The Suzuki Swift Sport hybrid is, um, £21k

The Suzuki Swift Sport may have been the very last hot hatchback to go turbo, but it’s one of the very first to have gone electrified. Yep, in the three great chapters of hot hatch propulsion, the Triple S has spent seemingly the least amount of time lingering in the middle.

Mind, it’s gone electrified in the mildest way possible, and still has a 1.4-litre petrol turbo up front. But its switch to mild hybrid tech is surely vital in keeping it on sale in times of stringent regulation that have seen Suzuki’s other properly fun car, the Jimny 4x4, culled from the price lists.

So fuel economy has tipped over the 50mpg mark and CO2 emissions are down from 135 to 127g/km. Not a night-and-day difference, but Suzuki has helpfully used a magical calculator that translates that into an annual saving of 129kg of CO2, which we’re told is 21 Olympic swimming pools’ worth. Now you know.

Power is down a smidge (at 127bhp) but torque is up (173lb ft) and spread across more of the rev range. Even so, the 0-62mph time has climbed a whole second – to 9.1secs – making this the slowest accelerating SSS yet. But if the alternative is no swift Swift at all, then are we really fussed? It’s hardly like this has been a car sold for its boisterous performance anyway.

Though given its new price tag, a lack of boisterous performance could be an issue. The Swift Sport now costs - drumroll - £21,570. Several grand more than it used to, which in turn was several grand more than its predecessor. It's no longer a budget option, then, though Suzuki's made the wise move of concocting a £249 a month lease deal to sweeten the pill.

The hybrid system is clever, too. Thankfully. While lesser Suzukis use a 12v mild hybrid system, this is a full 48v iteration like you’ll find in Audi S and Mercedes-AMG models. Electricity never directly powers the wheels, but instead helps start the engine and fill in torque below 2,000rpm, the point at which the turbocharger is on full boost. It also helps the car ‘coast’ during dull motorway miles.

Electrical energy is accrued when decelerating and braking. All told, it adds 15kg to the Swift’s skinny kerb weight – so it’s still only 1,025kg – with the battery and converter placed beneath the front seats for best weight distribution.

How it affects the Sport’s character, we’re keen to find out. The third-gen hot hatch is softer than the raw, rev-happy versions that went before it - a point of contention in the TG office - and hybridisation has surely only softened it more. But there are sops to making it more fun, with the manual gear shift tightened up and a smarter sports exhaust.

Worried? Or just glad it’s still allowed space in Suzuki showrooms?