Suzuki Swift Sport – Ride and handling

The suspension setup is a fairly familiar combination of struts at the front and torsion beam at the rear. However, the Sport benefits from a 15mm lower (compared to the standard Swift) ride height as well as the use of Monroe gas shock absorbers. There are heavier-duty anti-roll bar mounts up front, while the wheel hub and bearings are combined into a single unit, providing a wider width between bearings for a 15 percent increase in camber stiffness. There are custom trailing arms at the rear, but the rest of the setup remains unchanged.

When it was launched in 2018, we found the Swift Sport had ‘lost some of its raw charm and appeal’ and ‘the fun factor had diminished’.

‘Where the old car enjoyed getting carried away by the neck, the new version is a more restrained machine, opting for a less energetic and engaging approach. ‘Technically it’s more successful, but it causes fewer smiles per kilometer.’

In the slightly heavier (up to 55kg) mild hybrid, we found chassis improvements working to the car’s advantage, along with a calmer ride and more intuitive steering.

In 2024? As a bit of a novelty, it’s no surprise that the smaller Swift has been more warmly received. Their tiny size allowed you to take advantage of their appetite for smooth progress. His weight increase to over 1000kg when hybridized may have made him the heaviest Swift ever, but in his final days he was even more unusual at featherweight. The suspension – tuned in the UK, with European-specific settings – is well judged and the steering well resolved.

It wears out grip quicker than you’d probably expect on its soft-walled Continental tyres, but throw it around and its supermini targets slowly head towards the service, but there’s never a burst of gas to keep you on your toes.