The Swift Sports are the official rental cars on the Nurnburgring Nordschleife and that tells a lot. Not only it is a relatively fast and fun car, but it can handle track usage in stock form without falling apart - no wonder the germans dont rent out Up and Polo GTIs on their most famous racetrack

4 seconds on that small track is huge

Up Gti: Can't have power understeer if you've got no power!

And the Suzuki will still be going after 10 years and 200,000 miles

I work in a dealership and suzuki being one of the branches, I can say that swifts are incredibly reliable comparing to its competitors, Engines are bulletproof, i have only ever seen 1 engine removed out of a swift due to lack of servicing...

For folks who can't afford to spend too much on petrol but still want fun with a modest engine underneath the bonnet. The Sukuki Swift Sport looks like great fun! I hear Suzuki has great relaibilty too :)

The new Swift Sport is a mean little thing. I do have a soft spot for the previous model, its looks and eager engine plus its *much* cheaper insurance grouping, but the new one appears to be very accomplished.

I fell in love with the UP gti as soon as I saw it. If you want a car that takes you back to nova sr, fiesta mk2s and mk1 golfs it’s perfect. You can’t help but drive it like a yobbo and it’s not fast enough to really get into much trouble and it’s a GTI! The swift is gorgeous too. But it’s the up for me.

Nowadays I watch the Fifth gear videos that feature a VW for one reason. I listen out to hear the presenters praise the VW... It happens all the time... "The brakes aren't quite as sharp as the Swift but they have got a nicer feel..."???? Even if the VW is not as good as the other car, they still find a way to glorify them. What the actual f***......

The Swift Sport and Up Gti, are not even in the same price category. A Suzuki Swift Sport now retails for over £21,000, whilst the latest Up Gti comes in at nearly £5000 cheaper. The Swift Sport is faster and more powerful, and so it should be, as its now close to a Vw Polo Gti in list price

Every car reviewer about any German car: It's worse in every objective way, but it FEELS better engineered.

OK LET ME CLEAR THIS UP GTI -- SWIFT SPORT --POLO GTI 115 HP 140 HP 200 HP 1.0 1.4 2.0 354 cm 384 cm 406 cm SWIFT IS IN THE MIDLE AND NEITHER POLO OR UP ARE ITS 100% RIVALS !!!!

Suzuki ftw. Loving my 07 Swift Sport

I love my swift sport, but I had a friend take around sandown race track in a standard up! And it was seriously the most amount of fun I have had in a car on track, ultra slow but we had a blast

I was thinking or the up or Suzuki. Was a hard choice but i got it. I got the new swift 2020 sport. And iam not regret it so far (8 months later)

My 2014 Suzuki Swift might not be the best car ever, but Swift hands down is one of the most reliable hatchback there is

The swift also comes with a vgt turbo which is pretty amazing. Strange how nobody talks about this

Now do a hot lap in the Suzuki with the traction control on and lets see how it goes, hardly fair with it being different for both cars.

Over £4000 difference in price. That makes the Up Gti a bargain in itself, and at just over £14,000 on the road, it has no real rivals in that price bracket.

Ah if only Suzuki puts the 1.4 and 6 speed in the new jimny.

Question: Why does a VW GTi have seats from an '80s Fiat Panda? I'm surprised you didn't fall out of the window when cornering

I’m delighted with my yellow Suzuki sport and if you look hard enough you shouldn’t have to pay list price of 18k I got a new one for just 15 k and 6 months and lots of smiles too

I would go for Swift, more space and a little more fun.

So the Swift is a B segment car and it has pretty much the same footprint with more space, uses a 1.4L engine with a 6 speed, and manages to be 100kgs lighter than the UP! But Plato, blind by VW premium fakery badge snobbism says the VW is better engineered. Whilst being the more boring car, with worse seats, notchy gear change and any lack of feel other than crashing into every single road depression where’s the Suzuki rides really well for what it is. Yet again he states the VW to have a more quality feel. I don’t get motoring journalist these days... By the way I drove both and e en at 3 to 4 grand more expensive I know which one I would take 😉

Swift ZC32s 2014 model here :D Love it to peices

Up gti can easily push 150bhp with exhaust and intake... That might just even the playing field while still holding a significant saving in price.. 😂

Great video!

Pleas grafic vizualization parameter this cars

In my opinion reliability is just as important as practicality when it comes to sub compact cars. I would take a built in Japan Yaris or Fit because of that.

#BringTiffBack

Alright, I test drove both of them and I did end up with the swift sport. The steering feel and understeer can be easily solved by changing out to larger PS4s or even semi-slicks tyres. Real 0-60 time is 7.2 seconds for swift. And everyone forgets about the fact that the swift is fully loaded in tech. But I guess it's sad for you guys since we can get it for around 15k pounds. Honestly that 5k pounds, you really get what you pay for, and if you have spare change, the swift is your blank canvas, a plethora of tuning parts from all over the world cause it's JDM. And no it's not made in India or something, swift sport is made in japan.

What does the Fiesta ST do around this track?

The Up doesn't have the power to understeer. Swift is just another level than the up!

Wouldnt say these cars are direct rivals. The ups rivals are more like twingo gt, panda 100 and abarth surely?

The Swift Sport has never been the full RRP since Launch always being offered at a discount £16,499 then £16,999. So all the talk of it being too expensive are nonsense IMO. However there are Suzuki Dealers currently offering in stock brand new un-registered Swift sports on Autotrader for around 14k probably due to the current state of the British car market and the Swift having a face-lift next year, by all accounts the Swift Sport will be a mild hybrid in 2020!

What a surprising outcome. A lighter more powerful car beats a slower heavier one. Who'd have thought..

Japanese ❤️

Mk2 Swift Sport for me I think and enough change to take a few decent road trips and do a couple of track days

In my country where there is snow on the winterseason only the german cars last above 10 years, the japanese cars are not protected enough from the roadsalt. And espacelly not suzuki. The only reason the german cars are scored low in some relibility statistics is because of their electrical issues, not hardwear.

Nice video 👍

Swift all the way. Better reliability too

Isnt swift rather a polo competitor?

Im so confused why they compared a 1 litre 3 cylinder turbo to a 1.4 turbo petrol .... Good vid tho

I like both!

Good stuff fifth gear...

Do this again with the swift and up but add the Kia picanto GTS line

4 seconds is another world

Nice combination

1.4turbo vs 1.0 turbo. £13k vs £18k. Anyone buying a, pocket rocket would not compare these 2 on price alone. Noone who is looking at either £13k or £18k would look at the other. Pointless comparison.

VW Up GTI 115hk/200nm Suzuki Swift Sport 140hk/220nm Data is taken from all the standard cars who has been chipped, and the start effect is showing. Therefore... Swift have 25hk more than the UP, and 20NM more. So i think it is normally that the Swift take the lead here. I think the correct image will be, if they give the UP a chip, and get about 140hk, and 240nm. Then the true will come...

The cameras they use are pretty bad

Put tires and wheels on the swift and it'll punch well above its weight My non sport 2011 with re003 slayed a polo gti

Swift VS Polo??

Definitely good car but need some Bridgestone rubber

Where's Tiff?

Not bad for the up! Considering the differences in power

It’s less understeer in the Up cause it’s slower in ever corner than the swift. Lol Swift just needs better tires to match the speed.

Way less understeer in the up..... Yes because its to slow to generate it. You would think these guys would actually have a clue.

how would the abarth 500 fare?

3:57 i'm not sure, maybe because tyres

I always find these "head to head" tests around the track a bit pointless, how many people seriously take it into account if they are buying a car like this to use in the real world? The Swift is damn expensive for such a small car, the VW price point seems so much more reasonable. Personally I would rather hear a review of someone who had driven both cars for a week or so in the real world, so we can get a flavour of the good and bad points of both motors. Insurance group, can an adult fit in the back, what's it like on a long journey, road tax, fuel economy etc. The performance in a straight line or round a corner is important if you are buying a hot hatch, but I would like to know if it is a car you can use as a daily driver in reasonable comfort. Just saying car journos...

Absolute rubbish comments saying the up is better engineered and better chassis can’t stand that prat Plato never have

On the road and for smiles per pound the Up! is a long way ahead.

hmm more grip = tires !

Get a stage 1 on the UP GTI and you will see zee Gerrman power

I wish people would stop comparing these cars. They're not even in the same Car Class. Nevermind the price difference between the two...

So the Swift is still Fifth Gear's favorite I suppose

The look of this newest Swift is weird, and not in a good way. The previous one looked a lot better.

i love that swift

I wish VW would sell the Up and Polo in the US.

Japan Suzuki swift

3 years late Fifth Gear?

The UP has flat seats and rear drum brakes...hardly a GTI.

The Swift is the Ultimate low budget funcar Hell yeah. The VW better quality haha.

Swift 5 door Up 3, so also more practical.

おーっ！すごい⤴⤴

KL 68

Let’s not forget that the Suzuki swift sport has more equipment than the vw up gti

UP GTI is basically a marketing scheme from VW. Raking in money from those who want a actual gti, but cannot afford it. Better off buying a citigo, mod it. and save 4K.

I would take the Swift but this current version looks pricey.

You've compared two different classes of car? The direct comparison to the swift (size / price) is the Polo GTI, which would absolute embarrass the Swift on track. Its like comparing a Golf GTI to a Focus RS. Obviously the focus will win as its a different class of power

Race a 3.5lt and a 7lt ?? Who would win. Pointless race.

The Swift is a (fugly) white good, the Up! is interesting and fun

The UP better engineered? My neighbor has one. I always give him a lift to the workshop.

I'll take the swift thanks...the up is just a vw and less practical

There is no point in this comparison. Polo is heavier and less powered. it's gonna definitely loose, Just Common Sense is enough to think that. Take two cars with same HP and Torque, and find out which one performance better, to know Which one is Engineered in the BEST WAY..Folks...That is what I feels.

bro in india this current swift build quality is literaLLY A joke

Swift sport 😉

5k difference. No competition.

Suzuki is always a better choice! 👌

Very predictable result.

Suzuki cars are easy to maintain...

and a Suzuki will generally not need unscheduled visits to a dealership, be it on a flat bed truck or not, unlike a VW.

that vw is a piece of crap, what better engineerd are u talking about, i hope are u talking about the emissions of they diesel engines:), are u paid by vw by the way???

I'd take the UP tbh, idk how it is built there but in my country, Suzukis have pathetic build quality

It would be better to have drag race between these hatches

Seems an unfair comparison - the Suzuki is 5 grand more expensive, that's about 35%, before you even factor in the Suzuki/VW badge snobbery value. I think the Up GTI is significantly better value, and is still great fun to drive. The Suzuki was always awesome as a bargain little hot hatch, but that's more in comparison to a Polo or Golf GTI segment car, not the Up.

The Suzuki all day long because of it's realiability over the VW , as a Road Inspector , I come along many VW 3 cilinder products with failures in everyday Life , never a japanese Car and that is the Truth!!!!!!

4 seconds😂. Different league. It feels more premium...... Lol..... That dash in the up is gona creak way before the swifts does.

Swift looks better and is far more practical