Suzuki Ciaz South Africa 2015
Suzuki Auto South Africa recently confirmed that their latest offering, the Suzuki Ciaz (pronounced Chi-aaz), will be available in the local market very soon. This is, of course, great news to the ladies and gentlemen who are looking for something a bit more than the agile Suzuki Swift DZire, and a tad bit smaller and more frugal than the executive Suzuki Kizashi.
One of the focal selling points of the Suzuki Ciaz is its proportions. This is the largest car in its class, boasting a length of 4490mm, a width of 1730mm, a wheelbase of 2650mm and a boot capacity of 495 litres. Performance wise, the Ciaz produces a maximum power output of 70kW @ 6000r/min, and a torque peak of 130Nm @ 4000r/min from its 1373cc four-cylinder powerplant. Power is sent to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox, with a 4-speed automatic gearbox available as an option on the top of the range model. The fuel consumption of the Suzuki Ciaz is exceptional, using 5,4 and 5,5 litres/100km respectively between the base GL and the upper GLX model variants. The light fuel consumption figures suggest that the Ciaz could hypothetically manage more than 700km on its 43 litre fuel tank.
Two specification levels of the Suzuki Ciaz will be sold in South Africa, all employing the same 1.4 litre 70kW engine, namely the affordable GL and the premium GLX. Electric windows, automatic climate-control with rear vents and a bluetooth integrated, 6 speaker CD player audio system are all included in the entry-level GL model. The more expensive GLX includes 16″ alloy wheels instead of hubcaps as seen on the GL, fog lamps on the lower end of the front bumper and additional chrome accents complementing the exterior of the GLX. The interior of the GLX sees leather finishes on the seats and a very handy keyless-entry system, coupled with a sporty start button. A 4-speed automatic gearbox is available as an option on the GLX.
The pricing of the Suzuki Ciaz doesn’t hurt ones pocket either with the manual GL available at a competitive R179 900, the manual GLX at R199 900 and the automatic GLX at R214 900. Pricex include a 3 year/60 000km service plan.
The Ciaz aims to “increase the Suzuki brand’s market share in South Africa” states Yukio Sato, managing director of Suzuki Auto SA, and if it is as good as it appears on paper, it just might have a chance of doing so.
