The Suzuki Swift has made its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show in the same sporty yellow colour as the previous digital unveil.
For the first time, the Swift Sport will be offered with a turbocharged petrol motor rather than the normally aspirated motor that previous generations had. The K14C 1.4-litre Boosterjet mill makes 140hp at 5,500rpm and 230Nm at 2,500-3,500rpm. Power is sent exclusively to the front wheels of the hot hatch via a six-speed manual.
The third-generation Swift Sport, weighing just 970kg, is 50mm longer than the standard Swift at 3,890mm, and is 1,735mm wide and 1,500mm tall. The ground clearance is unchanged from the Euro-spec Swift at 120mm. To match its sporty aspirations, the hot hatch gets a new radiator grille, bumper design, front lip spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser, 17-inch alloy wheels and dual exhaust pipes.
The interiors carry on the sporty motif with a red-stitched leather-wrapped steering wheel, bucket seats with red stitching and ‘Sport’ badging, stainless steel pedals and red highlights on the dashboard, central console, door panels and in the instrument panel.
While we know that the new Swift will debut at the Auto Expo 2018, Maruti has not confirmed whether the hot hatch version will come to India. However, the likelihood of the Swift Sport coming to India with the 1.4-litre motor is high. If brought to the Indian market, the Swift Sport would rival the likes of the Fiat Abarth Punto, the Volkswagen Polo GTI and Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS.
Uday Singh
Suraj Viswanathan
Lenny D'sa
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
