Suzuki Celerio Road Test Review

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ROAD TEST REVIEW: Suzuki Celerio 1.0 SZ4 5spd manual

Suzuki describe the Celerio as an ‘A+ compact’ car, suggesting that it sits between the likes of the Toyota Aygo in the city car class and a Ford Fiesta in the supermini class. The actual dimensions seem to back this up, since the Celerio sits on a 2,425mm wheelbase and has an overall length of 3,600mm.

The Suzuki has a tiny 66bhp 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine which is broadly comparable with those in other city cars. For a three-cylinder unit, it is also remarkably quiet and refined, being all but inaudible when it is idling. In town it is also relatively quiet with a throaty 3-cylinder hum when accelerating. On open roads it is able to keep pace with traffic most of the time, providing you use the 5-speed manual ‘box. On slow and lazy change ups, fifth gear can be a little difficult to find, but if you are more urgent in finding the gears, this problem seems to disappear. The clutch is light to use, but this has the effect of making it difficult to feel the biting point, although this is a minor point and like most other cars, you get a sense for where this is pretty quickly. However, on hill starts, it makes you slightly more nervous on quick getaways.

With such a tiny output, there isn’t much opportunity to spin the front wheels as you attempt to get the car up to 62mph from a standing start. The little Suzuki does it at a gentle 13.1 seconds before going on to achieve a round 100mph before it eventually runs out of puff. It emits 99g/km of CO2 and returns 65.7mpg.

Suzuki has already confirmed that they will be launching an even more economical 1.0-litre engine in the summer. This will promise emissions of just 84g/km and 78.5mpg. The summer will also see a new automatic option become available. Dubbed ‘AGS’ or Auto Gear Shift, it is an automated manual transmission. Suzuki claims that there will be no fuel consumption penalty.

In its preferred town or city locations, the suspension copes well with lumps and bumps.

One of the key attributes of a city car is its manoeuvrability and having a tight turning circle. The good news is that the Celerio has short overhangs at both ends which makes this possible.

At parking speeds the light steering and other controls make life easy too, even if the column stalks do feel a little flimsy. However, a lack of steering weight on the move means that feedback is vague and slow to react meaning it is difficult to accurately place the Celerio on the road. There is also no self-centring function which means the driver has to feed the wheel back to the straight-ahead position. This can have the effect of making city driving less than satisfying to drive than the class leaders.

The Celerio comes with stability control and six airbags fitted as standard, including curtain airbags. These were not fitted to an early car submitted to the EuroNCAP crash testing regime in November. As a result it scored poorly in the side impact pole test, reducing the overall rating to just three stars being awarded. Had curtain airbags been fitted as they will be in all UK-equipped cars, then this would have undoubtedly affected the overall score. Suzuki are now in the process of awaiting a re-test.

Suzuki are keen to stress that the Celerio is one of the most spacious cars in its sector, and there is no denying that its cabin is distinctly spacious.

With its high roofline, there is a generous amount of headroom whichever seat you occupy. Leg room is also decent, even for the two outer rear seat passengers – something that cannot be said of the Citroën C1/Peugeot 108/Toyota Aygo trio. The cabin floor is flat thanks to the absence of a transmission tunnel. This makes it possible for an adult to sit in the middle rear pew if necessary in relative comfort – if only for small journeys.

Access to the rear is particularly easy, thanks to the wide opening doors which can open to 90-degrees. That means parents who are strapping young children into child seats should have a relatively easy job than they would with other models in the class. And once in, thanks to the high-set seats, the driver and all passengers are afforded a great view out, a boon in town.

With 254-litres of cargo capacity with the rear seats in place, the Celerio’s boot is comparable with the best in its segment, including the Hyundai i10. With the rear seats folded, this grows to 726-litres thanks to the high roof-line.

In terms of quality, the new Celerio stands up well to comparison with the Swift’s cabin, with durable rather than soft-touch plastics abundant throughout. The heating and ventilation controls along with the infotainment buttons feel reassuringly solid though, and tactile to use.

A generous level of standard equipment features on all Celerio models, including electric front windows, air conditioning, 14-inch alloy wheels, DAB digital radio with USB input and Bluetooth connectivity. Our range-topping SZ4 carried a £1,000 premium over the £7,999 entry-level SZ3 but adds electric rear windows and electrically adjustable door mirrors as well as some subtle upgrades elsewhere, inside and out.

Running costs should be kept low since efficiency was one of the main targets of the Celerio. Officially, as tested, the model we drove was capable of returning 65.7mpg and emits just 99g/km of CO2, which means you pay zero road tax.

The Celerio is quite efficient and comes with plenty of standard equipment. However, there are cars within the class that have better quality interiors and offer their drivers more satisfying road manners. So the Celerio may not appeal to those who want a little personality to go with their city car. But ultimately, the city car class is based more on price and practicality than it is driver fun, and on this basis alone, Suzuki’s Celerio deserves to do well and offers a compelling reason to take a closer look. What it lacks in charm, it more than makes up for in above average interior space and low running costs.

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