ford Fiesta ST-Line 1.0 EcoBoost with 140 horsepower at 20,750 euros, and the Peugeot 208 GT-Line with the PureTech130 engine is available from 22,100 euros.

The conclusion is that the Suzuki Swift Sport is a very sensible decision if you are looking for a sports car with small dimensions that is also usable every day. Moreover, its feel reminds us of the brilliant compact sports cars that were so fashionable 15 years ago, such as the Ford Fiesta ST150 or the Peugeot 206 GTI.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackSuzuki Swift6 versions · from 20,905 €