2018 Suzuki Swift Sport – Video

The big thing about the new Swift Sport is weight – or the lack of it. It weighs in at under 1,000kg, which is frankly astonishing by modern day standards. Moreover, at 975kg it’s 80kg lighter than the old car.

It’s got a smaller engine than the old Sport too. Suzuki has fitted its cracking little 1.4-litre petrol unit that wears the equally cracking name of ‘Boosterjet’. That’s Suzuki-speak for turbocharged and has already been used in the updated S-Cross and the charming Vitara S small SUV. The engine is mated to just a six-speed manual gearbox – there are no fancy double clutch automatics with paddle shifters here.

The 1.4 turbo replaces the 1.6-litre naturally aspirated motor of the old Sport and with that comes more punch. There’s 4bhp more but the big thing is the torque – 230Nm compared to the 1.6’s 160Nm. This torque kicks in at a lowly 2,500rpm in the new car while you’d have to wait until the needle nudged 4,400rpm in the old Sport.

 

 

The new Sport has quite a simple suspension set-up. It makes do with the old Swift Sport’s arrangement of MacPherson struts up front and a torsion bar at the rear and Monroe dampers all round. The brakes have been beefed up a little too and there’s a new sports exhaust system.