Suzuki Splash
Described in some quarters as a Europeansuper-mini MPV, the Japanese manufactured Suzuki Splash is a reasonably priced car with prices ranging from £8,350 to £10,300. A five door hatchback, it comes in a choice of three engines with petrol options of 1.0 litre and 1.2 litre, and a diesel option of 1.3 litre. All the engines are five speed manual, but the 1.2 litre is available with automatic as an option.
The 1.3 DDiS will do 0 to 60 mph in 13.9 seconds with a maximum speed of 103 mph. Fuel consumption is reasonable with 51.4 mpg for urban driving, 70.6 mpg for non urban and 62.8 mpg in combined conditions. Two trim versions are available; the GLS and GLS+. A reasonable number of extras are included, such as air conditioning, front electric windows with driver’s automatic-down, front seats adjustable for height, remote central locking, CD tuner with MP3 player plus audio controls mounted on the steering wheel and electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors.
Safety features are good and include ESP stability control, six airbags, seatbelt force limiters plus ABS with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution. According to the manufacturer, the Suzuki Splash has been developed in Europe and is aimed squarely at the European market. It is certainly less of a purely functional car than many of its Japanese counterparts and performs well on the road, though on the negative side storage space is extremely limited in the boot. Any driver whose overriding desire is to find a car with economical purchase and running costs should give the Suzuki Splash serious thought.