2021 Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid Review – CarBuyer.com.sg

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Interior and Design
Page 3: Driving Experience
Page 4: Conclusion and comparing the old and new Swift Sport models

Conclusion and Competition

Given the current regulations about CO2 emissions surcharges and COE prices, this car could have been a lot more expensive. Yet the mild hybrid drivetrain and small engine has allowed the car to fall into the A2 VES band, giving it a S$15,000 rebate factored into the sale price. It also just sneaks into the Category A COE class, making it the only enthusiast’s performance car that is also quite eco-friendly in Singapore.

Yes there really is nothing else for the price – the European hot hatches have long evolved into mega monsters. Even the VW Golf GTI was S$180k with COE, when it was last listed, the Polo GTI long phased out, and nothing else in the compact hot hatch segment exists with the Toyota GR Yaris also around S$180k.

Over four days, we recorded an average fuel economy of 6.5l/100km, and that’s with some spirited driving thrown into the mix, and that’s pretty impressive for a car that offers this much fun.

The similarly sized Nissan Note e-Power has no enthusiast’s variant, and the same is true of the Honda Jazz Hybrid. The Suzuki Swift Sport’s cult appeal is that it’s not a car designed for straight line sprints, but on a racetrack or winding back road, no other car offers a driving enthusiast as much thrill for the price. 

Suzuki Swift Sport Hybrid

Looking Back: The Original Suzuki Swift Sport

The 2007 Suzuki Swift Sport with its eager-to-rev 1.6-litre, DOHC four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual gearbox was a massive sales success at the time of its launch, and plenty are still running in Singapore with mileage in excess of 200,000km. On paper, it’s actually quicker than the new car. It has an official 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 8.9 seconds, but the by-now old-school engine, even with Suzuki’s variable valve timing, needs some revs to bring out the best of the car. Fuel economy is in the 8l/100km region, not too shabby but the new Swift Sport’s mild hybrid drive has improved this figure by a fair bit.

Driving dynamics has also taken a large step forwards over the generations, and while the 2007 was already lively with a premium feel, the 2021 version raises the game even further.

What’s incredible here is that the basic architecture of the Swift Sport, from the driving position to the interior layout has remained largely unchanged because the original design was spot-on. Later facelift versions of the ZC31S had the split-level boot floor, which ironically reduced boot space so it was eventually dropped in later generations. 

In case you were wondering, the example picture here wears a non-factory front intake grille from the old Suzuki Sport range, now rebranded as Monster Sport.

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