Suzuki mixes up Celerio soup

No, it's not a root vegetable that can be turned into a tasty soup; it's the Celerio, the latest small car from Suzuki and a replacement for the old Alto.

Like the Alto, this is a small, affordable car aimed at those starting out on their motoring life – or those coming to the end. Even though it's small, Suzuki is making a big noise about it being among the most spacious in its class. With luggage space of 254 litres, Suzuki reckons the Celerio has more room for your weekly shop than any rival.

Rather confusingly, it also has two engines which appear on the surface to be the same. Both are three-cylinder petrol units with swept capacity of 998cc and both have similar power and torque outputs. One, codenamed K10B, has 68hp and 90Nm of torque; the other, which is called K10C, has the same 68hp but 93Nm of torque.

The difference between the two comes when you look at other figures. K10C is an all-new engine, whereas K10B is an update of a previous unit. That means a Celerio fitted with a K10B unit can be sold for an asking price of €11,995 whereas you’ll have to find an extra €1,000 to get one with a K10C.

The upshot though is that the more modern engine has significantly lower CO2 emissions – 84g/km compared to 99g/km. Sadly though, under the current motor tax system, there's no benefit to buying the cleaner engine as you'll pay the same €180 a year in tax.

Suzuki claims that it’s more economical though, averaging a claimed 3.6 litres per 100km compared to 4.3l/100km. However, most owners could take years to pay themselves back the extra €1,000 purchase price in fuel savings.

Suzuki is also saying that the Celerio has one of the roomiest interiors in its class and that the roofline has been designed not to slope down at the back, so as to increase rear headroom. It’s also pointing out the high-set gearshift and seats with a high hip-point make getting in and out easier for those with ageing joints.

It’s also pretty well equipped, with the basic GL model coming with air conditioning, six airbags, a DAB radio and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

Sales start immediately.