Suzuki Swift Sport – Engine and gearbox
A lightweight platform powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, that got 48-volt mild hybrid assistance in 2020
The 2018 original’s 1.4-litre turbocharged engine came from the Vitara S of the time and promised a reasonably significant boost in performance.
It featured a new intercooler and turbo wastegate, making it good for 138bhp at 5500rpm and 162lb ft at 2500rpm. As well as more potent than the second gen, it was also lighter, with an 80kg weight reduction. Drive is to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, which is essentially the same unit as the old car’s – athough there have been some minor tweaks to improve both precision and shift quality.
For 2020, the Swift Sport got a 48-volt mild hybrid system with a 10kW motor to handle engine startup, allow coasting and torque fill below 2000rpm. It did lower the emissions of course – Suzuki’s main goal – but you couldn’t help but think Suzuki has missed a trick by not going that extra mile to allow some form of electric propulsion, not only to reduce the CO2 further still, but give the Swift Sport Hybrid a performance boost rather than its on-paper potency being docked by 11bhp.
Like all third-generation Swift models, the Sport was based on the brand’s HEARTECT scalable platform, which is both light and strong. Using high strength steels, spot welds and a simpler construction, it plays a big part in the Swift Sport’s impressive low kerbweights of 970kg in pre-hybrid form and 1025kg in hybrid form – both lighter than the second-gen Swift Sport.
