After recent news of arbitration in the ongoing Suzuki vs Volkswagen saga, some positive news for the Japanese manufacturer is that the new Suzuki Splash has just landed in the UK and Suzuki South Africa has confirmed that it will be making its way to our shores in 2013. Suzuki does the small car thing pretty well and if you’re a fan of the brand, you’ll soon have an alternative that fits between the small Alto and the larger Swift. Suzuki are calling it a Mini-MPV.
In the UK, the base version of the Splash comes with a 50 kW, 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine that is also found in the Alto. It is claimed to consume in the region of 4.5 L/100km and produce just 108 g/km of CO2. This engine is also the most likely choice for South Africa.
UK buyers also have the choice of a 70 kW, 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder ,however, it’s not known whether that engine will be destined for the South African market at this stage. Going by the high mileage South Africans travel in general, we hope Suzuki do consider the bigger engine option. A 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic are the likely transmission choices.
Despite its compact size, Suzuki say the Splash can comfortably seat five adults with plenty of legroom and luggage space. Thanks to the split 60:40 rear seats, this results in a maximum 573-litres of stowage space.
All Splash models will come with a comprehensive equipment list as standard, with the higher of the two spec levels including: four airbags; CD/ MP3-player and steering wheel-mounted audio controls; leather-trimmed steering wheel; remote central locking; front electric windows; electrically adjustable door mirrors; 15-inch alloy wheels; front fog lights and an information display. We look forward to it making a big splash in South Africa next year, hopefully as big a splash as the original Swift a few years back.
