Category Archives: Suzuki

SUV/4X4, Suzuki

Vitara has lasting appeal

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Suzuki Vitara Hybrid

By Bill McCarthy

It could be argued that the Vitara is a bit of an everyman car, with broad appeal ticking virtually all the boxes. It is a stylish looking compact SUV that attracted attention, especially in its two-tone livery, is powered by Suzuki’s latest Boosterject/hybrid combination, is hugely practical with various boot space combinations and is more than capable off-road.

Add to that an attractive price tag and you can see the appeal.

While Suzuki has now linked up with Toyota to share models and technology, the Vitara remains a mainstay of the Suzuki brand.

It’s a tough segment to operate in, but Suzuki is keeping pace with technology and during its 50th anniversary year in 2020 the Vitara received an even higher specification with 48V Hybrid technology, while at the same time the latest ALLGRIP ‘Select’ four-wheel drive became available as optional equipment on SZ-T and SZ5 models, again marking 50 years of Suzuki 4×4 technology.

The firm is proud of the design with tapering roofline with silver roof rails, the familiar clamshell bonnet raked windscreen and distinctive chrome grille, chrome lower bumper, smart headlight clusters and LED daytime lamps. To the rear it features smart wraparound clusters with LED display and privacy glass.

The contrasting black roof, door mirrors and wheel arch guards give it a particularly eye-catching appeal. 

The interior is smart and airy, with solid and robust switchgear. The centrepiece, touchscreen, although looking slightly dated now, controls a number of major functions including infotainment and navigation and connectivity via smartphones.

There’s also bags of headroom and legroom is good, while the seats are comfortable and fully adjustable and the commanding driving position is a bonus.

The single-choice powerful turbocharged 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine, mated to the auto gearbox, delivers pace and economy. It is quick off the mark, hitting 60mph in just over 10 seconds.

Pretty impressive for a four-wheel drive car. The engine set is paired with Suzuki’s lightweight Integrated Starter Generator, or ISG, 48v lithium-ion battery and 48V-12V (DC/DC) converter. These drive some low power components and adds an extra boost to acceleration.

The ISG is charged by the battery which is in turn re-charged as the car brakes and decelerates.

The base model includes seven airbags, assisted braking; collision avoidance system, alloy wheels, LED projector headlamps for low and high beam, DAB Radio with CD, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, auto air conditioning and front and auto headlights and wipers.

The SZ-T model driven here adds 17-inch alloy wheels, white stitching for seat trim fabric, Smartphone link audio and navigation system, keyless entry with start button and panoramic sunroof.

Practicality and versatility are key with this kind of vehicle and it offers bags of stowage space. With the rear seats in place, there are 375 litres of space available increasing to 1,730 with the rear seats folded. There is also a hidden compartment space under the boot floor cover.

Handling is decent with little evidence of wallow when cornering and the ride is comfortable enough.

The car is also packed with safety kit to deliver a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating. Equipment includes seven airbags, lane departure warning and lane departure prevention; blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.

There is plenty of competition out there in this segment, but the Vitara remains an impressive performer.

Factfile

Suzuki Vitara 1.4 SZ-T Hybrid

Price: £28,399

Mechanical: 129ps, 1,373cc, 4cyl petrol engine and electric motor driving front wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 118mph

0-62mph: 10.2 seconds

Combined mpg: 45.2

Insurance group: 23

CO2 emissions: 142g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 mile

Electric/hybrid, Estate/Sport Tourer, Suzuki

Suzuki makes space with the Swace

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Stunning addition to line-up

By Bill McCarthy

MANY people may be wondering about two new Suzukis appearing on the scene, the size of both bucking the trend of the firm’s small car/offroad reputation.

Both the new Swace and SUV Across are models launched from the Suzuki /Toyota collaborative Business agreement which saw both firms take a stake in each other.

The oddly-named Swace is based on the Toyota Corolla Hybrid Estate with Suzuki signature front design changes, re-badged essentially, but manufactured in the UK with exports to Europe.

It features two models, SZ-T and SZ5 models, both lavishly equipped, and featuring a 1.8 litre petrol engine with 53kW electric motor to deliver excellent economy and low CO2 emissions.

It is a large car which has room for five adults with a spacious interior and loads of stowage space. It also features a comprehensive array of safety kit.

It is striking looking, sleek and muscular with a large honeycomb pattern deep grille, slim headlights, integrated roof rails and eye-catching 19-inch alloy wheels.

The interior too, feels high end and features  quality upholstery with soft touch finish throughout, powered leather seats, multi-function steering wheel and the centrepiece tablet-style touchscreen which controls sound system and connectivity through Apple CarPlay Android Auto and MirrorLink for smartphones, which is vital as it does not feature its own sat nav.

Standard specification is good with the ‘entry’  SZ-T model featuring dural zone automatic air conditioning, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, rear parking camera and radar cruise control.

‘It has a roomy, executive feel with ambient lighting, soft touch finish offset with chrome and silver accents’

This tested SZ5 model further adds auto door locking, park assist with parking sensors and wireless phone charging tray.

It has a roomy, executive feel with ambient lighting, soft touch finish offset with chrome and silver accents, with sturdy fixtures and fittings throughout. Another neat touch is the S-Flow air conditioning.

This uses a detection control function to ensure that air conditioning is only provided to occupied seats. It also takes the set temperature, ambient temperature, interior temperature and sunlight into account to maintain optimum cabin comfort. Head and legroom are among the best in class with 

On the road, the petrol/electric combo mated with CVT transmission, works well to deliver excellent economy and low emissions. Performance from the petrol engine and electric motor produces 122PS with economy of around 64mpg. And as this is the kind of vehicle that could appeal to business users, emissions of 99g/km puts it in the 24 per cent bracket for Benefit in Kind taxation purposes.

Acceleration, if you will pardon the pun, is not exactly electric, hitting 60mph in around 11 seconds. The hybrid system selects an electric motor, engine or both depending on driving conditions.

It is also equipped with an EV drive mode function where the vehicle is driven solely by its electric motor with power supplied from the battery. This mode can be used for driving short distances in low emissions zones.

The driver also has two other drive modes: 

NORMAL, as the name suggests, ECO, which helps the driver deliver better fuel economy through more gradual throttle response and minimal air-conditioning use. This mode is useful during stop-and-go city driving.   

SPORT boosts acceleration, and sharpens acceleration and handling.

The car does sit low to the road with consequently benefits handling characteristics, and is designed to reduce body roll around corners, improving stability and contributing to a smoother ride.

Stowage space is excellent with 596-litres available, while the rear carpeted floorboard can be placed in a lower position to store taller objects and is also reversible with a resin backside that can be used for stowing wet or dirty items.

Space is further increased using the remote lever to fold down the second row of seats for a flat floor and maximum stowage capacity of 1,606 litres.

There are other convenient oddment spaces and cup holders throughout the cabin.

It is packed with hi-tech stuff including intelligent parking on this test model. Fitted as standard on the SZ5 model, S-IPA assists the driver when reversing into a parking space, parallel parking, or departing from a parallel parking space, by providing audio and visual guidance while automatically operating the steering wheel. The system uses ultrasonic wave sensors for sensing and allows accurate parking even in narrow spaces.

Other safety measures include Pre-Collision System which detects  other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists; Lane Tracing Assist which adjusts the steering if it veers off on a marked road; traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitor and rear crossing traffic alert.

Factfile 

Suzuki Swace 1.8 Hybrid SZ5

Price: £29,299

Mechanical: Combined 122PS, 1798cc, four cylinder petrol engine and 53 kW electric motor driving front wheels via CVT gearbox

Max speed: 112 mph 

0-62mph: 11.1 secs 

Combined mpg: 64.2 (WlTP)

Insurance group: 17E  

CO2 emissions: 99 g/km 

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles