By: IOL Motoring Staff
Johannesburg - Besides being a solid and neatly styled contender, one of this new Suzuki sedan's major selling points is that it offers more metal for the money.
4490mm long and 1736mm wide, the new Suzuki Ciaz is quite a bit bigger than the compact sedans it's priced against, such as the Kia Rio sedan (4365/1720) and VW Polo sedan (4384/1699), and that space advantage is also very apparent between the wheels, where it really counts.
According to Suzuki, the new sedan "easily accommodates five adults" and the boot can swallow a very-decent 495 litres.
A downside for some, however, will be that the bigger-is-better philosophy appears to have gotten lost on the way to the engine bay, where Suzuki has slotted in its familiar 1.4-litre normally aspirated petrol engine. It delivers 70kW and 130Nm and its maker claims an average consumption figure of 5.4 litres per 100km for the five-speed manual models and 5.5 l/100km in the case of the four-speed automatic version.
While performance might be a little better than the output figures suggest, given that the Ciaz is relatively lightweight at 1020 to 1040kg, they'd do well to consider at least offering the option of a 1.6-litre engine in the absence of any modern turbo-petrol options from the parent company at this stage.
The smaller engine option has at least helped to keep the price down. The Ciaz starts at just R179 900 for the GL model and you can have the range-topping GLX for R199 900 in manual form and R214 900 as an auto.
If you can live with hubcaps and cloth seats, the base GL really does offer a boatload of features, such as automatic climate control, rear ventilation, multi-function steering wheel, six-speaker audio system, Bluetooth connectivity, electric windows and mirrors and remote central locking. Dual front airbags and ABS are part of the deal too.
Those stretching to the GLX gain 16-inch alloys, additional exterior chrome trim, leather trim on the seats and steering wheel, height-adjustable driver's seat, rear blind, an overhead console and 'satin-look' accents in the cabin. Both models are sold with a three-year/60 000km service plan.
PRICES
1.4 GL - R179 900
1.4 GLX - R199 900
1.4 GLX AT - R214 900