SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get at home.
Unlike most car reports, what you read in these pages will not be a faithful reproduction, albeit slightly reworded, of what appeared in the manufacturer's press release. We look for background material, user experience and whatever else we can find that's beyond the obvious. Our guiding rule is that you will be able to tell that the car was actually driven.
*To read one of our archived road tests, just select from the alphabetical menu of manufacturers' names on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu that appears.
*Pre-owned: Our tests go back quite a few years, so if you are looking for something pre-owned, you might well find a report on it in here.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted are those ruling at the time the reports were written.
Posted: 4 September 2014
Sometimes you have to expand. Suzuki’s little 1400cc Swifts and 1.6-litre Sport are very good. Nimble, funky, fun, well-made and nicely priced, they are developing a cult following. So how can the company lower the entry bar to attract more buyers to the brand?
A smaller and more economical power plant is a good starting point, so they commandeered the India-built, 1197 cc, Maruti-Suzuki K12M engine. It’s modern with 16 valves, VVT, silent chain DOHC, aluminium block and head, distributor-less ignition, long-life plugs and a few weight-saving and friction-cutting tweaks of its own. It has also been around for four or five years, so any bugs should be ironed out by now.
Not wasting money on a completely new shell is a good idea too, so the company stayed with the existing Swift platform but added a boot to increase cargo space by 90 litres. The resulting bulky rear end (we would never call it a fat butt, would we?) gives it a typically Indian style; like other booted cars from that country. While they were at it, engineers reworked the suspension to compensate for extra weight and increased its ride height for rough roads. It clears the gravel by 170mm.
Be a little judicious with original equipment, build in India where wages are lower, and you should have a fine little price-leader. Suzuki did, but here’s where “ah, but” rears its ugly head. Like Etios, Brio, certain Nissan sedans and a few others, it was built down to the new prices.
The fabric on the backs of the front seats looks cheap and flimsy, as does the boot carpet; while overall fit and finish is not quite up to parental expectation. To be fair though, the entertainment unit fitted to GL models is rather sexy; almost outclassing the rest of the décor, so it rescues the plot somewhat. It plays both MP3 and MP4-encoded music via its USB.
As hinted at, there are two equipment levels. The manual-shifting, R128 900, GA model is the obvious fleet car boasting 14-inch steel wheels with 165/80 tyres, four speakers but no music box, ABS brakes with EBD, dual front airbags, a manual air conditioner with pollen filter, power steering, and seatbelts with pre-tensioners and force limiters.
Just R10 000 extra gets you a very decent basket of GL kit. There’s a rev counter, front fog lamps, body colouring for door handles and the powered outside mirrors that incorporate indicator repeaters, that music player, repeater buttons on the steering wheel, power windows and door locks, keyless entry and a few trim items. Both feature a very serviceable five-speed manual gearbox. If you want automatic, chip in a further R15 000 for a four-speed self-shifter.
All three are delivered with a two-year, 30 000 kilometre service plan. Optional, for GLs only, is a set of five alloy wheels fitted with 185/65 R15 tyres.
As unboosted1200 cc engines go, this one is at the upper end of the power and torque spectrum, so it accelerates nicely, keeps going up slight inclines and is decently economical. And it parks easily with its 9,6-metre turning circle. The gearbox shifts easily and smoothly, the lever is comfortably placed and pedals are easy to reach although space, for big left feet to reach the floor, is limited. There is no foot rest.
The untrimmed and clangy boot lid opens with the ignition key or a lever down on the floor next to the fuel flap release; just like in the old days. Its loading lip is at upper thigh height and about 15 centimetres deep. There is a light but no lashing hooks and the wheel arches intrude. The spare is fully sized and depends on whether you chose the R4000 alloy option. The one-piece seatback does not fold.
Rear seat leg, head and foot room is marginal for tall passengers and the doorway feels narrow, making entry and exit awkward. That’s probably a side effect of creating a boot within the vehicle’s original length. A pair of head restraints are fitted; along with “two-and-a-half” seatbelts.
Front seats are pleasantly supportive and provide a commanding view outward with plenty of headroom, but only the basic adjustments; fore-and-aft and recline, are offered. Bottle bins on all doors, a selection of open slots and a well-sized cubby keep things tidy. The standard of fit and finish rates an “OK” with hard plastic all around, pleasant two-tone, black and tan décor with narrow faux wood separating strips, and simple air controls.
Suzuki DZire belongs on any list of cars to consider at this price level but beware that it was built down.
Test car from Suzuki Auto SA press fleet
The numbers
Price: R138 900 basic, R142 900 as tested
Engine: 1197 cc, DOHC, 16-valves with VVT, inline four
Power: 63 kW at 6000 rpm
Torque: 113 Nm at 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 12,6 seconds
Maximum speed: 160 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 5,4 l/100 km
Tank: 42 litres
Boot: 300 litres
Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km; with roadside assistance
Service plan: 2 years/30 000 km
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This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8