Suzuki Cars Finally Get a Makeover

Suzuki Cars Finally Get a Makeover
By Jon Barlow

Suzuki has long been an automotive enigma. For a company that
has been rolling out beautifully crafted superbikes for many
years their curious offerings on the car market have bemused
many a reviewer not to mention the car buying public.

Other brands such as Kia and Hyundai had upped the ante with
their greatly improved cars and so it became apparent to Suzuki
that they would have to do likewise or face the prospect of
getting left behind in the automotive race.

It was only a few years ago that the old Suzuki Swift could be
found on British roads, usually being driven at about 20mph on
the motorway, they were only really popular with cash strapped
pensioners who used them pretty much as motorised shopping
trolleys.

Then we come to the Suzuki Vitara which became the ultimate
accessory for the 90’s hairdresser and was generally found in
white, in fact I think you could only get them in white. Often
seen with ridiculously over-sized wheels and a distinctly
unfunny spare wheel cover on the back which depicted two animals
mating, oh dear.

Things weren’t much better with Suzuki’s foray into light
commercial vehicles with the Suzuki carry (also known as the
Bedford or Vauxhall Rascal). What it could actually carry I’m
unsure of, but it looked as if it would struggle with much more
than the driver on board.

All this was to change dramatically however when in 2005 Suzuki
hit the ground running with the launch of the all-new Swift. The
Swift had a big press launch in the UK and appeared in TV
commercials featuring none other than Cristiano Ronaldo which
saw him demonstrating some of his ball skills to some adoring
young fans before disappearing in his little Swift.

The Swift is essentially a poor man’s Mini but still manages to
deliver nippy performance especially the Sport version and is
well built and of course costs a lot less than its counterparts.
The Swift comes with a number of petrol engines plus a diesel
engine sourced from Fiat which delivers good fuel economy.

The Suzuki Splash was developed with GM who also manufacture
the car as the Vauxhall Agila. The Splash replaced the Wagon R
which was an ill advised name for the British market but as with
the Swift the Splash is another good example of a small city car
which people are now turning to in their droves. I don’t know if
this is luck or a very shrewd move by Suzuki to capture this
growing market.

Suzuki still offers a 4x4 range which consists of the Jimny
which is a cheeky little off-road vehicle which has been around
since the 1970’s. The Jimny has been improved and restyled
slightly but is still really an imitation Jeep. It comes with
rigid front and rear axles and switchable four wheel drive as
well as a dual ratio transfer gearbox.

Curiously the Jimny is only available with a petrol engine in
the UK which does not offer amazing fuel economy. They are
renowned for their reliability and despite its small size the
Jimny performs respectably well off-road and is unrivalled in
the small 4x4 market.

The Grand Vitara has been brought up to date and now looks like
a far more sensible vehicle than the Vitara of old with the five
door version being the most desirable. Finally we have the SX4
which is a small urban SUV with the option of four wheel drive
should you need it around town. Another car closely developed
with Fiat but although it is built in Europe the steady hand of
Japanese build quality still remains firmly placed on its little
shoulder.

So there you have it, Suzuki has brought itself to the fore as
a supplier of small practical cars that are well placed to
succeed in an ever- changing market.

About the Author: Jon Barlow has been looking at the new model
range from Suzuki which has been given an update for more
information see http://www.cheap-suzuki-cars.co.uk/default.shtml

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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