IF ONE thing Suzuki knows best is selling good, quality cars.
Talk of quality, this week the company released its latest offering: Celerio- a compact car to the South African market.
Since the economy is slowly reopening and the pandemic is under ‘control’ motoring journalists throughout the country were extended an invite to test drive this ‘beau’ at the two-day launch in Jozi.
The company has replaced the bold and angular style of the previous Celerio with a new, more rounded and more deeply sculpted body.
What caught my eye as we navigated the nauseating traffic of Jozi, were new oval grill with large S-emblem and chrome highlights that stretch beyond the grille to the teardrop headlamps. The brand new Celerio is made for the ‘City Drive’ hence the launch in the bumper-to bumper and troubled soul of Joburg.
This brightwork also disguises the fit lines of the lower moulded bumper, which help to create a bold and unified look. The lower black and body colour bumper houses the fog lights (on the GL specification level).
It features a newly fledged exterior and interior design and a new DualJet engine and is available in both manual and auto- GA and GL models.
Fuel efficiency of the 1 litre DualJet engine does not come at the expense of power delivery. The engine will deliver 49 kW at 5 500 rpm and 89 Nm at 3 500 rpm. This gives the Celerio 1.0 DualJet a theoretical output of 81 horsepower per tonne.
It might be small but the cabin boast new integrated front- and rear seats that optimise space, added a 60:40 split rear seat and reshaped the luggage bay with a flush fitting parcel shelf, luggage hooks and a deeper base (despite housing a full-sized spare) to increase loading space to 295 litres.
In the front, the dashboard has been redesigned for visibility, a sense of space, and to integrate the new 7” touchscreen infotainment system (standard on the GL specification level).
As this model traditionally spends most of its time in the city commute, Suzuki also redesigned the centre console to integrate all the main controls, including electric windows (GL), door locks (GL) and the standard air conditioning to be close at hand for both the driver and front passenger.
Albeit navigation was provided and driving partner Eric Phiri made sure all was up to scratch since at times it kept switching off- it proved a daunting task for some of my non- Gauteng based colleagues to navigate the CBD that was compounded by loadshedding and traffic that was diverted from the highway- as we made our way to lunch at The Yards 16 in Lorentzville, a stone-throw away from Eastgate.
“As our most affordable model at the time of launch in 2015, the Celerio has welcomed an entire generation of new car buyers to Suzuki. It has also won us many awards, including the winner of Best Budget Car categories in competitions such as the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards and the CAR Magazine Top 12 Competition.
“That is why we pay so much attention to the design and specification of this model, to ensure that it perfectly exemplifies our ethos of efficiency, durability and value-for-money in a compact package,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.
From the outside, the GL specification – the highest in this range – is distinguished from the GA specification by its 15” darkened alloy wheels (as opposed to 14” steel wheels with modern wheel covers) and body-coloured door handles and side mirrors
Also new to the Celerio is the Engine Automatic Start Stop (EASS) system, and on safety has been equipped with an electronic stability programme (ESP) as standard, a first in this segment, and it has two airbags across the range.
All Celerio models also have an ISOFIX restraint system for child seats as standard and the front seats have been lifted slightly for a more commanding driving position with better all-round visibility.
Tagged “a shape that moves your heart” the new Celerio is available in exclusive 7-colours and will be competing with its own S-Presso and Swift.
It sold with Suzuki’s 5 year / 200 000 km mechanical warranty and a Roadside Assistance programme for the same period. A 6-year / unlimited anti-corrosion warranty is also included as standard.
GL models also receive a 2- year / 30 000 km service plan as standard.
They range from:
GA MT- R174 900
GL MT- R194 900
GL AMT- 289 900
With the cost of economy and petrol soaring- this ‘City Car’ comes in handy.
Image (The cost efficient and new Suzuki Celerio’s now available in mzansi –a mere three months after the model’s global launch).
