Suzuki sports a Swift facelift

ONE OF THE best cars that I’ve ever owned is a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9. You could get a pushchair in the boot (just) and a child seat in the back. It was a little sports car that was competent in all roles including taking us on holiday and going to the shops. It wasn’t particularly well made and wouldn’t have done well in an accident, but it was light and had 130bhp.

Today that amount of horsepower is nothing. We tested not long ago a Mercedes-amg A45 S that is technically a hot hatch but has over 400bhp. A very fast car but no more fun that my Peugeot was.

Less, in fact, because the Merc is heavy and has four-wheel drive.

At the other end of the scale is the

Suzuki Swift Sport. It’s a brilliant little car that Suzuki first launched in 2006. Back then it was a revvy little number with a naturally-aspirated engine.

A couple of years ago a new version arrived with a 1.4-litre turbo-charged engine. Suddenly the Swift Sport had got a bit more sensible.

Now, for 2020, we have another new one. Same engine but this time with a mild hybrid system attached to it. We’re talking a 1.4-litre engine producing 127bhp (which is slightly less than the earlier versions) and pushes the 1,025kg Swift to 62mph from a traffic light near you in 9.1sec.

Not particularly fast but entertainment comes elsewhere in the little Suzuki. We’d better mention the price before we go any further because there’s a bit of disappointing news on that front.

When Suzuki first launched the Sport version of the Swift it undercut virtually every rival on price by a huge margin. That’s no longer the case. Our car, and there’s only one trim level, costs £21,570. Granted, it does come with an awful lot of equipment, but the problem is that Ford’s Fiesta ST costs only £22,275.

IT’S NOT as well equipped at that price but it does have a 200bhp engine. You have to be really dedicated to the less is more theory to overlook the Ford when comparing the two cars. And then there’s another rival that should be considered – the Volkswagen Up GTI which costs £16,140. It has only 115bhp but that’s not much less. The Up is not quite as much fun to drive as the Swift but it’s pretty close to it.

The Japanese car’s chief advantage is that it’s more spacious, better equipped and simply feels more modern... but that’s enough money talk. To the car itself. The hybrid trickery helps not only fuel consumption but adds low-down torque.

The system itself features a starter/ generator or ISG unit, a 48v Lithium-ion battery and a converter that reduces 48v down to 12v for those components which run on that voltage. The whole lot adds only

15kg to the weight of the car.

You should be able to get nearly 50mpg and mid 40s even if you’re giving it a bit of a hiding. Which you’ll want to do.

Another one of my old favourites, the Abarth 500, looks fantastic and has a similar modest power in its standard form, but is spoilt by a bone-busting ride. Hit a bump and the little car is almost airborne.

A stiff ride makes a car difficult to drive fast on bumpy country roads because the grip goes if a tyre isn’t in contact with the ground. The Swift Sport has remarkably supple suspension that allows it to roll a bit in corners and importantly soak up bumps. It’s a hoot to drive briskly and easy with it.

The original Swift Sport had a naturally aspirated engine that had more character than the turbo-charged motor in this latest version. Trouble is that it doesn’t really like to rev and is all in by 5,000rpm. You can rev it past that to 6,000rpm but it won’t produce any more power. At least it feels like it doesn’t.

The brakes are effective but the pedal could have more feel and be more progressive, because as you press your foot on it not much happens and the brakes bite. A job for the facelift, Mr Chief Engineer.

But we’re being picky here because the rest of the car is so good. Bit expensive but loaded with character and a lot of equipment.