Suzuki Celerio 2015 Review

Sometimes it’s just not worth getting out of bed. Like the day the crew at Suzuki Australia were greeted with the news the Celerio mini-car’s on-sale date would have to be delayed because not one but two had suffered complete brake failure in a British car magazine road testd.

Stuff like that just gives a car a bad name… Mind you ‘Celerio’ is probably a bit crook itself. Apparently it stands for ‘Celestial River’. Okay…

Anyway, the Celerio’s brake issues have been fixed – we’re very to happy confirm during our road test the disc/drum combination worked every time the pedal was pressed – and the replacement for the Alto micro-car is now in dealerships across Suzuki’s Australian network.

What we’re being offered is a pretty simple proposition: a five-door, four-seat hatchback that is a tiny 3600mm long – albeit slightly less tiny than the 3500mm Alto – and powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that produces 50kW and 90Nm (same as Alto) and drives the front wheels via the choice of five-speed manual or continuously variable transmissions.

The claimed fuel consumption rate is just 4.7L/100km (4.8 auto) and the CO2 emissions of 108g/km or 112g/km. Our week in the manual returned a wallet-delighting 5.0L/100km.

The pricing is also attention-getting: $12,990 drive-away for the manual and $13,990 for the CVT, which makes it one of the cheapest cars on-sale, competing with the likes of the Holden Barina Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Micra.

Both versions of Celerio come standard with six airbags, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, air-conditioning, AM/FM/CD four-speaker audio, Bluetooth, power windows and a driver’s seat height adjuster. There’s even a space-saver spare tyre under the boot floor.

That’s a better than expected level of equipment for the price. Another good piece of news is the Celerio drives better than you might expect too.

For a start the engine produces that typically-triple chunky note and beat. It’s a happy, enthusiastic sort of noise and it fits the 1.0’s character well. With short gearing and only an 830kg kerb weight to pull along, the Celerio is surprisingly zippy. It has no problem keeping up on traffic light-strewn urban roads, or blending in on 100km/h freeways.

It gallantly pulled top gear up the test route’s steepest climb, only getting the staggers and having to drop to fourth on the toughest pinch. A positive gearshift and easy clutch action helps in such situations. It’s really good for around town too, allied with light electric-assist rack and pinion, a small 9.4m turning circle and excellent outward vision.

But you have to be realistic. It would be a laborious car to drive every day in an area where there are constant ups and downs, where it would always feel slightly out of breath – especially with a load of passengers and shopping onboard.

And if your driving takes you regularly out on to the open road then be prepared for the noisiness of the cabin (road and engine), the less than sure-footed feel that a the tiny footprint and light weight delivers and for some kickback through the steering wheel on bumpy corners. It’s not bad though – just a bit agricultural.

Meanwhile, the ride on small 14-inch steel wheels, 165/65-series Bridgestone Ecopia rubber and basic MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension is pretty darn good.

It’s also a more secure-feeling car than the Alto, mostly because you sit higher in it. It was disconcerting to look out the side window of the Alto directly at the spinning wheels of a giant semi-trailer. Now at least, the Celerio allows you to eyeball other car drivers and not feel like potential road kill for trucks, even if everyone around you is probably having a giggle at the ‘Noddy Car’.

That raised seating position is one of the most positive things about the Celerio’s interior. Another is the surprisingly generous size of the front bucket seats; while flat they offer plenty of under-thigh support, a sizeable backrest and a cheery motif.

There is a moderate amount of storage up-front, including narrow door pockets, two cupholders and a reasonable glovebox. The look of the dash and the instrument pod – with its dominant central speedo – is also user-friendly.

Much else is, erm, utilitarian, and at this money that’s no surprise. The carpet and roof lining are industrial and every single surface knuckle-scrapingly and elbow-bruisingly hard. There is no reach adjustment on the steering column, nor a left footrest, although the angle of the firewall substitutes just fine.

Adult rear-seat passengers will find themselves being scrunched in tight behind a medium to tall driver, but they do get lap-sash seatbelts, a headrest, door-mounted cupholders, one seat-back pocket and an overhead grab handle. Exit and entry is aided by wide-opening doors.

There are two top tether mounts in the boot-floor but no other hooks, nets or bins. The boot is claimed to be 254 litres [Ed: that's only 10 fewer than the new Mazda CX-3], which is enough to get a decent amount of shopping onboard, or a couple of suitcases. The rear bench flips forward to expand that to 726 litres and believe it or not you can fit a full-size mountain bike in there with the front wheel removed. I don’t recommend it though.

But I do recommend the Celerio, albeit with what should be pretty obvious provisos. This is a city car, built to a price and for a specific purpose. Go beyond that comfort zone and you won’t be happy – then it’s time spend more money or start looking at used cars.

But if you’re after a shopping trolley or urban runabout that will be cheap to buy and run then this is a car that can go on your consideration list – especially now we know the brakes work!