Skip advert
Advertisement

Suzuki Swift debuts in Geneva, Swift Sport on the way

New Swift hits the Geneva motor show, with a Swift Sport model expected in 2018

Suzuki has launched its all-new Swift at the Geneva motor show, sure to provide hot competition for Ford's equally new Fiesta in an already packed supermini segment.

Available as a five-door car only, the new Swift gets a choice of 1.2-litre naturally aspirated and 1-litre three-cylinder turbocharged powerplants, the latter sold under the firm's 'Boosterjet' banner. A mild hybrid system will also be available, helping the Swift return economy figures on-par with its rivals.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The four-cylinder 1.2 makes 89bhp and already offers up to 65.7mpg, while the Boosterjet will be the highest-performing model in the range for the time being, with 109bhp and 125lb ft of torque between 2000-3500rpm.

The SHVS hybrid model uses an integrated starter generator to both start and stop the engine, and recuperate energy under deceleration. Available on the Boosterjet 1.0, it's even more economical than the 1.2, which gets its own unique option: all-wheel drive.

So far, so worthy, but our sister title Auto Express reports that a Swift Sport will also be on the way in 2018, using a derivative of the 138bhp, 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder like that currently found in Suzuki’s Vitara S.

That’s good news indeed – the existing Swift Sport, while now long in the tooth compared to most rivals, still delivers a fantastic driving experience, and is one of very few such cars still available with a naturally-aspirated engine, providing a vestigial link to how hot hatchbacks used to be before the current trend for turbocharging.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

Of course, the new model will change that, but it should prove beneficial for performance and the existing model shows someone at Suzuki still knows how to tune a chassis too. Suzuki says the new model has been developed on European roads, though it will still be made in Japan for the European market.

Advertisement - Article continues below

> More: Suzuki Swift Sport review - the back to basics drivers' hatch

All Swifts are lighter than their predecessors. The body-in-white alone is 30kg lighter and some individual models are up to 120kg less than the cars they replace, rendering the most basic Swift an 890kg car - among the lighter vehicles currently on the roads.

Unusually, the Swift is also a touch shorter than before (by 10mm) though its wheelbase has grown by 20mm, while it's both 15mm lower and 40mm wider, giving the car a sportier stance than before and promising good things for the eventual Sport. European versions even have a marginally wider track than those for the Suzuki's home market.

There are big changes inside too, where the last model was perhaps most showing its age. It's not quite on the touchy-feely level of certain German models but the design looks neat and simple, with a sporty three-spoke steering wheel and logically-arranged layout. Top models get kit including a digital multifunction display in the instrument cluster, automatic emergency braking and satellite navigation.

Of course there’s also new styling, which doesn’t look dissimilar from the outgoing model, but updates it where necessary. And it can’t just be us that sees more than a hint of Jaguar F-type in the grille and headlights…

Pricing information will be available in May and UK sales begin this June. If Suzuki can keep pricing of the eventual Sport around the current £14,399, it should be a bargain too – and make the upcoming VW Up GTI and existing Renault Twingo GT significantly less tempting.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

​Best hot hatchbacks 2025 – affordable new performance cars
Best hot hatchbacks 2025
Best cars

​Best hot hatchbacks 2025 – affordable new performance cars

Contracted though the hot hatch market may be, there are still some great models out there, from the electric Alpine A290 to the five-cylinder Audi RS…
14 Jul 2025
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 – specs and initial driving impressions
Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 front
News

Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 50 – specs and initial driving impressions

Volkswagen is finally letting the Mk8 Golf GTI off its leash with a hardcore, track-honed version called the Edition 50. If it’s anywhere near as bril…
14 Jul 2025
Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good
Mini JCW – front
Reviews

Mini JCW 2025 review – too feisty for its own good

The petrol-powered JCW lives on – for now. But in its latest incarnation, has this supermini survivor become too hardcore?
6 Jul 2025
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Mk8.5 2025 review – a cut-price Honda Civic Type R?
Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Mk8.5
Reviews

Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport Mk8.5 2025 review – a cut-price Honda Civic Type R?

The Golf GTI Clubsport lifts the Mk8.5 GTI to a higher level, but it’s still not quite a match for the best in class
4 Jul 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
News

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV

If you have to have an SUV, a Stelvio QV is acceptable. Now it's being heavily discounted.
8 Jul 2025
New cars at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed – all the debuts from Aston to Zenvo
Festival of Speed 2025
News

New cars at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed – all the debuts from Aston to Zenvo

The Goodwood Festival of Speed was spectacular yet again. Here are the highlights from the British motoring event of the year
14 Jul 2025
Porsche 963 RSP 2025 review – driving the ultimate one-off Le Mans racer for the road
Porsche 963 RSP review front
Reviews

Porsche 963 RSP 2025 review – driving the ultimate one-off Le Mans racer for the road

That the 963 RSP even exists is absurd. Driving it felt like a fever dream
13 Jul 2025