Buy A New Car
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Suzuki Swift GL Navigator
Under the Suzuki banner, Swift is a nameplate that has been a staple of the brand and was, once, shared by Holden as a Barina. Allegedly, Holden had the lowest warranty return of any of their vehicles when using that car as a source…In the latter half of the “noughties” Suzuki revamped the Swift, giving it a look not dissimilar to a couple of well known smaller cars. They even released a sports version, with a (then) grunty 1.6 litre engine and a six speed manual as the only transmission option.
Since then there’s been some slight bodywork changes, such as headlights and tail lights faired back into the sheetmetal. A Wheel Thing takes on the mid spec GL Swift in 2016, called the Navigator.
Up front is a non turbo 1.4 litre engine, with 70 kilowatts at 6000 rpm and a reasonable, for the engine’s size, 130 torques at 4000 rpm. Suzuki, however, hobble it by fitting a four speed automatic (there is a five speed manual as standard) to the test car. It’s here where either a five or six speed auto OR a properly calibrated CVT would be a better option, as to get anything resembling overtaking speed requires a solid press of the go pedal. It drops from fourth to second in order to get something happening. A better spread of gears would help, one should think.
At least, like all of the Suzukis tested by A Wheel Thing, you can wave an oily rag at one and cover a fair distance. The Swift is no different, sipping 5.5 litres of 91 RON per one hundred kilometres of distance driven for a combined cycle, from a 42 litre tank in the manual and a slightly higher yet no less worthwhile 6.2 for the auto, says Suzuki. A Wheel Thing was in a mainly urban environment and saw 400 klicks at a half tank used.
Inside it’s a mix of textured and shiny black plastic on the dash (visibly reflecting in the windscreen), cloth covered seats in a dark grey and charcoal weave, no centre console as such but a couple of bottle/cup holders, cruise and audio controls on the tiller plus Bluetooth for the phone and audio. The Navigator gts its name due to the stylish seven inch touchscreen with (surprise) satellite navigation and CD. 
It’s intuitive to use, looks good but has a really odd programming where the warning screen you need to touch to view everything else stays on until you touch it. All. Of. The. Time. It doesn’t auto switch off, unlike other brands, to display the satnav or radio screens, for example, it’ll stay there until you turn the car off.
The dash design has a couple of built in storage spots, which are open to the cabin and have no material inside to stop items from moving around, meaning a phone or coins and so on are free to shake, rattle and roll. Underneath the touchscreen is another indentation, this being the aircon controls which are manually operated dials. One highlight here is that on full heat, the cabin gets toasty warm very quickly. Again, too, Suzuki eschew auto headlights and only the driver gets an Auto option for the power windows, being downwards only. The tiller is only adjustable for tilt, with reach being reserved for the GLX Navigator.
Boot space isn’t huge at 210 litres (seats up) and is somewhat hampered, initially, by having what first appears to be a high mounted shelf. This, though, is removable, adding some vital extra space, but then the question is where to put that removable shelf. Back seat anyone? With the seats down this increases to a more usable 533 litres. The wheelbase and 1510 mm height work together to endow the Swift with an agreeable amount of interior space for driver, front and rear passengers with just enough rear leg room for children, although adults might feel a tad cramped…
Being a small car, safety would be a consideration for buyers of the car for their children and Suzuki don’t skimp here. There’s front, side, curtain AND driver’s knee ‘bags, the suite of electronic aids such as traction and stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist and hill hold control for the automatic equipped Swifts.
Outside there’s nothing new for the Swift in regards to looks; no LED driving lights (it does get globe lit driving lights), head and tail lights faired into the guards (a design change a few years ago), with stylish 16 inch alloys clad in 185/55 rubber. It’s a good looking car and after ten years with the same basic design (the rear window line was also modified a few years ago), still looks good on the road.
Speaking of on the road, it’s a surprising harsh and hard ride in the Swift. There’s bang, crash, thump enough to please a Batman episode from the 1960s, such is the lack of compliance. This came as a surprise, and not a welcome one. The lack of give also contributed to the rear end skipping around on unsettled surfaces, such as broken tarmac or bumps in turns. It’s choppy and intrusive, deadening an otherwise quite reasonable handling package from the MacPherson strut front/torsion beam rear suspended car. Yet, there seemed to be more give over shopping centre speed restrictors….odd. It’s quick enough in the steering too, allowing the driver to move the 3850 mm long machine into some tight spaces, aided by the 2430 mm wheelbase, pushing the wheels to all four corners.
As mentioned, the four speed auto restricts performance but in normal day to day driving, it’s adequate enough. In fact, when A Wheel Thing sold Suzuki vehicles, it was the auto Swift that was most demanded by parents as a first car for their children, because it was auto and not seen as either quick nor hard to drive. It’ll respond well enough when really pushed but as an around town car, it’ll do the job if you don’t expect it to do much more. Brakes are discs up front, drums at the rear and also do a good job of pulling in the lightweight Swift. It tips the scales at just 1035 kilos (kerb weight).
At The End Of The Drive.
It’s a firm favourite with younger drivers, the Suzuki Swift, thanks to its pert good looks, swag of safety features and, for parents of new drivers, the comparitive lack of urge. It happily swallows a family of four but is a bit light on for luggage space. It’s cheap to run, comes with Suzuki’s standard three year/100000 kilometre warranty and the sat nav in the mid range GL is a sweetener too. With the GL Navigator introduced to the Aussie market at a $17490 price (the Swift range starts at $15990) it’s also easy on the bank balance to buy.
For further information on the 2016 Suzuki Swift range, go here:2016 Suzuki Swift range
Tesla Australia Releases Model X Pricing.
Tesla recently unveiled the Model X, their fully electric SUV. There will be four models in the range: 60D, 75D, 90D and P90D. The latter is expected to offer over 460 kilometres of battery powered range, a zero to one hundred kmh time of 3.4 seconds, thanks to all wheel drive grip, and a top speed limited to 250 kmh.
Tesla Australia has released pricing for the Model X, on a state by state basis. Prices start with the recommended retail price (RRP), then include luxury car tax (LCT) and follow up with stamp duty (SD), registration costs (RC) and compulsory third party insurance (CPI).
For the Model X 60D:
Australia wide: $111900.00 RRP, with LCT $122812.20 starting price.
Victoria: $6396.00 SD + $376.00 RC + $503.00 CPI = $130087.20
New South Wales: $5425.00 + $575.00 + $623.00 = $129255.20
Queensland: $2458.00 + $366.40 + $329.60 + $125966.20
Australian Capital Territory: $0.00 + $1146.00 + No CPI + $123958.20
Northern Territory: $3687.00 + $613.85 + No CPI = $127113.05
South Australia: $4856.00 + $285.00 + $449.00 = $128402.20
Tasmania: $4916.00 + $241.03 + $338.00 = $128307.03
Western Australia: $7982.00 + $493.00 + $409.35 = $131696.55
For the Model X 75D:
Australia wide: $125000.00 RRP, with LCT $139842.00 starting price.
Victoria: $7280.00 + $376.00 + $503.00 = $148001.00
NSW: $6095.00 + $575.00 + $623.00 = $147135.00
Queensland: $2798.00 + $366.40 + $329.60 = $143336.00
ACT: $0.00 + $1146.00 + $0.00 = $140988.00
NT: $4197.00 + $613.85 + $0.00 = $144652.85
South Australia: $5536.00 + $285.00 + $449.00 = $146112.00
Tasmania: $5596.00 + $241.03 + $338.00 = $146017.03
Western Australia: $9089.73 + $493.00 + $409.35 = $149834.08
For the Model X 90D
Australia wide: $143000.00 RRP, with LCT $163242.00 starting price.
Victoria: $8496.80 + $376.00 + $503.00 = $172617.80
NSW: $7265.00 + $575.00 + $623.00 = $171705.00
Queensland: $3266.00 + $366.40 + $329.60 = $167204.00
ACT: $0.00 + $1146.00 + $0.00 = $164388.00
NT: $4899.00 + $613.85 + $0.00 = $168754.85
South Australia: $6472.00 + $285.00 + $449.00 = $170448.00
Tasmania: $6532.00 + $241.03 + $338.00 = $170353.03
Western Australia: $10610.00 + $493.00 + $409.35 = $174754.35
For the Model X P90D:
Australia wide: $172100.00, with LCT $201072.00 starting price.
Victoria: $10462.40 + $376.00 + $503.00 = $212413.40
NSW: $9155.00 + $575.00 + $623.00 = $211.425.00
Queensland: $4022.00 + $366.40 + $329.60 = $205790.00
ACT: $0.00 + $1146.00 + $0.00 = $202218.00
NT: $6033.00 + $613.85 + $0.00 = $207718.85
South Australia: $7984.00 + $285.00 + $449.00 = $209790.00
Tasmania: $8044.00 + $241.03 + $338.00 = $209695.03
Western Australia: $13069.68 + $493.00 + $409.35 = $215055.03
What’s clear out of these figures is the disparity in stamp duty and registration costs charged whilst the ACT offers the overall best rates due to no stamp duty nor CPI.
Plus there’s this information from Tesla Australia:
And there are other advantages to owning a Tesla that add up over time, including:
Less maintenance – Tesla vehicles don’t require regular maintenance like oil changes or fuel filters. And our four-year/80,000 km bumper to bumper warranty and eight-year/infinite km battery and drive unit warranty come standard with Model S.
Ample charging options – for most Tesla owners, home charging provides plenty of range for daily travel, and with an NEDC estimated range of 400 plus kilometres, that’s still the case for Model S 60 and 60D. For long distance travel, there are many convenient Supercharger and Destination Charging locations throughout our network.
New features via free software updates – as with every Model S, the 60 and 60D will receive free over-the-air software updates that add functionality and continue to improve the driving experience for years to come.
To provide customers even more flexibility over time, Model S 60 and 60D owners may later choose to upgrade their vehicles to a 75kWh battery with a software update, should they want to add to their car’s battery capacity in the future.
Private Fleet Car Review: 2016 Suzuki Celerio CVT
Suzuki have built their reputation on providing niche filling small cars. The Alto was one such car and the nameplate has now been retired, in 2015 and changed to Celerio. It drives straight into a crowded market, with cars such as Holden’s Spark, Ford’s Fiesta and Toyota’s Yaris to contend with. A Wheel Thing checks out the 1.0 litre engine and CVT version of the 2016 Suzuki Celerio.
Considered a “city” car, the Celerio fits the bill with that 1.0 litre, three cylinder, engine. It develops 50 kilowatts at 6000 revs and 90 Newton metres of torque at 3500 revs. Unsurprisingly, it’s also light on the juice, with Suzuki quoting just 4.8L/100 km on a combined cycle from its miniscule 35 litre tank. A Wheel Thing covered over 550 kilometres in the city cycle and still had just under a half tank left. That’s an impressive statistic, given the engine needs a good prodding to get the car moving and even more impressive given the hill climbing the car did.
The CVT is old school, in that there’s no preprogrammed steps or manual gearchanges. It’s purely plant the foot and go. Although, there is a “Sports” button on the selector lever which made no real apparent difference. As a result, you’ll se upwards of four thousand on the tacho before it slides back to around two thousand. There’s a hesitation in the transmission too, between pushing the go pedal and actually getting forward motion. Yes, it’s noisy and thrashy with the CVT, it would be interesting to see how it drives with the manual gearbox it also comes with.
Inside, it’s back to basics for the strictly four seater; dials for the aircon bar a button for fresh or recirculate (and getting heat into the cabin is quick), manual adjustment for the seats but you do get electric mirrors and windows. Only the driver’s window is Auto and that’s down only. Audio wise, it’s a non touchscreen setup, reverting to an old school red LCD screen and there’s no steering wheel mounted controls. You do get USB, Auxuliary and CD. The cloth seats are comfy but you can feel it’s that poly-urethane filling that will soon compress but for now, they’ll do.
There’s a tiny cargo space, at just 254 litres, perhaps just large enough for a single person’s weekly shop, which is in keeping with the intended audience the Celerio is aimed at. That does increase to a maximum of 1053 litres, but that would also involve blocking rearward vision. Interior plastics are bland, shining into the front window, but there’s hints of brightwork in the cabin. There’s no centre console but spaces for two cups/bottles and again the sun visors are too short for true effectiveness.
Out on the road, it’s an interesting and potentially entertaining drive. Yes, it’s slow with the CVT. Yes, it’s noisy with the CVT. It’s noisy, full stop, with road and wind noise very noticeable, especially on the coarse chip surfaces found in NSW. But it will eventually get you where you need to be. That lag between pressing the accelerator and getting forward motion is an annoyance, but at least the brakes haul up the Celerio well enough, with discs at the front and drums at the rear.
It’s a moderately good handler, will crash the front suspension and feel as if the front struts will fall out when going at a moderate speed over the bigger traffic calming devices. It’s oddly taut at slower speeds, with smaller bumps feeling bigger than they are.
It’s also highly susceptible to cross winds, in part due to the boxy shape and slabby sides. having very narrow track tyres doesn’t do much for stability either, with “tramlining” also a feature of the Celerio’s handling. It, too, will skip across some unsettled and rough surfaces, with a solid beam, three links, rear axle. A huge bonus those, that’s directly related to its size, is just how easy it is to park, even lacking a reverse camera and parking sensors. Steering is quick enough for most driving situations yet also feels as if the assistance it has is somewhat underpowered, given the narrowness of the tyre tread, at just 165/65 on 14 inch diameter wheels.
At The End Of The Drive.
Suzuki offer a three year/100,000 kilometre warranty and for most, that’s peace of mind enough. With the Celerio seemingly aimed at a market that would drive far less than thirty odd thousand kilometres per year, that’s more than enough.
The Celerio really is a city car, especially with the CVT. It’s definitely easy on the wallet, for economy and price, with the manual at $12990 driveaway and the CVT just one thousand dollars more. It’s roomy enough for two constantly and has a performance level that could just be described as adequate. And sometimes that’s all that people want. The Celerio is their car. Click here for details: 2016 Suzuki Celerio details
Lotus Cars Australia: Light Is Right
To go fast in a car, you can add power or lose weight. Or both. Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus said: “Adding power makes you faster on the straights, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.” Weight becomes an enemy, losing helps everywhere, such as braking and cornering. This philosophy is at the core of the Lotus Cars company and each car remains true to that philosophy.
All cars are developed using what Lotus calls the Lightweight Laboratory Concept. All parts are looked at and measured in context to themselves and to the whole car, providing ample opportunity to be redesigned and re-engineered if needing to be. Items such as carbon fibre are weighed up, literally and aesthetically, needing to be seen as adding proper and usable benefits, not just to look good.
The benefits of weight reduction come down to weight distribution, suspension calibration, allowing sharper handling and body control. To assist, Lotus don’t just use the super strong carbon fibre, they’re a world leader in using aluminuim, in bonded and extruded forms.
As an example, the chassis for the Lotus Elise and Exige weighs just 68 kilograms. This is roughly half the weight of the chassis if it were to be built in steel and being metal, less complicated than using carbon fibre.
To that end, Lotus’ latest offering, the Evora 400, sees unladen wights of 1395 to 1425 kilograms, depending on a buyer going manual or auto. Behind the driver and passenger sits a supercharged 3.5 litre capacity engine, in V6 configuration. Lotus quotes power and torque at 298 kilowatts and 410 torques. These are bolted into a chassis so torsionally strong, Lotus rate it at 27000 Newton metres per degree for rigidity. Sir can specify a six speed, close ratio, manual gearbox or a slick six speed auto.
But being a light weight doesn’t mean it’s a lightweight when it comes to features: ISOFIX child seat mounts in the rear two seats, heated and folding mirrors, leather trimmed heated seats, Alcantara trim as an option, Michelin Pilot Sport tyres in 235/35/19 &285/30/20 configuration and hiding Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers, bi-xenon headlights and to haul the lot in, AP Racing brakes. 
Needed when there’s a zero to one hundred kilometre per hour time of just 4.2 seconds. Consumption for the combined cycle is quoted as 9.7 litres of unleaded for every 100 kilometres driven.
For prices and extra information on the Lotus range, including the exciting new Evora Sport 410, please contact your local Lotus dealer or go here: Lotus Cars Australia
Level 2, 9 Help Street