‘Hybrid’ is the magic word of 2020 in the fight against CO2 emissions. Plug-in hybrid, full hybrid or, as in the case of the Suzuki Swift Sport, mild hybrid. Simply put, the starter motor can lend a hand with the drive, so that the combustion engine has to work less hard for the same performance. The result is a lower CO2 emissions, so that in practice the additional cost of hybrid technology is fully offset by the reduction in bpm. For € 24,949, Suzuki puts the Swift Sport on the doorstep, which, given its performance, remains a bargain.
With its blue paint and Sport package (the Japanese equivalent on the tailgate looks more interesting), the Japanese attracts a lot of attention, but its mild hybrid powertrain is the reason for this meeting. The system comprises a 48V on-board network and a starter generator, which is connected to the combustion engine via a belt. That remains the 1.4-liter four-cylinder Boosterjet engine, only now it only delivers 129 hp instead of 140 hp. To make up for it, the starter generator lends a hand at lower revs; the electric motor can mobilize 14 hp and 53 Nm. Because the combustion engine and the electric motor do not peak at the same time, the total unfortunately does not amount to 143 hp. The torque is now a maximum of 235 Nm (5 Nm more than before) and is available earlier. According to the folder, the Swift Sport nevertheless sprints a second slower from 0 to 100 (9.1 seconds). This proves that the Japanese are doing themselves somewhat short, because our measuring equipment indicates the limit value after just 8.8 seconds. That is about half a second later than before. The difference becomes very small on the intermediate sprints. The extra push of the electric motor helps emphatically there. The four-cylinder thus picks up easily at the bottom and turbo lag is barely perceptible by the electrode push. An effective way to make pace, although it is a pity that the engine already falls into its limiter at 6,000 rpm. Incidentally, the red line on the rev counter starts at 6,250 rpm. He is therefore a bit too optimistic. The six-speed manual transmission receives the same comment. The shifting paths are short enough, only the lever for a sporty model is a bit too spongy through the pattern. It lacks the enthusiasm of its predecessor with the naturally aspirated 1.6 engine.
Enough grip
At 995 kilos, the Japanese is a featherweight by modern standards. As a result, the brakes can remain relatively small and there is also no need for a mega-wide rubber on the 17-inch wheels. Initially, the Swift also feels amazingly soft. It leans emphatically and processes thresholds and irregularities with a lot of movement, also a direct result of the low mass. It works more, but is then much easier to control. You get to know the Swift better and better and thanks to the forgiving suspension, it clearly announces when the limit is approaching. This makes the car easy to play with; you can throw it very hard into a corner and it still doesn’t get scary. Thanks to the reasonably sporty tires, there is enough grip to be able to press through corners seriously. It gives the Swift the unique feature of being accessible for beginners but at the same time challenging enough for more experienced drivers. Given the competitive price, we can hardly compliment this car.
Budget nature
Unfortunately, the interior of the Swift immediately betrays the budget nature of the car after getting in. A powerful vacuum cleaner can pull off the upholstery of the footwell, the materials used look as if they came from the plastic soup in the ocean and the steering wheel and seat can only be adjusted to a limited extent. There is no lack of clarity on board, with the two large round clocks in front of you and an extremely simple multimedia system in the middle. It is not very nice, but you quickly find the function you want to operate and you are mainly concerned with what is happening in front of the windscreen. A traffic light should not hang too high above the road, because you cannot see it well because of the upright windscreen. The somewhat angular lines pay off in headroom in the rear seat. Only 265 liters are left for luggage with rear seats. The Swift does not win any prizes with that.
The Suzuki Swift is good in its belongings. The Sport costs € 24,949 and then you’re actually done. Seat heating, navigation, LED lighting, reversing camera, climate control: all standard. Even certain metallic paints no longer require additional costs, although unfortunately this does not apply to the cool yellow or the two-tone combinations. As the only ‘option’ we note the Sport package with exclusive leather upholstery and Japanese writing on the body. That costs € 1,899, but does not add anything substantial. The active safety systems that Suzuki offers are also all standard on the Swift Sport. The hyperactive crash prevention in particular gets on the nerves in such a way that you prefer to switch it off before every ride. Despite popular wisdom, we like to look that horse in the mouth.