S-Presso is SA’s cheapest car
Suzuki seems to have a model range for 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 has 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 sports utility vehicle (SUV) by virtue of the car’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 rangetopping derivative priced at R160,900.
Sweetening the S-Presso deal is one year’s insurance included across the range, 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 five-speed manual or five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT).
Parents seeking a first car for their teenagers will welcome the two airbags and ABS brakes as standard fitments across the S-Presso range, though the car has not yet been crash-tested. Until it is, its safety cannot be rated against rivals such as 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 is a funky looking thing with “urban adventurer” chic and comes in vibey colours including the pictured Fizzle Orange.
At just 3,565mm long, the Suzuki is tinier even than competitors such as the Kwid and
Hyundai Atos. How this translates into interior space I was unable to gauge as the S-Presso’s media launch was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak and replaced by a live YouTube presentation.
I therefore wasn’t able to see if I could squeeze my six-foot frame into the back seat — that will have to wait for when we get the car for a road test in the coming weeks — though Suzuki does quote a usefully sized 239l boot and that the rear bench seat folds down to expand the cargo capacity. As a bonus, there is a full-sized spare wheel.
For R134,900 the baseline SPresso 1.0 GL isn’t bereft of features and offers basics such as front electric windows, rear parking sensors, air conditioning, remote central locking, power steering, a digital speedometer and a trip computer.
The GL+ models get the added frill of a colour touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone Bluetooth integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, or USB and auxiliary ports. The screen also has an integrated reversing camera.
At the upper end, the S-Edition models sport an SUV-style look with a silver front grille, front and rear skid plates and protective cladding on the doors and wheel arches. The interior is also vamped up with some silver detailing. All S-Presso models run on 14-inch steel wheels.
Suzuki quotes a budgetfriendly 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 urbanfocused car, but a kerb weight of just 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.
Pricing
1.0 GL MT — R134,900 1.0 GL+ MT — R139,900 1.0 GL+ AMT — R152,900 1.0 S-Edition MT — R147,900 1.0 S-Edition AMT — R160,900