The last few years have not been good for the hot hatch, the market being utterly decimated for one reason or another. The latest to meet its end is the humble Suzuki Swift Sport, one of the very last of the truly small, lightweight hot hatches, which is being seen off in its home country of Japan with a commemorative Final Edition.
Japan was the only place where the warmed-over Swift was still available, the car being dropped in the UK earlier this year as Suzuki readied the electrification of much of its lineup (which went well).
Unveiled in 2017, the outgoing Swift Sport – the ZC33S, as my Swift-enjoying colleague Ryan Hirons is doubtless getting ready to tell me – launched with a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder making 138bhp and 170lb ft of torque. Modest figures, then, but with a kerb weight of just 975kg, it made good use of that power.
Europe got a new powertrain in 2020 to help the car comply with emissions rules. The engine was the same unit as before but detuned to 127bhp and augmented with a 48v starter-generator, making it a mild hybrid. It also ended up weighing a bit more than before.
Suzuki Swift Sport Final Edition – wheel detail
In Japan, though, the original more powerful, lighter version remained on sale, and it’s that which serves as the basis for the Final Edition. That means it should still deal with 62mph in 8.1 seconds and top out at 130mph.
It’s marked out on the outside by its black wheels, red brake callipers and cool ZC33S graphics on the C-pillar. The interior gets a few extra touches too, most notably those aluminium-effect inserts with an unusual blue and red gradient pattern.
Suzuki Swift Sport Final Edition – interior
Should you live in Japan and fancy paying your respects to the Swift Sport by owning one of the very last ones, you’ll need to find ¥2,329,800 (around £11,900) for a manual, or ¥2,401,300 (around £12,300) for an automatic. Holy cow, cars are cheap in Japan. Production will run from March to November next year, and then the Swift Sport will be done – although there were rumours kicking about that it could return at some point.
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