WeeklySA_AdminSUZUKI e-SPRESSO DRIVEN: For a car its price you will enjoy the ride despite minor flaws
By Ali Mphaki
When it landed at our parking lot the other day, the bright blue Suzuki e-Spresso was an immediate hit with colleagues, especially of the fairer kind.There she stood in all her retro-styling glory, the squared-off headlamps, four-slot grille, and tinted side windows giving her some presence.
Toy-like and with a blunt little face, she seemed unfazed at the big German machines dwarfing her, almost laughing derisively at their stupendity. Ingress the Suzuki e-Spresso and a pleasant shock awaits you, least of all the generous interior space on offer.
Its a pleasant interior with controls on the three-poke steering wheel and the speedometer uncharacteristically neatly placed in the middle of the dashboard.
My six-foot torso easily slotted on the driver’s seat and thanks to its high ride position, the view all-round is greatly enhanced giving the e-Spreso a small SUV-like feeling thanks to its 180mm ground clearance.
And when it came to sharing a ride with some three friends the other day, the e-Spresso was a bit overwhelmed, but not claustrophobic. Four adults and a minor can sit comfortably within its 2.38m wheelbase, but as the sticker in a taxi says:”No sdudla in-front”.
Once on the road, my initial fears of the e-Spresso being a suspected slouch were quickly allayed – its 1-0-litre engine giving a peppy and breezy drive.
More fun was when I had to navigate tiny spaces as I made my way through the plethora of Quantum taxis and Rea Vaya buses traversing the ever busy streets of Soweto. The five-speed manual gearbox did not disappoint either, even though on lower gears during heavy traffic the engine seem to grumble a bit, urging for a gear change.
The only gripe, if one may call it that, is its lack of a reverse camera though it has a parking sensor. The C-pillar also has a knack to obstruct your view when reversing, but for all its worth this is no big price to pay.
USB, AV compliant etc, remarkable is how its stereo can be able to keep a smallanyana street bash pumping. It took me a couple days to visit a filling station, what with the e-Spresso exhibiting exquisite drinking habits, guzzling a mere 4.6-litres per 100km.
I had been rewarded with a tad 400 kms of intermittent city driving from its mere 27-litre capacity tank. It was an acrimonius “divorce” when I had to part with the e-Spresso, having grown used to luxuriate in her simple charms.
I now a firm believer that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. It retails from R169 000. All S-Presso models are sold with a 2-year / 30 000 km service plan and a 5-year / 200 000 km promotional mechanical warranty. Insurance for the first year of ownership is free.
motoring:
Briefs
TOYOTA LEADS THE WAY
A grand total of 43,060 new cars were sold in South Africa in May 2023 – a 10.1% increase compared to the same month last year, according to the latest sales data report from Naamsa.
It’s also a considerable step up from the 37,107 units sold in April this year, indicating strong consumer demand for vehicles despite the troubling economic conditions the country is in the midst of.
Toyota secured top billing once again with 11,395 units sold, which is substantially more than the 9,423 purchased in the previous month, but still below March’s impressive figure of 13,406.
Likewise, Volkswagen managed to sell 5,259 units in May – effectively splitting the difference between the 6,139 sold in March and the 4,644 moved in April.
Third-place holder Suzuki managed to expand its customer base by another 3,709 units in May, continuing what has been the company’s best quarter to date.
CROSS, CARNIVAL, C3 RECALLS
AUSTRALIA: New recall notices have been issued, affecting the new Toyota Corolla Cross, Kia Carnival, certain Peugeot and Citroen vehicles, and a handful of Mercedes-AMG’s CLA 45.
In the Corolla Cross’s case, the recall centres around faulty software for the electric handbrake in petrol variants, while the affected Kia Carnival vehicles may not warn occupants the power-sliding rear doors are in operation.
Issued by local distributor Inchcape, the Peugeot and Citroen recall affects the 2017-20 Peugeot 208, 308 and 2008, and the 2017-20 Citroen C3, C3 Aircross and C4 Cactus. The affected AMG CLA 45s were built with tyres that don’t meet manufacturing specifications.-WHICHCAR?
JAGUAR LAND ROVER REBRAND TO JLR
The days of Jaguar Land Rover are officially over, at least in name. As of June 1, the UK-based luxury automaker is officially known as JLR. You can probably guess where the three letters come from, but this is more than just an abbreviation of a slightly awkward title.
It’s a new corporate identity that sees iconic Land Rover models transition to brands under a new JLR umbrella, on the same footing as Jaguar.
We first heard about this change in mid-April, presented as part of JLR’s $18.6 billion Reimagine strategy. At that price, JLR is obviously doing more than just creating a new logo.
Manufacturing facilities are being upgraded and overhauled for the electric future, and the automaker has plans to move swiftly in that direction.
We already know about JLR’s next-gen ELR platform for electric SUVs, slated to underpin the Range Rover EV in 2025.
On Jaguar’s side of the fence, a new JEA platform will also arrive that year for three new EVs, including a four-door GT that’s said to have more power than any production Jag in history.
NEW PORSCHE BADGE
German sports-car maker Porsche has revealed the latest iteration of its iconic badge, less than a week before it is due to unveil its “sports car of the future”.
The ‘new’ badge was designed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Porsche’s first sports car – the 356 – rolling off the production line in 1948, which was preceded by the company building Volkswagen Beetle-based models and tanks for the German army during World War II.
Porsche has opted for evolution rather than revolution with the new logo, which the car-maker claims took three years to design.
The bronze elements of the new badge are smooth – rather than the spotted texture in the current design – allowing the antlers on the top-left and bottom-right portions of the crest to stand out from the background.
