/ 26 June 2008

Suzuki SA arrives with new models in tow

The last time I drove a Suzuki was on January 20 1985. I was at the wheel of a friend’s SJ-410 4×4, on my way to Durban’s Parklands Hospital to visit my wife and newborn son, which is why I remember the date so clearly.

In my 15 years of motoring journalism there’s been nothing — nada, zilch, zip — from Delta/General Motors, which was supposedly marketing the brand but went to very little trouble to sell the excellent cars.

That’s now changed, with the arrival of Suzuki Auto South Africa, a division of Suzuki Motor Corporation, which will in future take the brand seriously. The Japanese parent company owns 85% of the fledgling car distributor, with Suzuki South Africa, the local motorcycle distributor for 44 years, owning the remaining 15%. GM has bowed out of the equation, internationally and locally.

Suzuki Auto South Africa recently kicked off its newborn enterprise by launching two new models — the internationally acclaimed Swift supermini, and the alluring and lively SX4 SUV crossover.

Suzuki Auto South Africa says that it has set its sights on selling 2 700 cars in the first seven months of operation. That works out at 385 per month, which is probably realistic for what is effectively a new brand in the country. Still, I’d say there’s no reason that figure shouldn’t double by next year. The brand has been around internationally for decades and has forged strong alliances with some of its bigger competitors. Suzukis are sold in some markets as Mazdas, Fiats and Mitsubishis, and uses Peugeot-Citroën and Renault engines in some of its own models, so its credentials are excellent.

The Swift impressed me immediately when I got behind the wheel. Launched in 2005, it’s been voted overall Car of the Year in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Uruguay, India, Ireland, Malaysia and Iceland, and it took the Small Car of the Year title in eight countries. It was also voted “Most Fun Car” in Japan for 2005 and 2006.

The little Suzuki feels lively enough at Gauteng altitudes, despite the 17% drop in power, so it should be pretty brisk at sea level, which is where I usually drive. The engine revs happily up to the red line, and the manual transmission — I never drove the auto — feels particularly impressive.

The little feels thoroughly solid and well screwed together, and all three derivatives have all the safety and comfort features one could expect or wish for at the prices.

The GL, GLS and GLS auto all use the same 74kW/133Nm 1,5-litre VVT engine, which places them near the top of the field in their capacity and price ranges. All come with front air bags, ABS brakes with EBD, air con, electric windows and a sound system.

The GLS spec models gain side air bags, steering-wheel-mounted audio-system controls, alloy wheels and front spotlights. None of these really affects the way the car performs, so the base-level Swift 1,5 GL looks particularly enticing at R116 900, inclusive of a three-year/100 000km warranty and a four-year/60 000km service plan. I predict that we have a South African Car of the Year finalist here. Pricing for the full-house GLS manual is R131 900, and the GLS auto adds an additional R13 000 to the ticket.

The second tasty morsel from Suzuki is the SX4 crossover, a car that, like the Nissan Qashqai, defies any attempt to fit it into a conventional slot. Call it a sort of large small hatchback that begs for the 4×4 version that will, in fact, be here in about a year’s time. Available in five-speed manual (R163 900) or four-speed auto (R176 900), the SX comes with a lively 107kW/184Nm two-litre engine, which places it ahead of most competitors with 1,6- or 1,8-litre engines in this price range.

As with the Swift, the SX4 feels like a quality vehicle, and the pricing came as something of a surprise to me. Performance is lively, styling attractive, spec level high and build quality good. What’s not to like?

It’s a pity that Suzuki finally got its act together in South Africa just as the market is taking a rather steep downward turn. It would have been good for it to get the numbers up while everybody was buying. On the positive side, though, Suzuki Auto South Africa has obviously sharpened its pencils with the pricing, and with money becoming as tight as it is, that’s going to be a very important factor in future.