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Suzuki Grand Vitara 2008 London Motor Show

July 23rd, 2008 No Comments

Suzuki Grand Vitara 2008 London Motor Show

Suzuki shows off the Grand Vitara in London.

Limited Edition Suzuki Swift RE2

April 28th, 2008 27 Comments

To celebrate the brands recent domination of the 2007 Junior World Rally Championship, Suzuki has released a limited edition Swift RE2.

The rally-inspired limited edition RE2 version comes complete with more than $3000 of extra features for a recommended retail price of just $16,990.

Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept

March 10th, 2008 10 Comments

Japanese manufacturer Suzuki is set to unveil the Concept Kizashi 3 at the New York Auto Show next week.

The 3 concepts in the Kazashi lineup have so far given us a taste of what the company is up to. Currently Suzuki lacks a mid and large size Sedan as well as a coupe.

Suzuki Kizashi 2 & A-star 2008 Geneva Motor Show

March 5th, 2008 3 Comments

Suzuki Kizashi 2 & Gstar 2008 Geneva Motor Show

The Suzuki Kizashi 2 - another brilliant design from the Japanese manufacturer.

2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel review (video)

February 8th, 2008 23 Comments

Alborz takes the new Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel for a quick test.

Click through to read the Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel first steer and check back in a few weeks for a full review.

With so many first-time car-buyers picking a new car on cost alone, not many consider the repair costs involved with minor accidents. The most common type of accident is a 10km/h collision - usually with another car or object. In light of the statistics, the NRMA has conducted a study to find which cars are the cheapest to repair.

The test put the top nine small-vehicles in Australia through a basic stimulated 10km/h crash, as expected, repair costs ranged from around $1,000 to more than $7,000.

To get the good news out of the way, Toyota has won yet another title, with the Corolla small car (2nd best-selling car in Australia) crowned the cheapest small-car to repair, costing only $1019 or 4.4 per cent of its purchase price.

The most expensive was the Honda Civic, costing an estimated $7,386 or 31.4 per cent of its purchase price. So how can one car cost $7000 while the other only costs $1000? Both are Japanese designed, both are mass produced and both are priced in the same range?

According to NRMA Insurance Head of Research Robert McDonald, it’s all about bumper designs.

“The test results show a vast difference in repair prices across the range of vehicles tested, as a poorly designed bumper can slide under other bumpers on impact, causing more damage to both vehicles,” Mr McDonald said.

Despite Civic owners having to cough up the most, Suzuki Swift owners are also in for a shock with damage after a low speed crash costing $5547.15 or 34.7 per cent of the car’s purchase price.

The NRMA is quick to point out that pedestrian-friendly bumpers are not the reason for the high repair costs as both the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic scored similar leg protection results in the EURO NCAP pedestrian safety program.

“This proves that manufacturers can design vehicles that can perform well in both pedestrian safety and vehicle protection.”

The table below shows the cars tested:

Vehicle	Repair Cost	Repair Cost as a % of the RRP price
Toyota Corolla(5 Door Hatch)	$1019	4.4%
Ford Focus(Sedan)	$2358	10.7%
Holden Astra(5 Door Hatch)	$2627	10.9%
Mazda 3(5 Door Hatch)	$2886	12.6%
Toyota Yaris(5 Door Hatch)	$4016	22.1%
Hyundai Getz(5 Door Hatch)	$3363	22.4%
Mitsubishi Lancer(Sedan)	$5467	23.5%
Honda Civic(Sedan)	$7386	31.0%
Suzuki Swift(5 Door Hatch)	$5547	34.7%

Have you ever considered repairs costs before buying a new car? Are you likely to consider it in the future and if so, will it affect your decision?

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2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel first steer

January 23rd, 2008 43 Comments

2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel first steer

- by Alborz Fallah

The Suzuki brand might be synonymous with the cute Swift, but long before 17 year old girls had began sticking frangipani stickers on the back of their Suzuki, the Japanese company was building compact 4×4s.

Starting back in 1974, the Suzuki LJ10 was the first of many Suzuki 4×4s that have made it here over the years. It was followed in the late 80s with the three-door 1.6-litre Suzuki Vitara and eventually joined by the Grand Vitara in 1998. Ten years on and Suzuki has finally brought diesel to the party.

Suzuki X-HEAD concept - 2008 Detroit Auto Show

January 15th, 2008 10 Comments

Suzuki X-HEAD concept - 2008 Detroit Auto Show

Say hello to the Suzuki X-HEAD concept, the car which is perhaps the oddest looking thing from Suzuki in years.

Suzuki SX Force concept - 2008 Detroit Auto Show

January 15th, 2008 4 Comments

This is the Suzuki SX Force concept. We are not really sure what it is supposed to do, but it sure looks good.

It uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox. The SX Force produces 186kw and goes to show that Suzuki is not too far away from producing a powerful sports car.

The big small car comparison

November 14th, 2007 109 Comments

Mitsubishi Lancer ES .vs. Honda Civic VTi .vs. Toyota Corolla Ascent Sedan .vs. Suzuki SX4 Sedan

One of the most hotly contested segments in the car industry is the small car segment. There was a time when small car meant Japanese car but European, Korean, and even American names are now entering the arena. But Japan is fighting back. The CarAdvice team looked at three newcomers and one slightly older model fighting to bring the small car crown back to the land of the rising sun.

There were a few surprises in the mix and the end result was far from easy to reach.

2007 Suzuki Swift Sport Road Test

October 18th, 2007 28 Comments

2007 Suzuki Swift Sport Road Test

Suzuki delivers a sports car to inspire a new generation of rally fans

CarAdvice rating:

Recommended Retail Price: $23,990 (model tested).

- by Alborz Fallah

You’d all be amazed as to how good some of these small sports cars are getting. My favourite reasonably priced car of this year has so far been Peugeot’s spectacular 207 GTi. With a light and nimble chassis matched to a powerful turbocharged engine, it handles like a rocket on rails.

So when the men at Suzuki said I should drive the new and improved Swift Sport, I was keen to find out if Suzuki had delivered a car to match the 207 GTi’s fun-factor, for $10,000 less.

From the outside, the Swift Sport may trick you into believing it’s just a Swift with a bodykit, but it’s a lot more than that. The model arrived in early 2006 to some disappointment as the Japanese manufacturer had decided to leave it naturally aspirated, but recently Suzuki fitted Electronic Stability Control (ESC) at no extra cost and reinvigorated the model.

Based on the standard Swift, the Sport has unique wheels, better brakes, sports bodykit (fog lights), dual exhausts, a bigger and more powerful engine, refined drivetrain, sports suspension and sporty interior trim. Utilizing a large sport rear spoiler, modified rear tail lamps and Sport badging, as subtle as it may be, it is easily recognizable to the trained eye.

At $23,990 the Swift Sport undercuts the competition - namely the Volkswagen Polo GTi, Ford Fiesta XR4 and Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart.

On paper the Swift Sport looks a little underpowered and outclassed, you can see this when you compare it to the rest: Ford’s XR4 delivers an exciting package, thanks to the 2.0-litre engine and strong chassis; Mitsubishi’s Colt Ralliart is nothing short of a little Evo capable of shaming many big V8s; and Volkswagen has delivered a remarkable package with the Polo GTi that begs a drive.

At $24,000 it is $1,000 cheaper than the XR4, $6,000 cheaper than the Ralliart Colt and $3,000 cheaper than the Polo GTi. For those with a smaller budget, the choice is between the XR4 and the Swift, and I know what you’re thinking, the Suzuki is underpowered. Okay, so it has the least power and torque in its class, but it makes up for it with outstanding handling, a remarkable chassis and a big list of standard features.

Given the Ralliart Colt is significantly more expensive, it is not worth comparing to the Swift Sport and as for the German, there is no denying the Polo GTi is perhaps the best small sports car, but Suzuki is after a slightly lower-end of the market, the same market as the XR4.

The Swift Sport is powered by a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 92kW (6,800RPM) and 148Nm of torque (4,800RPM). I admit, it can do with more power, probably a turbocharger and a sexy GTi badge to complete the package, but for now, this is all we get.

Don’t be fooled though, the new engine isn’t just a slightly bigger version of the standard 1.5-litre found in the Swift, it has a reworked cylinder block, new inlet and exhaust camshafts, new pistons, piston rings, connecting rods, crankshaft, large capacity sports muffler, oil cooler, intake and exhaust manifolds and an electrical throttle body.

Having driven the XR4, the choice between the Japanese and its European rival is a hard one. The XR4 has significantly more power than the Suzuki (although it’s not that usable), and in my opinion, looks better too. However the XR4 has some notable issues. Given its bigger engine, it is slightly heavier at the front (although it weighs less overall), has a stereo system taken from a 1982 Camry, a dashboard put together from recycled plastic, it’s missing two doors and the rear seats are practically useless.

The Suzuki on the other hand is a proper four-door with adequate leg-room for four, has a better interior and more importantly, out-handles its European rival around every bend.

The Swift Sport is driven via the front-wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. Suzuki has produced an excellent gearbox that gives a firm, quick shift feel. It differs from the standard box in the Swift via closer gear ratios as well as less reach between gears. While the clutch and gearbox work well together, the midget sized racing pedals make it extremely hard to heel and toe, taking some of the fun away.

The steering and handling is comparable to a go-kart, this is thanks to Suzuki’s enormous efforts (and success) in the Junior World Rally Championship using a modified Swift.

So good is the handling that I found it quite hard to reach the car’s limits around my usual test track at Mt Glorious.

Around a twisty stretch of road it will eat an XR4 for breakfast, but will have a harder time against the Polo GTi and Colt. It can take considerable speed (much more than the XR4) into a corner and smoothly power out while the newly introduced ESC system does a great job of maintaining traction, but also allows some play before cutting in.

There is minor understeer around tight bends, but nothing to worry about. As for body-roll, it’s virtually non-existent thanks to the unique sport suspension (Monroe shock absorbers ) which has increased compression and rebound dampening forces by around sixty percent over the standard car!

All of this comes at a price though, the Sport has a relatively hard ride, probably not something you’d want to live with if you don’t take advantage of its handling abilities.

Sitting inside the Swift Sport, you are presented with comfortable sports seats, a three spoke leather steering wheel, a silver garnished shift knob, four speaker in dash CD stereo system with MP3 capabilities (still lacking iPod connectivity) with steering wheel controls, and plenty of space to store nearly anything.

The instrument cluster emphasises the cars sporty credentials with an illuminated ring around the speedometer while the tachometer dial has its ‘0′ mark positioned at six o’clock, a design borrowed from Suzuki’s GSX R750 motorbike.

Standard features include air conditioning, electric mirrors and windows, power steering, remote keyless entry with hazard lamp answer back, UV reducing glass, 6 airbags (front, side and curtain), ABS brakes and ESC. The Swift Sport can do with the SX4’s smart key entry system.

Picking between the Fiesta XR4 and the Swift Sport will come down to your personal preference. The Swift is ultimately the better car, it handles better, it has a better interior and it will probably last longer too, but the XR4 is a little more exciting and definitely more unique.

After experiencing what Suzuki can do with a front-wheel drive Swift, I can only imagine the rumoured turbocharged All-Wheel-Drive Suzuki SX4 - set to take on the once-mighty WRX - will become the new cult car for enthusiasts.

The Suzuki Swift Sport is covered by a three year/100,000km warranty and three year 24 hour roadside assistance.

Read reviews on the Swift Sport’s Competitors:

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