Suzuki Swift Sport inbound with 1.4 turbo and manual gearbox

Suzuki’s third-generation Swift hatch has only just rolled onto Australian soil, but plans are already afoot to give the range a tracksuit-clad variant.

Due next year, the next chapter in the Suzuki Swift Sport story is expected to make use of the same 103kW/220Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged inline four that powers the 2017 Vitara S Turbo and S-Cross Turbo – a big shift for the Swift Sport, which has up until now been powered by revvy naturally-aspirated engines.

Power and torque stats for the Sport are still a closely-guarded secret, but with Suzuki’s next-generation pocket rocket expected to weigh well below 1000kg it may not need to equal the outputs of more muscular light hot hatches.

Rivals like the Polo GTI and Clio RS may flex in excess of 140kW from their bigger turbo four-pots, but both weigh over 300kg more than the heaviest Swift currently on sale: the 915kg Swift GLX Turbo.

Suzuki’s less-is-more strategy would allow it to compete on an even footing in power-to-weight terms, though we wouldn’t discount the potential for a more powerful Swift-specific version of the 1.4-litre turbo engine (below) to eventuate. Even if it doesn't, the turbocharged Swift Sport will boast more firepower than the outgoing naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre Swift Sport, which only developed 100kW/160Nm.

And while the second-generation Swift Sport’s automatic derivative used a fun-sapping CVT, its replacement should ditch that in favour of a conventional six-speed automatic with shift paddles – equipment which is already fitted to every Vitara S Turbo in this country.

Driving purists should also take comfort in the knowledge that a manual transmission should be offered alongside that automatic transmission.

Typical performance-oriented touches like larger brake hardware, tauter suspension and steering settings, body-hugging front seats, sportier bumper plastics and unique wheels should round out the rest of the Swift Sport package. Our rendering is only an indication of what’s to come.

There’s also the potential for a manual version of the 1.0-litre Swift GLX to join the local range as well. Suzuki Australia admits that though manual transmission uptake is extremely low in this country, it would consider adding a manual-equipped GLX Turbo to the line-up if the demand was there.

Expect to hear more about the new Suzuki Swift Sport toward the end of the year, potentially as early as the Tokyo Motor Show in late October.