Suzuki has introduced its newest entry into the Japanese company’s fleet of vehicles, the Celerio.
The Celerio debuts Suzuki’s 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine with DualJet engine technology, along with bringing a new fuel-efficient, five-door, petrol, hatch option to the market.
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Exterior & design
The 2022 Suzuki Celerio is a brand-new model from the tar up and as such it features a newly fledged exterior and interior design, a new platform and a new DualJet engine. Suzuki’s designers have replaced the bold and angular style of the previous Celerio with a new, more rounded and more refined body.
The new Celerio has a deep oval grill with large S-emblem and chrome highlights that stretch beyond the grille to the teardrop headlamps. This brightwork also disguises the fit lines of the lower moulded bumper, which help to create a bold and unified look. The lower black and body colour bumper houses the fog lights (on the GL specification level).
From the side, the Celerio has a more accentuated hip line and at the rear, the droplet tail lamps and high-level third brake light round off the picture. From the outside, the GL specification – the highest in this range – is distinguished from the GA specification by its 15” darkened alloy wheels (as opposed to 14” steel wheels with modern wheel covers) and body-coloured door handles and side mirrors.
The 2022 Celerio now rides on a new version of Suzuki’s renowned HEARTECT platform, which is present in other Suzuki models such as the Swift and the upcoming new Baleno.
In the Celerio, this platform allowed Suzuki to move the wheels to the outermost corners for better road holding and to lower the starting weight of the Celerio to 805 kg. All this was done while improving body strength, ride and handling performance as well as crash-test safety.
The new engine technologies also combine to give the Celerio an average fuel consumption figure of 4.2 litres per 100 km (in the AMT version). This makes the Suzuki Celerio South Africa’s most fuel-efficient five-door petrol hatchback.
Interior
In the front, the dashboard has been redesigned for visibility, a sense of space, and to integrate the new 7” touchscreen infotainment system (standard on the GL specification level).
As this model traditionally spends most of its time in the city commute, Suzuki also redesigned the centre console to integrate all the main controls, including electric windows (GL), door locks (GL) and the standard air conditioning to be close at hand for both the driver and front passenger.
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As mentioned, the Celerio GL is fitted with a new-generation version of its touchscreen infotainment system. This system is equipped with a USB port, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. It also features a host of smart vehicle notifications, alerts and information, such as instantaneous and average fuel consumption, fuel range and information from its integrated rear parking sensors.
The GA model is also equipped with rear parking sensors, but the guidance is audio-only. This model has, however, also been pre-equipped with a roof-mounted antenna, two speakers and integrated wiring for the easy fitment of a Suzuki audio system. All models have Bluetooth and audio controls on the steering wheel.
Price:
Celerio 1.0 GA MT — R174,900
Celerio 1.0 GL MT — R194,900
Celerio 1.0 GL AMT — R209,900
Maintenance & service
Lastly, the entire Suzuki Celerio range will be sold with Suzuki’s 5 year / 200 000 km mechanical warranty and a Roadside Assistance programme for the same period. A 6-year / unlimited anti-corrosion warranty is also included as standard. All models also receive a 2- year / 30 000 km service plan as standard.
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