Suzuki Celerio: review

One of the things you tend to do without as the price plummets is choice, and with the Celerio you only get one choice with the engine. Do you want it or not? It’s a three-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine putting out a reasonable 67bhp. Triples always sound different, and actually rather throaty, and this is no exception. It’s reasonably refined and quiet although you are aware of it working harder at higher speeds.

Performance is actually not that bad at all, so the Celerio can handle life on the open road, not just the city street. Equally, the handling and ride are also better than you might think for something aimed at congested streets. It grips well and handles quite firmly. Steering is a touch vague and doesn’t self-centre too well, but otherwise that whole side of things is a pleasant surprise.

One of the downsides is that the seats aren’t that supportive – again, perhaps aimed more at someone who isn’t going to spend that long behind the wheel at a stretch. But the driver’s seat is height-adjustable and there’s loads of headroom. All occupants get pretty good head and leg space so this doesn’t come over as a cramped little car.

Trim is okay if a bit cheap (not surprising given the price point) but there is a decent amount of kit as standard. The SZ3 model is the one we’d go for, with air-con, alloys, Bluetooth and remote central-locking. We’d avoid the automatic version as that’s a bit of a wheezing thing, but would go for the SZ3 trim which is one up from the basic SZ2.

Overall this feels like excellent value for money, but there are times when you’re aware that that’s not a lot of money. Doors shut with a tinny sound, and styling and materials are pretty basic. But it should be reliable and it will give you excellent fuel consumption and, since it emits fewer than 100g/km, it won’t cost you anything in road tax.

So you pays your money etc. Prices should be from £7999 to £9999, although residuals may not be brilliant and insurance can be more than you’d think. But as a package, it’s cheap, spacious, economical and is better than you might think to drive. That’s a pretty good list, and could tick your boxes.