Suzuki S-Presso SA’s cheapest car

Friday, 1 May, 2020

Suzuki has a model range for seemingly every compact-car niche there is, and until now the Celerio 1.0 hatchback occupied the bottom of the ladder, luring first-time car buyers with a starting price of R144,900.

Now the brand’s gone a rung lower with its new S-Presso, which with a base price of R134,900 becomes SA’s most affordable car. Suzuki calls it an urban SUV by virtue of the vehicle’s raised 180mm ground clearance and the “command” driving position that has become de rigueur with modern car buyers.

Imported from India, the vehicle is available in a range of five variants, with the range-topping derivative priced at R160,900. Sweetening the S-Presso deal is one-year’s insurance included across the range, together with a five-year/200,000km warranty and two-year/30,000km service plan.

The power is humble to match the budget pricing, with Suzuki’s 1.0l normally aspirated three-cylinder 50kW/90Nm petrol engine doing duty across the S-Presso line-up, paired with either a fivespeed manual or five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT).

Parents seeking a first car for their teenagers will welcome the presence of two airbags and ABS brakes as standard fitment across the S-Presso range, though the car hasn’t yet been crashtested.

Until it is, its safety cannot be rated against rivals like the Kwid which has been pilloried for its poor crash performance.

The youngsters driving it are likely to fall primarily for its looks. The S-Presso’s a funky looking thing with “urban adventurer” chic and comes in vibey colours including the pictured Fizzle Orange.

All S-Presso models run on 14-inch steel wheels. Suzuki quotes a budget-friendly 4.9l /100km consumption figure for the S-Presso, which could squeeze up to a 550km range out of the tiny 27l fuel tank.

The small engine makes the S-Presso a primarily urban-focused car, but a kerb weight of 770kg should evoke more pace than the meek power and torque figures suggest. We’ll find out once we get a chance to drive it.

One thing I can say with certainty is that automated manual transmissions are universally horrible to drive, so stick to a manual version.