Suzuki Celerio - exemplary baby
Contrary to appearances, building a small city car that meets the expectations of buyers in price and quality, and at the same time profitable for the manufacturer, contrary to appearances, is a very difficult task. VAG recently managed to do just that, and now Suzuki is joining them with the Celerio. Luckily.
Why lucky? Many old car marketers offer A-segment cars, but my impression is that what they offer is either too expensive, or reconfigured, or transplanted live from developing countries, so it's not what the Europeans want. Until now, the segment's favorite was the offer of the German "triples", which hit the market perfectly. And finally I was offered Suzuki, whose city model Celerio surprised me a lot. Positively.
And I will say right away that not with the appearance, because this one can only please fans of Japanese animation. Looking at the Celerio, we quickly realize that design practicality was a clear priority here. The large headlights, which are an extension of the smiling grille, offer an interesting view of the world and promise a well-lit road. A short but well-proportioned bonnet and then a large, angular windshield, which also bodes well. Thanks to him, visibility in the alleys of the city will be much better. The side line is perhaps the most extravagant element of the exterior. Clear and beautiful scuff lines give the little Suzuki a bit of dynamism. The weakest-looking part is the rear of the Celerio, with comically huge bumper sides. It is clear that it was aerodynamic considerations that led me to design this element in this way, but I have to make a small plus for the appearance. And if we were looking at the beauty of the Suzuki, then the Celerio can't really count on the Red Dot Design award. But if you look at all this from the point of view of usefulness, the little Japanese has nothing to be ashamed of. Although we offended it a little by saying “small”, with a length of 3600 mm and a wheelbase of 2425 mm, the Celerio is at the forefront of the A segment.
The box-shaped, rather high body (1540 mm) makes us guess what we can find inside. The puzzle is quite simple, because in the cabin we will find a lot of space (for such dimensions), access to which is blocked by high and wide-opening doors. This fact will immediately be appreciated by parents who, when putting their children in car seats, will not have to turn into a rubber man writhing in a barely ajar small door.
The driver's seat, which is also adjustable in height, allows you to take a comfortable and correct position. This is a rather important fact, because the steering wheel is adjustable in only one vertical plane. Thanks to the large wheelbase, the manufacturer did not save on seat sizes, which will surely please taller drivers. They will also appreciate the fact that the high roofline means they don't have to rub their heads against the roof sheathing.
The back seat is supposed to hold three passengers, but I don't recommend you practice this every day. Two people or two seats - the optimal arrangement of the second row of seats. This space can be additionally used to increase the luggage compartment, which offers 254 liters (VDA) as standard. This volume is more than enough to pack larger purchases and an umbrella stroller, which is the daily transport load of a city car. If necessary, folding the rear seatbacks increases the capacity to 1053 liters.
The quality of the materials used for the Celerio's cabin is what we can expect from a car in this class. It's cheap, but not cheesy. It is in vain to look for soft plastic here, but the use of different colors and textures of the material gave a good visual effect. The fit of individual elements is not satisfactory - we did not notice any disturbing sounds during test drives. The ergonomics of the cabin is also commendable. A well-read dashboard, as well as all the necessary controls within easy reach and visibility, allow you to operate the Celerio from day one without having to get used to a new car. Add a glove compartment, storage shelves, door pockets, cup holders, and we're starting to like the Suzuki.
Under the hood of the tested model was a new three-cylinder engine (K10V) with a volume of 998 cm3. 68 HP (6000 rpm) and a torque of 90 Nm (3500 rpm) is enough to make the Celerio dynamically move around the city. The engine, with the characteristic clatter of a three-cylinder engine, revs readily and does not require too frequent gear changes. We will also not be a hindrance on the expressway. Driving at highway speeds doesn't mean agonizing and fighting to keep up. The only downside is quite a lot of noise inside - unfortunately the jamming of small cars is their Achilles heel. In Celerio, as in VAG triples, there are no rear wheel arches and it is from there that most of the noise reaches the cabin.
The Celerio's suspension features McPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the rear. The theory says that with such a combination, one cannot count on miracles in driving, and yet Celerio surprises with exemplary behavior on the road. Despite the rather high cab, the car feels great in fast corners, without too much rocking of the body and giving the driver full control over the situation. This is also supported by the precise electric power steering system, which gives a good feel to the front wheels. At the same time, when overcoming the irregularities of the hatch type, we do not feel and do not hear the knock and knock of the suspension, which is not a standard for small cars.
A 5-speed manual gearbox is responsible for transferring the drive to the front axle. The gearbox jack operates smoothly with little resistance. On the instrument panel, the computer informs us about the optimal moment for shifting gears. Following these recommendations, we can achieve an average fuel consumption below 5 l/100 km. A heavy driver's foot, combined with city traffic, can take this figure to less than 6 liters, which is a very good result. The 35-liter fuel tank gives us the comfort of not very frequent visits to the gas station.
The promotional price list for the Suzuki Celerio starts at PLN 34 for the Comfort version. air conditioning, radio and speakerphone. The Premium version, PLN 900 more expensive, is additionally equipped with aluminum rims, front fog lamps and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors.
Suzuki Celerio is an interesting combination of small dimensions, well-used space, good driving performance and an attractive price. All these elements give it a chance to take away from competitors a large part of the market, and buyers to choose from an even wider range of models.
