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Katency: 2022 Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL 5MT

More rounded

Exterior pics by Motorpress
Interior pic by author
Posted: April 12, 2022

The numbers
Prices: GA mt R174 900, GL mt R194 900, GL amt R209 900
Engine: Suzuki K10C Dualjet 998 cc, DOHC 12-valve, three-cylinder, naturally aspirated with VVT
Power: 49 kW at 5500 rpm
Torque: 89 Nm at 3500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 13.5 seconds
Top speed: 155 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 5.3 l/100 km
Tank: 32 litres
Luggage: 295 - 767 litres
Turning circle: 9.4 metres
Ground clearance: 170 mm
Standard tyre sizes: 175/70R14, 175/60R15
Spare: 175/70R14
Warranty: Five years, 200 000 km with roadside assistance
Service plan: Two years, 30 000 km on GL models only

Briefly: New Suzuki Celerio is a small but deceptively spacious city car fitted with a 1.0-litre, naturally aspirated engine and, on two models, a creamy-smooth manual gearbox. That is good. Because you will use it often.

The third-generation cars reached South Africa just recently and featured some changes. The overall shape is more rounded with new grille, headlamps and lower bumper. From the side, it has a more accentuated hip line and at the rear, squarer tail lamps and a slightly changed high-level brake light. GL models score larger, 15” alloy wheels.

The cabin features new seats that optimise space while remaining comfortable. Suzuki has also split the rear seat 60:40 and reshaped the luggage bay with a flush fitting parcel shelf, luggage hooks and a deeper base. That’s despite still housing a full-sized spare. In the front, the dashboard has been redesigned for visibility, a sense of space, and to integrate the new 7” touchscreen infotainment system that’s standard on GL.

Dimensionally the new car is 95 mm longer on a wheelbase stretched by 10 mm, 55 mm wider and 5 mm lower despite gaining 5 mm more ground clearance. Luggage volume grew by a claimed 60 litres to 295, prior to dropping the rear seatbacks.

The engine, common to all three variants, is an updated version of the old K10B motor, now called K10C (hence Katency, rhyming with Latency, or unrealised potential). Power outputs are 1 kW and 1 Nm less than previously.

The range comprises entry-level GA with five-speed manual transmission and better-equipped GLs with choice of the same gearbox or a five-speed automated manual that most would simply treat as an automatic.

Common equipment: standard air conditioning; power steering; audio controls on steering wheel; information display (clock, fuel consumption and distance to empty); 12-volt socket in front; 60:40-split rear seat; ABS brakes with EBD, EBA and ESP; auto stop-start; rear parking sensors; two airbags and a pair of ISOFix anchorage points. Although pre-wired with speakers, a Suzuki entertainment system is an optional extra on GA.

GL ups the ante to 15” alloy wheels to replace the standard 14” steel items; front fog lights; powered windows and mirrors; the previously mentioned seven-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and smartphone connectivity; a USB port, remote central locking and rev counter. The extra 20-kay for a GL looks like a no-brainer unless you prefer living spartanly.

Despite being a Japanese car built in India, a couple of items are almost French in their quirkiness. Consider front window switches on the central dash, just below the touchscreen, with its backseat counterparts on the rear end of the central console, and mirror controls on the dash alongside the steering column. Strokes for folks, right?

While we loved our test car, a GL manual, for inner-city driving, life out in the ‘burbs and on open roads was less enjoyable. This version of the engine lacks grunt, requiring constant use of the ‘box in order to keep revs up and progress fluid. Suzuki has turbocharged versions of this motor, developing 73- to 82 kilowatts and 150- to 170 Nm, that it uses in other models so the latency, or potential, is there.
 
But, to be positive: Boot space is excellent for a little city car, back seat headroom is comfortable for taller passengers although knee space just scrapes by, those in front are well accommodated and equipment levels, in GL especially, cover all that one really needs.

Test unit from Suzuki Auto SA press fleet



What We Do

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 or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

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.

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