THE now heavily congested highway to all out electrification means more and more cars that we know and love are undergoing some dramatic changes.

And one of the latest is Suzuki's ever popular hot hatch the Swift Sport, although so far the Japanese car maker has opted for a halfway house approach by offering the car as a mild hybrid.

That means it gains a 48 volt lithium-ion battery and starter generator to keep emissions down and improve economy, although the "mild" bit means it never runs on battery power alone.

The change means a 10bhp drop compared to the outgoing Swift, and while the top speed of 130 miles per hour stays the same the 0-62mph is around a second slower.

Most drivers, however, will almost certainly not notice as the Sport still feels as lively as ever and is just as much fun to drive.

And on the plus side the hybrid system has made the engine torquer and more responsive and the acceleration smoother.

This free revving pocket rocket is one of those cars guaranteed to put a smile on your face thanks to a punchy little engine which never seems to run out of grunt.

In towns and cities, however, the Swift Sport is just as happy to potter along sedately in sixth gear at around 35 miles per hour just sipping fuel.

And one of the other bonuses of the new car is just how quietly the engine re-starts having stopped at junctions and traffic lights.

If you are one of those people who normally turn off the auto stop system on your car because the noise of the constant re-starting drives you mad the Swift could be for you. The process is now almost imperceptible.

And as the battery sits below the front seats there is no loss of luggage space in the boot.

The latest Swift boasts an impressive list of safety features with everything from rear cross traffic alert to protect you when reversing out of a parking space to lane departure warning, automatic full/dipped beam headlights and blind spot monitoring.

The Tardis-like Swift with its coupe styling offers far more space for passengers than it would appear from the outside and its high stance means its suitable for the tallest of people.

And the sports seats are exceptionally comfortable while offering plenty of side support for enthusiastic drivers.

Immediately in front of the driver there's a 4.2 inch high-definition screen showing a bumper amount of information.

As well as more conventional readouts like fuel consumption and oil temperature it also shows turbo boost, engine output and torque data, acceleration and brake operation not to mention G-force tracking.

A central touch screen gives access to onboard features as well as the satellite navigation system.

The screen also double up as a very sharp monitor for a reversing camera to make parking simple.