The new Suzuki Celerio’s launch in South Africa earlier this year was a much-vaunted affair because of three factors: 1. the new vehicle is replacing the Alto in the market the latter was doing ok;
2: the Suzuki Celerio arrived with a big claim that it’s the best-in-class interior space; and
3. the Suzuki Celerio promised best value for money, pound for pound when compared to other models in its class.
Even better news for the Celerio, at least in the SA context, is that the vehicles in the local market were not affected by the recall of Celerios in UK and other markets after a motoring magazine’s test drive discovered faults in the brake system.
So what’s really big about this hactchback? Well, size-wise it sports an upscale modern design measuring 3.6 metres long, 1.6 metres wide, and has a 2425 mm wheelbase. The car also incorporates a chrome grille with broad horizontal bars, as well as expressive bold headlights. There’s also a large tailgate which opens down to bumper level for convenient access to the cargo compartment.
There’s only one engine option which is a 1.0-litre unit delivering 50 kW at 6 000 rpm, combined with a torque peak of 90 Nm at 3 500 rpm. The combined fuel consumption figure is rated at 4.6-litres/100 km, with CO2 emissions of just 108 g/km. Power is sent to the front wheels through either a five-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed ‘automated manual’ transmission.
The Celerio is the first Suzuki model to be fitted with the marque’s new automated manual gearbox, which allows clutchless operation of a manual gearbox without the energy losses usually associated with conventional torque converter-based automatic transmissions.
Instead, the model uses an electro-hydraulic clutch actuator to change gears without the need for a clutch pedal, synchronising clutch control, gearshift and engine speed, to allow smooth operation.
Price:
Suzuki Celerio 1.0i GA MT (no service plan) – R109 900
Suzuki Celerio 1.0i GA MT Alloy (no service plan) – R112 900
Suzuki Celerio 1.0i GL MT – R124 900
Suzuki Celerio 1.0i GL MT Alloy – R127 900
Suzuki Celerio 1.0i GL AMT – R135 900
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL AMT Alloy – R138 900
Prices include a two-year/30 000 km service plan (except where it’s noted otherwise).
New Suzuki Celerio ticks all the boxes of fun, reliability
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