Suzuki Alto 1.0 SZ4

Jul 4 2009 John Scantlebury

MILES per gallon and CO2 emissions. That's the magical formula right now and the all-new seventh version of Suzuki's little Alto seems to come up with all the right answers.

Shunted along by a three-cylinder 996cc petrol engine, the city car, in manual transmission form, is capable of more than 74mpg on the open road and in excess of 50mpg even in town, while putting out a meagre 103g/km of carbon dioxide.

You can add to that financial appeal a starting price tag of £6,795 and a Group One insurance rating for the S2 and S3 models.

For less than £2,000 more you can have the range-topping Group Two SZ4, the version on test here, which will bring you an electronic stability programme, air conditioning (also in the SZ3), a full set of airbags, 14in alloys and front fog lamps.

There's a proviso attached to all this, however; don't expect to get anywhere very fast in the Alto and don't rely on getting those fuel figures. The little engine, which is brought over from the successful Splash, is short of poke with its 68PS output and 66lb/ft of pulling power and you can spend a lot of time shifting down to fourth or even third to get momentum, the sort of thing which sets mpg figures tumbling.

And be warned, if you go for the four-speed automatic version the figures are considerably down, the CO2 is up and the car takes 17 seconds to get from standstill to 62mph.

The Alto is branded a city car and that's what it is. It can do a job on the motorways and in cruise mode it is reasonably quiet, but long climbs find it out and you wouldn't want too many round-Britain trips.

But short hauls are a different story. It's worth ramming on the accelerator to hear the engine gurgle, a match for the quite sporty inclinations of Suzuki's small cars.

The Alto is another whippy little thing, with a set-up which may be a touch fidgety on lesser surfaces but which takes it through bends with confidence and security on its wheels-in-corners platform.

The steering is responsive and nicely weighted and, even if the action is somewhat illusory, it gives the impression of spirit. Indeed, it would be interesting to see a slightly more powerful engine offered in the car.

The control wins plaudits because the car is quite upright, which also means there is plenty of glass in the windscreen and front windows for, in the main, fine front and side visibility, marred only by the front pillars. However, the much smaller back windows (and shrinking with the rising waist) obstruct over-the-shoulder views.

Support from the seating could be better but they look okay and the driver benefits from height adjustment of chair and steering wheel.

There are, not suprisingly, signs of economy, with some basic plastics (including internal door handles) and manual adjustment of door mirrors, yet even the entry model features electric front windows, power steering, 50:50 split/folding rear seat, front and side airbags, ABS with electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and ventilated disc brakes at the front, childproof rear door locks, child seat anchorages, remote contral locking and MP3/WMA compatible CD tuner.

In-car stowage facilities are good, with a deep bin in the passenger side of the dash and drinks holders are available front and rear. That area is cramped for adults but should suit children fine and families will welcome the five-door build.

The folding rear seats gives the car respectable load-carrying capacity, although the boot itself is tiny.

Externally, the Alto's rising waist and design lines give it a pleasant-enough profile, aided by stand-proud front lights, and the back end, although near-vertical, is not aggressively cut-off (incidentally, it produces an air flow which means that in rainy conditions you need to have the rear wiper going at full speed all the time). The SZ4 trim also includes body-coloured door handles and mirrors.

Within the confines of a cheap price tag the Alto does what is expected of it and the miserly running costs further underline its claim as a reasonable choice as a second car.

FAST FACTS

Suzuki Alto 1.0 SZ4 5dr

Price: £8,460

Mechanical: 68ps, 996cc 3cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 96mph

0-62mph: 13.5 seconds

Combined mpg: 64.2

Insurance group: 2

CO2 emissions: 103g/km

BIK rating: 15%

Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles