Maruti Suzuki has usually managed to stay away from the performance segment – Are the times about to change?
The sportiest version of Suzuki Swift called Swift Sport has been spotted testing in India. This comes after a test mule of the sporty hatchback was recently spied mounted on the back of a truck’s trailer. Coincidentally, both prototypes were wrapped by a white paint scheme.
The latest Maruti Swift Sport spy shots have been clicked in Pune by automotive enthusiast Sidhant K. The rear end of the hatchback can be seen in this image, with the Swift Sport badge. In fact, the rear windshield has a sticker – ‘On Test By ARAI’. This further strengthens the possibility of the launch of Swift Sport in the country.
Maruti Swift Sport Spied
The most significant highlight in the latest spy image is a blacked-out diffusor on the rear bumper, featuring twin exhaust cans. Other highlights include a shark-fin antenna, a roof-mounted spoiler, a rear wiper and LED taillamps. The test unit rides on dual-tone alloy wheels that are different from the ones seen in the international-spec model.
Even tyres appear to have a thinner profile than usual. Front is dominated by a wider grille with blacked-out mesh internals enhancing its sporty stance. Even the front bumper is reprofiled and houses new fog lamp enclosures with blacked-out bezels. Side profile remains identical to its standard counterpart.
Maruti Swift Sport is underpinned by the same HEARTECT platform as its regular sibling. However, dynamics of the hatch have been tweaked to offer sharper ride and handling. This has been achieved by adopting a very firm suspension setup.
Expected Engine Specs
Internationally, Suzuki Swift Sport is powered by a 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbo petrol engine with an integrated 48V mild-hybrid tech. This powertrain pumps out 129 bhp and 235 Nm of peak torque while being paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. However, the India-spec model could use a different engine option.
In India, Maruti might instead offer Swift Sport a 1.0-litre Boosterjet turbo petrol engine that was offered in Baleno RS previously. This unit was good enough for 101 bhp and 150 Nm of peak torque and was exclusively offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox. This unit is essentially the same engine as the 1.0-litre K10C Dualjet petrol motor that is currently on offer in Celerio and WagonR.
If Maruti has decided to launch Swift Sport in India, it is highly unlikely that the company would bring it as a fully imported model via the CBU route. As of now, there are no specific details about its launch in the country but we expect to get more details in the next few months.
