Mention the brand Suzuki and small cars easily come to mind. We recall the Alto and the Celerio mini hatchbacks, as well as the subcompact Swift.
The typical Filipino consumer, however, still opts for a sedan, which is why the four-door subcompact sedan segment is the most competitive class in the market. Suzuki Philippines acknowledges the demand for such a vehicle and finally joins the segment with the all-new Ciaz, which was officially launched yesterday.
The Ciaz’s overall look is reminiscent of the company’s upscale model, the Kizashi, but possesses a softer profile for better aerodynamics. This sleek profile also makes the car look longer. Speaking of long, the Ciaz boasts a best-in-class wheelbase of 2,650mm, providing plenty of legroom. The car’s length, width and height dimensions are 4,490mm, 1,730mm and 1,475mm.
Under the hood is the same 1.4-liter engine as the Swift 1.4 and the Ertiga, with an output of 92hp at 6,000rpm and 130Nm at 4,000rpm. It’s mated to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. If the Swift’s fun-to-drive character is any indication, then the Ciaz should perform in a similar fashion.
Two variants are available, the GL (manual and automatic) and the top-spec GLX automatic. Impressive features of the GLX include a multimedia unit with an Android touchscreen, which comes preloaded with Facebook, Gmail, YouTube and Waze. The higher-end variant also has steering wheel-mounted controls and leather seats as standard.
We already published the prices last month, but here’s a recap:
* GL MT - P738,000
* GL AT - P773,000
* GLX AT - P888,000
Suzuki’s entry should make the segment all the more exciting. What do you guys think?
Photos by Mikko David
