New Suzuki lands with a Splash | Canterbury Cars | 4WD, Green Cars and Motorcycling in Canterbury

It's been several years since Suzuki New Zealand sent out a press release outlining the overseas launch of their supermini Splash.

The Splash has sold well in Europe, it has a funky, trendy design which has captured the imagination of many.

Well, the Splash has just landed in New Zealand and it lives up to the impressions I formed when I saw the first photos. The Splash is small and its wheel-in-each corner look is accentuated by a very short rear overhang, the distinctive curve in the rear hatch door provides the Splash with a stand alone look, it is unmistakable from the rear. Up front there is the traditional Suzuki look, not unlike that of the Swift.

The Splash will sit well in Suzuki's line-up, it fits perfectly between Alto and Swift and will command a lot of sales here with its $17,990 price tag; there's also an automatic variant at $19,990. There is only one level of specification for the Splash and it carries a GLX badge.

For comfort and convenience, that money will buy you single-zone air conditioning, electric windows up front (manual winders in the rear), leather-wrapped steering wheel on tilt-adjustable column, variable intermittent wipers, central locking and MP3 compatible single-disc audio. The only notable exclusion are electric exterior mirrors, the Splash has manual adjustment toggles.

For safety there are five overshoulder seat belts, although, according to my daughter, it is a bit of a squeeze in the rear for three, front, side and curtain air bags, ISOFIX child seat tethers and ABS. Not surprisingly there is no traction and stability control given the Splash's price point.

Nevertheless, that's not a bad package, and if you stack in the fuel economy savings small Suzuki cars are renowned for, the Splash is a car which is relatively easy on the pocket.

Under the bonnet sits a four-cylinder, double-camshaft, 16-valve engine of 1242cc, effectively it is a shorter stroke version of the engine which powers the Swift. Suzuki claim power outputs of 69kW and 118Nm which are more than capable of the meeting the Splash's demands. A manual gearbox is available but it was a four-speed automatic variant which Suzuki New Zealand made available to me.

The gearbox has smooth shifts and a shift pattern which requires little driver thought. Interaction between the engine and gearbox is fluid and balanced. The lower gearbox ratios aren't overly tall so that immediate acceleration isn't compromised, the Splash will easily keep pace with traffic even though it couldn't be considered a fast car. In terms of acceleration Suzuki claim a 100km/h from a standstill time of 12sec and a 175km/h top speed.

Throttle response is keen to provide consistent momentum, but when highway speed is reached the engine sounds relaxed.

During my highway cruise the fuel usage readout hovered at around five-litres usage per 100km (56mpg), and I recorded a 7l/100km (40mpg) four-day average. That sits well with Suzuki's claim of 5.7l/100km (49mpg). If you analyse those figures you will keep constantly cheerful at the fill up pumps in this age where a litre of 91 octane petrol sits at around $2.

I took the test car out to my mother's Kirwee home. She is an 84-year-old who drives her Mazda Demio on a daily basis. She's been complaining lately that her joints have been playing up and that it is not as easy for her to get in and out of the Mazda as it once was. I popped her into the Splash to see if the tall seat height made for easy ingress and egress. She said it was perfect and the driving position is comfortable. And, of course, the drive experience she found to be relaxing and enjoyable.

In terms of handling, the Splash shouldn't be considered a dynamic charger although accuracy in a corner is well provided through smallish Continental tyres (185/55 x 14in). At just over 1000kg, the Splash doesn't load the suspension so it feels relatively nimble in a corner.

And it is the Splash's size and concept that makes it such a special car. It is cheeky, comfortable and will please with its style and driveability.

Even though it's been a long wait here the Splash fits perfectly into Suzuki's line-up and will be well received by the large Suzuki customer base here in Christchurch.