Item: Used Suzuki Swift Sport 2018 - present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

For similar money to a used <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> Swift Sport, you could have a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/up/hatchback/used-review/n794">Volkswagen Up</a> GTI. The Up GTI is smaller and less practical, but it would be the superior choice if you wanted a little bit more refinement but&nbsp;need&nbsp;a smaller car because you live in a city where parking is at a premium.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/fiesta-st/hatchback/used-review/n17883">Ford Fiesta ST</a> is a thoroughly enjoyable performance hatch, although most examples will be the less practical three-door version, which could be a problem for those who have children that need to be put in car seats. However, it's one of our firm favourites to drive.&nbsp;

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

This particular <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> Swift Sport is still quite a recent addition to the range and has yet to throw up any major reliability issues so far.

The fuel tank is rather small at 37-litres which means that the range of the Swift is around 300 miles, which is not ideal for big trips.

Suzuki as a brand finished in a magnificent third place out of 31 manufactuers in our most recent reliability survey. The regular Swift did well but it was an impressive performance from its siblings that boosted the firm's score, with the Celerio winning the city and small car class and the Vitara finishing third in the family SUV category.&nbsp;

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Hatchback

Suzuki is well known as a motorcycle manufacturer, but the car brand has been enjoying decent success in recent years, thanks to a line-up of neat, well-equipped and keenly priced models.

Its expertise focuses on smaller cars, although its high-riding SUV range is also hugely credible, especially the Ignis and Vitara, which are both rated highly by What Car?’s testers and which have enjoyed success at the What Car? Awards as a result.

Well priced, decent to drive and full of useful tech, Suzuki’s cars also generally stand out for delivering good fuel economy. The Ignis, Celerio and Baleno have all stood head and shoulders above the competition during our True MPG testing.

SUZUKI

Swift Sport

The perky Suzuki Swift Sport is a great choice for those seeking a used, pint-sized hot hatch.

Used Suzuki Swift Sport 2018 - present

<h3 dir="ltr">MPG</h3>

The Swift Sport only has one engine option which is a 138bhp 1.4-litre petrol. Suzuki provides both an&nbsp;NEDC economy figure of 50.4mpg and a more realistic <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/what-are-wltp-and-rde-new-fuel-tests-explained/n1223">WLTP</a> figure of 47.1mpg. Not bad in a hot-hatch.

<h3 dir="ltr">Car tax</h3>

All examples of the Swift Sport will have been registered after 1 April 2017 which means that it’ll cost you £145 per year in road tax.

<h3 dir="ltr">Servicing</h3>

Servicing costs are in line with rivals and you can even take out a service plan that covers three years' worth of maintenance costs on any Suzuki model up to six years of age.

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The perky Suzuki Swift Sport is a great choice for those seeking a used, pint-sized hot hatch.

Prices for a Swift Sport at the time of writing start at £12,000 for an early 2018 version. Expect to spend between £13,000 to £15,000 on a good condition, low mileage, full service history car from late 2018 or even 2019, while £15,000 should net you a nearly new 2020 car.

There’s very little to add here because there’s only one combination&nbsp;of engine and gearbox with the Swift Sport. Just make sure you find the best example you can afford and that your purchase has a full service history. That way, you’ll know you’ve found the perfect car. 

Our favourite <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> Swift Sport: 1.4 Boosterjet

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Engaging handling </li> <li>Thrilling performance </li> <li>A characterful engine with an enticing soundtrack </li> <li>Reasonable running costs </li> <li>Not hard to live with day to day</li></ul>

A popular choice with UK buyers since the days of the original Volkswagen Golf GTI, the hot hatchback mixes everyday practicality with higher performance and the sort of handling and agility that’s ideally suited to British roads. A good hot hatch should be fun and, since it’s likely to be your daily drive, it should also deliver respectable running costs.

The Golf GTI remains one of the best hot hatches on the market, along with its main competitor,&nbsp;the&nbsp;equally as responsive and cheaper to buy Hyundai i30 N. But there are some terrific options for even less money than both of these cars. We're big fans of the Ford Fiesta ST, which is definitely one of the best hot hatches ever and certainly one of the most fun to drive. It's full of character and its engaging handling makes it a bit of a hoot at all speeds.&nbsp;

If you’ve got a bit more money to spare, there are even faster cars available, such as the Honda Civic Type R. This latest version is sublime to drive, either on road or on a track, as it's so sweetly balanced. It's also incredibly quick in a straight line&nbsp;and round a corner, and yet it's as practical as a regular Civic.&nbsp;

Hot hatch

Check the rear bumper for any signs of parking damage because the Sport doesn’t come with parking sensors. You do get a colour reversing camera, but this gets covered in dirt quite easily which may obscure the view somewhat.

Make sure the brakes don’t judder when you try them on a test drive, otherwise you’ll need to budget for new ones.

The alloy wheels are diamond cut&nbsp;and, if they have suffered kerb damage, could cost you more to fix than regular painted alternatives.

Make sure the clutch engages as it should and doesn’t slip under hard acceleration. You can also access the condition of it by trying to pull away from a stop in a high gear: if the car stalls, then the clutch still has plenty of life left in it.

If we&nbsp;utilise that long-standing automotive cliché of comparing the character of a dog to that of a car, then the Suzuki Swift Sport is a little terrier. Before you groan, consider the fact that both are small, light and generally quite fearless in the face of bigger and more powerful competition. So, though it's&nbsp;a terrible trope to use, it perfectly describes the energetic Swift Sport.

To keep things simple, there’s only one engine offered in the Sport and you can only have&nbsp;a six-speed manual rather than some fancy (and weighty) dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The turbocharged 138bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine is taken from the larger <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/vitara/4x4/used-review/n882">Vitara</a> and easily has enough power to haul this 975kg Suzuki from 0-60mph is a very swift 7.6 seconds, according to our figures.

Being turbocharged, it isn’t quite the high-revving free spirit that the old <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/swift-sport/hatchback/used-review/n18252">Suzuki Swift Sport</a> was, but many will appreciate the extra low-down grunt it does have, especially when flowing down a country road; it’ll still pull you out of a corner without you needing to drop a gear or two.

Also, because it is light, you can chuck it into a bend and carry a decent amount of speed. The steering is a touch heavier than you’ll find in a regular Swift, but that suits the sportier nature of this mini hot-hatch and it feels consistent as it weights up when&nbsp;you wind on extra lock through particularly tight corners. Ride quality is surprisingly good for something with such a short wheelbase, and it’s only the really rotten bits of road surface that give you any cause for discomfort.

Inside the Swift Sport you’re greeted with lots of hard plastic surfaces, but there are plenty of sporty touches such as the flashes of red trim, perforated leather on the steering wheel, chunky sports seats and the all-important aluminium pedals to lift the overall look. You even get some gimmicky tech in the driver information display such as a g-force meter and turbo boost gauge to keep you in mind of its performance intent.

As with the regular <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/swift/hatchback/used-review/n959">Suzuki Swift</a>, the Sport isn’t the most practical small car. True, it is far better at accommodating passengers than its predecessor was, but against the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/fiesta-st/hatchback/used-review/n19133">Ford Fiesta ST</a>, it could do with having a bit more rear leg room and a bigger boot. There’s also a noticeable lip to lift items over, where most rivals offer an adjustable-height boot floor to mitigate this. However, that would have added additional weight to the car that the engineers no doubt have been trying to keep to a minimum.

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Used Suzuki Swift Sport 2018 - present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Suzuki Swift Sport hatchback?