Suzuki Australia has launched the follow up to the original "pocket rocket", and expanded the current Swift model range, with the unveiling of the new Suzuki Swift Sport. The hot hatch with European styling adds another vehicle that combines performance and affordability to the existing Suzuki line up.

The Swift Sport name will be adopted globally and the vehicle has already been launched onto the domestic market of Japan to rave reviews and sales. Since its launch in February last year, the Suzuki Swift has received world wide accolades taking out Car of The Year titles in various publications and from various organisations in New Zealand, Iceland, UK, China, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan and Australia.

The 'sports' look is matched by a larger capacity sports tuned 1.6 litre VVT engine that puts out a maximum output of 92kW at 6,800rpm compared with the Swift's 1.5litre with 75kW at 6,000rpm. The power to weight ratio is competitive with many of the hot hatches currently available on the Australian market.

In terms of safety, the Swift Sport features front, side and curtain airbags, but disappointingly, does not include electronic stability control. The standard model Swift did perform reasonably well in EuroNCAP crash testing, recording 4 (out of 5) stars for adult occupant protection.

It will be interesting to see how the Swift competes with the myriad of other hot hatches hitting the Australian market. Available in Australia in a five door manual, the Swift Sport is priced from $23,990.

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