Suzuki makes a splash in small hatch market
22/01/09 15:17 Filed in: Road
tests
I cannot pretend I was hugely excited
by the prospect of the Suzuki Splash. I was certainly hopeful that
it would prove surprisingly pleasant for a small 1.2-litre
supermini and I was not disappointed.
In the same way as the Vauxhall Agila, to which the Splash is very closely related, grew on me last summer for its ability to cover the ground and carry four passengers in reasonable comfort, so it was with the Splash.
It is small. You realise that, when you go round the back and find that a standard size recycling box won’t fit, withoout lowering one of the back seats. But, this is a very compact car – just 3.7 metres long, to be precise.
But, it did carry myself and three adult passengers in (reasonable) comfort. The convenience was aided by the four good-sized passenger doors which made it much easier to get in and out, than with the traditional three-door small hatch.
As of this month (January 2009) you can get three different engine sizes for the Suzuki Splash. The range now starts with a new one-litre model which comes in at £8,350. My test car was the 1.2 and there is also a 1.3-litre diesel.
The 1.2-litre feels a little faster than the actual figures suggest, thanks to its willing and free-revving nature. Acceleration 0-62 mph takes 12.3 seconds. Economy is good and you should easily top 40 mpg on the open road, with 50 mpg being a very realistic prospect. Carbon dioxide emissions on the 1.2-litre are 131 g/km – 11 g/km more than the base one-litre model.
It’s a cheeky little hatchback and that personality helps to make it more fun than might be expected. The interior is nicely laid out – although the added-on rev counter that sprouts Smart-style from the top of the dashboard is a little quirky.
With a price tag of £8,850 the Suzuki Splash is £290 cheaper than the equivalent Vauxhall Agila.
In the same way as the Vauxhall Agila, to which the Splash is very closely related, grew on me last summer for its ability to cover the ground and carry four passengers in reasonable comfort, so it was with the Splash.
It is small. You realise that, when you go round the back and find that a standard size recycling box won’t fit, withoout lowering one of the back seats. But, this is a very compact car – just 3.7 metres long, to be precise.
But, it did carry myself and three adult passengers in (reasonable) comfort. The convenience was aided by the four good-sized passenger doors which made it much easier to get in and out, than with the traditional three-door small hatch.
As of this month (January 2009) you can get three different engine sizes for the Suzuki Splash. The range now starts with a new one-litre model which comes in at £8,350. My test car was the 1.2 and there is also a 1.3-litre diesel.
The 1.2-litre feels a little faster than the actual figures suggest, thanks to its willing and free-revving nature. Acceleration 0-62 mph takes 12.3 seconds. Economy is good and you should easily top 40 mpg on the open road, with 50 mpg being a very realistic prospect. Carbon dioxide emissions on the 1.2-litre are 131 g/km – 11 g/km more than the base one-litre model.
It’s a cheeky little hatchback and that personality helps to make it more fun than might be expected. The interior is nicely laid out – although the added-on rev counter that sprouts Smart-style from the top of the dashboard is a little quirky.
With a price tag of £8,850 the Suzuki Splash is £290 cheaper than the equivalent Vauxhall Agila.