Report 2

They say that size isn’t everything, but I beg to differ – although not in the direction you might think. Our dinky Suzuki Swift Sport is perfectly pint-sized for our frequently congested narrow roads. The fact is that new cars are typically bigger than what came before, but our roadways remain unchanged. From parking to popping past cumbersome SUVs, this little hot hatch makes navigating the urban sprawl easy. 

This car’s small footprint is teamed with quick steering, something that gives an agile demeanour and helps you scythe through congestion. In busy towns, a combination of being compact, parking sensors, and a reversing camera allows you to take advantage of even the most opportunistic of tight parking spaces. 

One of the first things passengers remark upon is how spacious the interior feels for a compact car. This Tardis-like ‘bigger on the inside’ is the product of some intelligent packaging. The hybrid’s battery lives under the front passenger seat and so doesn’t take up any usable interior real estate. There’s also an abundance of headroom. Fans of top hats are well catered for in this hot hatch.

A brief trip to Goodwood saw this miniature marvel happily transport four adults and a small dog. Legroom in the back is adequate and large windows prevent any sense of claustrophobia. Unlike some superminis, the rear bench features generously padded posts with the back rests reclined at a comfortable angle. Our canine companion didn’t have any complaints about being placed in the boot, either.

Being the size of a roller skate also has benefits for when the going gets twisty. Roads that were once a little on the narrow side to enjoy all of a sudden become a playground for the Suzuki. Enthusiastically leaping from each bend, the added torque from its battery delivering a pleasing surge of acceleration upon corner exit. There’s loads of feel through the brake pedal, allowing you to easily manipulate the chassis by shifting weight around the car. While in high performance cars we talk about a lack of body movement being a positive, the Swift’s body roll is a nice indicator of this car’s state of play when enjoying some good roads.

It was good to stretch the little Suzuki’s legs after extensive and rather dull stints on the motorway. While a fine car for keeping pace with faster traffic, it was never designed to be an M4 hauler. Road and wind noise can become tiresome after a few hours, however, the car’s ride at speed is perfectly comfortable.

Something that’s a great asset to the Swift on long trips is Apple CarPlay. Suzuki’s native infotainment system is rather clunky and sometimes slow to respond, but plugging in an iPhone via USB gives you access to all the apps you are familiar with. All of the processing is done on the phone, so a slick user interface stays that way while you pick from Spotify’s infinite playlist.

While this Suzuki Swift Sport will be clocking plenty of motorway miles in the coming months, its more athletic traits supply welcome respite. 

Arrived 6th September 2022
Price when new £22,570
Price as tested £22,570
Economy 50.4mpg (combined) 50.3mpg (on test)
Costs None Faults None