Suzuki’s slice of city car cake

The city car market has been rejuvenated in recent years.

Volkswagen’s superb little Up (and its sister cars from Skoda and Seat) along with the Hyundai i10 and strong products from Kia and Vauxhall makes it a sector packed with talent.

Suzuki has always been good at building small cars, however and will be hoping its new Celerio can carve out a slice of the city car cake.

Built in Thailand, it replaces both the Alto and Splash models, which Suzuki has pensioned off.

With prices starting from £6,999 it competes very well when you price compare it with most of its main rivals.

Only the ultra-budget range from Dacia undercuts it significantly.

There are three trim levels – SZ2, SZ3 and SZ4.

The SZ2, which was added to the range after launch to offer a cheaper entry price, comes with a CD player and digital radio, front and side airbags, front electric windows and remote central locking.

SZ3s add electric windows in the rear, ESP stability control, air conditioning, alloy wheels, USB, Bluetooth connectivity and remote central locking.

The even higher-equipped SZ4 model I drove adds polished alloy wheels, rear electric windows, front fog lamps, body coloured door mirrors and chrome front grille.

The Celerio’s trump card is its roominess. At 254 litres it has the biggest boot in its class. However, it isn’t just the boot that’s spacious.

Although city cars such as the Up have worked miracles squeezing space into small packages, the Suzuki’s slightly larger dimensions gives it the edge when it comes to passenger room.

Two fully-grown adults can fit in the back seats and there are three rear seatbelts, meaning the car can carry five when it needs to – something not all its rivals can do.

Buyers have the choice of two onelitre, three-cylinder petrol engines. There’s the standard model I drove and a more efficient “Dualjet” unit that boosts economy.

Both versions have 68bhp. With a 0-62mph time of 14 seconds the Celerio’s never going to set the heather alight but it feels nippier than this figure suggests.

It has quick, light steering, which made it easy to drive in Dundee’s rush hour traffic.

Handling is safe rather than dynamic and Suzuki seems to have made a conscious decision to go for a more comfortable ride rather than try to make a winning driver’s car.

Running costs should be low. On top of that competitive purchase price, all models are exempt from VED brackets (although that will change from 2017 when the Chancellor’s new tax bands come into effect). Fuel economy on standard cars is 65.7mpg and Dualjet units average 78.5mpg – an astonishing figure for a petrol car, even one with a small engine.

I achieved economy in the high fifties without trying very hard at all, suggesting that – unlike many cars – the Celerio does get close to its official economy figures.

Take the Celerio out of its natural urban environment and it acquits itself well enough. You can sit at 70mph without being deafened by wind, road or engine noise.

At the end of the day, Suzuki doesn’t have the might of Volkswagen or Hyundai and the Celerio won’t sell in the numbers the Up or i10 does. Yet it’s good enough to be a worthwhile alternative to these cars. Those people who do decide to go for something different should be pleased with their choice.