The new Suzuki Swift Sport has been with us for a few months now, and although the model has historically sat in its own 'warm hatch' category, that isn't the case anymore and many comparisons are being made to other cars. So we decided to put the Swift Sport and its competitors to the test, side-by-side to see how it really compares and which car proves to be the best value for money.
To make it as straight forward as possible, we've broken things down into categories and given one point to the model which comes out on top (where two or more models are equally as good, they all score a point). And to make sure it's an even playing field, we've priced up each car with the equivalent levels of equipment, or at least as close as they can be.
So read on to find out how the Suzuki Swift Sport compares to the Ford Fiesta ST, Ford Fiesta ST-Line, VW Up! GTI & Mini Cooper.
As the Swift Sport is 5 door, we've based our comparisons on the 5 door variants of each of the other models. We also chose the Fiesta ST-2 rather than the base model ST-1 as it provides more of a like-for-like comparison.
All models we've used have a petrol engine with 6 speed gearboxes, but power and speed does vary quite significantly which in turn has an impact on fuel economy.
| Swift Sport 5dr | Fiesta ST-Line 140 5dr | UP! GTI 5dr | Fiesta ST-2 5dr | Mini Cooper 5dr |
Price | £16,999 | £18,615 | £14,455 | £20,645 | £18,045 |
Engine cc | 1373 | 998 | 999 | 1498 | 1499 |
Power Output (bhp) | 138 | 138 | 113 | 197 | 136 |
Weight (kg) | 975 | 1160 | 1070 | 1283 | 1145 |
Fuel Type | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
Transmission | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual |
Gears | 6 Speeds | 6 Speeds | 6 Speeds | 6 Speeds | 6 Speeds |
0-60 mph (Seconds) | 7.8 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 6.3 | 7.9 |
Top Speed (mph) | 130 | 125 | 122 | 144 | 129 |
Average MPG | 50 | 55 | 58 | 47 | 52 |
Fuel Capacity (litres) | 37 | 42 | 35 | 42 | 40 |
CO2 Emissions (g/km) | 125 | 116 | 110 | 136 | 123 |
Luggage Capacity (litres) | 265 | 292 | 251 | 292 | 278 |
Metallic Paint | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Rear Privacy Glass | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
Auto LED Headlights | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Folding Mirrors | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
Reversing Camera | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Electric Rear Windows | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Adaptive Cruise Control | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
AEB / Lane Departure Warning | ✔ | - | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Sat Nav | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Apple CarPlay / Android Auto | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
17" Alloy Wheels | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
LED Daytime Running Lights | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fog Lamps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
DAB Radio | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Sports Seats | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Heated Windscreen | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Sports Pedals | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
Flat-Bottomed Steering Wheel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
Automatic Air-Conditioning | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Keyless Entry & Go | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
Start / Stop Function | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Price With Extras | £16,999 | £21,685 | £16,285 | £22,715 | £23,880 |
Extra Over Swift Sport | - | £4,686 | -£714 | £5,716 | £6,881 |
Score | 24 | 16 | 14 | 22 | 7 |
*Information is accurate at time of creating in 2018
As you can see, the Swift Sport comes top overall, which is mostly due to the amount of features which come as standard when compared to the others (this isn't just us being biased!).
Whilst there's no doubt the Fiesta ST wins hands down when it comes to performance, with that comes increased running costs and reduced fuel economy which is where it scores lowest. It does however, come with a good amount of features in the ST-2 guise, but to include the same number of features as the Swift Sport you'd need to hand over an extra £5,716! The Fiesta's younger sibling, the ST-Line, sits closer on price starting at £18,615 but despite being 138bhp, it's small 1.0 turbocharged engine is nearly a second slower than the Swift Sport. It does however claim 55mpg but we think this is unlikely when it comes to 'real world' driving conditions, and when it comes to features the ST-Line also falls short needing an additional £4,686 to match the Swift Sport bumping the price up to £21,685.
Moving onto the newly released Up! GTI, it's clear to see there are some similarities but also many differences. Like the Fiesta ST-Line, the Up! GTI utilises a 1.0 turbocharged engine which provides just 113bhp. Thanks to the lighter weight of the Up! GTI, it does mean that its 0-60mph time is 0.2 seconds quicker than the Ford but still 0.7 seconds slower than the lighter Swift Sport. The new VW claims a combined MPG of 58, the highest of the group but as we've already said, the size of the engine could mean the real return is less than this. Surprisingly we couldn't spec the VW Up! GTI to the same level of the Swift Sport, as there is no option to include satellite navigation, rear electric windows or Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, but with the extras we could add the Up! came in at £16,285 which although £714 cheaper than the Swift Sport, is a sacrifice on many features.
This brings us onto the Mini Cooper; a popular car for its looks and performance but as we quickly discovered, the base model comes with very few features as standard and it costs a lot to add them on. Performance wise, the Mini is the closest contender to the Swift Sport. Both share similar sized engines, power outputs, 0-60mph times and combined fuel economy figures, but it's when you start comparing what comes as standard that the Swift Sport presents much better value for money. The Mini had just 4 items on the list as standard and would cost you an eye-watering £6,881 to bring it up to be equivalent to the Sport and is what resulted in the Mini being the worst-scoring car on the list.
Whilst it may not have been the top of everyone's shopping list, after looking at the comparisons the Swift Sport is definitely our winner. It's a great all-rounder with enough performance to keep you entertained but lower running costs than the likes of the Fiesta ST. Although its starting price is higher than the VW Up! GTI, the £714 extra money gets you a vast array of additional features some of which simply aren't available with the Up! GTI. The Mini, whilst clearly a popular choice amongst many, we feel offers poor value for money when compared to all the other cars - and due to its badge, will without a doubt cost more when it comes to servicing and maintenance.