Story & photos by Patrick Tulfo
THE subcompact segment, or the B-segment, is a hotly contested arena in the burgeoning local automotive industry.
This field boasts of the largest number of entries from different manufacturers selling cars in the country. This is also the segment that enjoys the biggest number of vehicles sold every year, hence it’s logical that almost everyone wants a slice of the pie.
Suzuki Motors Philippines recently joined the fray and decided to field an entry, the Ciaz, which stands for “City from A to Z.” The first time I laid my eyes on it while it was parked in front of the Suzuki dealership on Sucat Avenue in Parañaque City was its size. It was as big as the models being sold in the compact segment.
This impression was further bolstered after we left the dealership to proceed to Nuvali, where the photo contest was held. While stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Sucat, there were several instances that the Ciaz in front was parked side-by-side with the likes of a Corolla and the Civic. The size of the vehicle was clearly emphasized. First-timers who saw probably thought that it was in the same league as the vehicles I mentioned.
Legroom, headroom and shoulder room were aplenty, although there were only four of us riding inside the vehicle. In a briefing held later that night in the Aiyannar Beach and Dive Resort in Anilao, where we stayed, Shuzo Hoshikura, general manager for automobile of Suzuki Philippines, confirmed our observation that the Ciaz boasts of having the longest wheelbase among the competitors in the segments, even besting the current-size king Nissan Almera.
Taking the longer route to Aiyannar beach resort via Tagaytay gave us an opportunity to test the engine’s power. The 1.4-liter motor, paired with a four-speed automatic transmission culled from its stablemate, the Ertiga, offered good horsepower and torque in paper.
Unfortunately, the weight of the vehicle taxed the engine somewhat, such that overtaking slower vehicles required timing. It became obvious that between power and fuel efficiency, the Suzuki chose the latter, as a combination of highway and city driving yielded more than 10 kilometer per liter, which is close to the fuel-consumption estimate of the Suzuki of 12 km per liter.
Those who are accustomed to the sound being made by Suzuki big bikes will be glad to know that this engine produces the same melody at high-engine speed, making it sound like it was going faster than it really was.
Another factor that worked in favor of the Ciaz was its handling. The suspension soaked most of the bumps and ruts impressively, but the way it tackled the corners of the zigzag road going to the resort was a revelation of sorts. It left a grin on the face of fellow motoring journalist Ronald de los Reyes, who was behind the wheel that time.
A photo session the following day gave us the opportunity to scrutinize the vehicle even further. Exterior-wise, the Ciaz has sporty styling, accentuated by a steeply raked windshield. Although Suzuki could have done a better job with the front end of the vehicle as it sports a generic-looking grille and headlights with the Suzuki emblem displayed prominently in the middle. But it is at the rear where the car shines—the sculpted rear has a pair of sporty-looking taillights. The design also accentuates the large boot of the compartment, which, by the way, can fit two persons I kid you not.
Interior-wise, it is a combination of soft and hard plastics that produce a pleasing result. The large speedometer and tachometer flank the information display in the middle, which displays readings legibly. But the 8-inch touchscreen entertainment system boasts of an Android-based operating system and may be the first in the segment. It comes preloaded with apps like Facebook, Waze and Gmail, to name a few. And like all modern entertainment systems installed in cars today, it has wireless-connection option for your cell phone and other devices.
The GLX model also has an auto climate-w control system that remarkably cooled the spacious cabin in a matter of minutes, even when the car was parked directly under the sun.
In his opening remarks before we started our journey, Hoshikura said: “We thank all of you for taking your time and accepting our invitation to participate in the first-ever media test-drive for Suzuki, and we want to hear what you have to say about our car.”
And judging from all the positive reactions of all those who participated, it is very clear that Suzuki has a clear winner here. The Ciaz can be ordered at all Suzuki dealers. The GL with manual transmission goes for P738,000, while the automatic version goes for P778,000. The top-variant GLX is priced competitively at P888,000.
Image credits: Patrick Tulfo