There’s a warm new hatch coming this summer.
An all new,lighter and quicker Suzuki Swift Sport goes on sale from 1 June with a £1,500 reduction for the first month making it £16,499. It copies the dramatic Champion Yellow of the Suzuki Works Junior rally car and inside there are sports seats and trim detailed with red accents.
Developed from the Vitara and S Cross, unit, the 1.4 140ps Boosterjet engine emits just 125gkm of CO2 and Suzuki state it returns a combined 50.4mpg, and 44% more torque than the previous generation Swift Sport with 230Nm from 2,500rpm.
The sporting performance of 130 mph and 0-62mph time of 8.1 secs are down to the powertrain but also its comparatively light weight of 70kg under the previous version making it 975kg now giving it a very good power to weight ratio on a par with more expensive rivals. Ride, handling and brakes have all been uprated and modified to make the most of the responsive new engine tuning. | Launch price offer in the UK of £16,499 for new and existing retail customers until the end of June 2018 includes £1,500 saving. £750 Finance Deposit Allowance with Nil PCP / HP deposit available until the end of June. |
It is aimed at the younger buyers with Six airbags, auto air conditioning, DAB Radio, privacy glass, LED daytime running lights and Bluetooth fitted as standard along with sports seats. Also included are smartphone link display audio, rear view camera, front fog lamps, Navigation, LED headlamps, polished 17-inch alloy wheels, rear electric windows, Dual Sensor Brake Support, Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure Prevention.
Total UK Swift Sport sales of 11,535 since 2006 and the newcomer will be launched with a strong PCP offer.
Following its launch in homeland Japan last year, Suzuki unveiled the new Swift Sport for Europe at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and it’s built in Japan not Hungary as the previous generation.
First impressions
There’s no denying the latest Suzuki Sport has a lot of pulling power, from its vivid yellow launch colour through to its chassis and powertrain.
Tuned for acceleration and flexibility rather than outright speed, the Swift Sport is very well suited to Britain’s twisting roads and their overtaking opportunities.
It packs a punch right from the off through the six gears or if you want to take it easy, the 1.4 Boosterjet engine is very flexible so gearchanges are minimised with overdrive ratios on 4th, 5th and 6th gears. This means the consumption can be stretched a bit more than you might think and over our 80 miles country roads test route it returned and indicated 38.1mpg.
What really impressed was the very responsive and agile feel to the car, with something always there when demanded, be that more power, a bit more steering or even more braking ability. It never stopped giving. It brought a smile to my face several times and it was one of the easiest cars to drive briskly and safely in the countryside. The clever design neatly hides the rear doors and some may look and think it’s a three-door car but the practical five-door shape is very family friendly and the reasonable boot space rises from 265 to 579 litres. Back seats are fairly roomy and adjustment is good on the front pair. The simplicity of the major controls is followed through with the secondary stalks and buttons, the instruments are well sized and spaced and the central console carries a medium sized infotainment display with separate heating and ventilation rotary dials. | The new Swift Sport comes to Britain after a year of record sales, said car sales director Dale Wyatt, and he expects to sell 1,500 of the newcomer in a full year. For the first time in 2017, Suzuki sales went through the 40,000 barrier and market share rose to 1.59%. He said the spread of Suzuki models ensured its dealers’ exposure to fluctuations in buying habits was minimised across the market and they also had something to offer every buyer who came into the showrooms. Mr Wyatt went on to say there is also a better spread of private and business buyers among the Suzuki customers so this also evens out demand at times, adding,“We believe we have the best line up in our history.“ Britain is the biggest European market for Suzuki and its engineers looked at close to a hundred different chassis and powertrain settings before narrowing them down and testing the Swift Sport on UK roads, said Head of Press & PR Alun Parry adding,“It’s a very important market for Suzuki and they wanted to get it absolutely right.“ |
The sporting ride is really surprisingly good and compliant and you’ll not get shaken about but it feels surefooted and safe nevertheless when you’re pressing on. Steering is well weighted, the brakes need only modest pressure to rapidly slow the car and it securely held on a hill waiting to join main road traffic.
The real-world flexibility of the Suzuki Swift Sport gives it a strong advantage over rivals, the standard level of equipment is extremely good and the reduced launch price offer is one to quickly grab.