S-Presso is Suzuki and South Africa’s most affordable car. Recently it got a facelift which included an upgraded infotainment/screen and a new engine, among other tweaks.
It is a boxy little thing with very polarising looks, either you like the chunky, cheeky look or you find it almost comical. Personally I quite like it. It’s different. The leg room at the back is better than you would think and the boot is good for at least ten shopping bags – so a genuine four-seater for shorter in-town missions and two children in the back and weekend luggage for a little road trip.
The car is built on a tight budget, but Suzuki has not skimped on safety and essential equipment. You see the budget in the materials used in the interior, which although functional are fairly basic. No soft plastics or synthetic leather here. Steering wheel can’t adjust. But its not bad at all. Its all very functional and effective. Reminds me of a car of 15 years ago in some respects.
Suzuki added electronic stability control, alloy wheels and a more economical engine to the new version. Very much a car of today.
The interior is actually quite well equipped. The infotainment system in all models incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto screen mirroring. The GL+ gets a 7-inch-sized screen, while the S-Edition has a 9-inch screen and a reverse camera. The fairly unpadded seats are pretty basic, and the driver’s seat can be only minimally adjusted. Still this little car has all the basic tools to make life bearable, at least in town.
On paper the Celerio-sourced engine seems underwhelming, but in reality it deals well with the light body, even with two passengers. Although Suzuki claims 4,5 L/100 km the consumption I got was just below 5 L/100 km in mixed driving, which is not too bad actually.
Something a little different about the very light steering on pulling away from a stop. It seems to veer to the side and then settles in a centre weighted position. You get used to the effect quickly though. The handling is what you can expect for a little economical runabout. Fine but not exciting, except in crosswinds on a damp road. That is a different story, but fortunately ESC helps keep things going right. Ooops, wrong brand. Acceleration is quite acceptable and the brakes feel effective. In fact the safety aspects are well sorted.
The prices start at R166 900 for the S-Presso 1.0 GL MT , the mid-range S-Presso 1.0 GL+ MT is R173 900 and the range topper S-Presso 1.0 S-Edition MT is R189 900. Automated manual transmissions are R15 000 more for each trim level. The Suzuki S-Presso comes standard with a two-year/30 000 km Service Plan and a five-year/200 000 km Promotional Warranty.
I prefer the Suzuki Celerio for about R10 k more, its more my style being 80 mm wider and 30 mm longer than the S-Presso. That small increase in width changes the whole feel of the car. Also look at the Renault Kwid, Suzuki Celerio/ Toyota Vitz and Toyota Agya.
