Suzuki Ciaz - The Budget friendly sedan

Suzuki has chosen to replace the promising SX – 4 with the Ciaz, a car the company believes will help them conquer the compact-sedan market.
Who is it for:
Someone who wants to buy a feature-packed sedan on a budget
someone who has a swift, likes it but wants to upgrade
What I learnt from driving the Ciaz
Nice acceleration – the gas pedal in on the light side so you must temper your foot when driving. Getting from 0 – 60km happens effortlessly, even with three adults in the vehicle. This is a remarkable feat for a 1.4-liter engine. And with very little cabin noise you can easily go over 80km and not know it. The engine also makes an aggressive sound when accelerating as though it is a race car, and where the brake is concerned, it is not as responsive as the Swift, but i can live with that. 
Space – Given that it has a wheel base that’s one of the longest in its class, this might easily provide one of the most spacious rear seat experiences for passengers. As it pertains to cargo space they won’t be able to fold down, however the trunk is huge.
Reverse camera – this is a really convenient feature, given the fact that we have such small parking spaces. Unlike most cars I’ve tested the monitor for the camera is in the rear-view mirror and not the center console. Which is a good thing because it keeps your eyes focused on one place.
Plastic - Some of the dashboard components seem to be made of light plastic something which seems to be very customary of Suzuki.  Hopefully within eight to 10 years of constantly driving on our bad roads it doesn’t lead to excess cabin noise.
Taking corners - The car has little to no body roll, which simply means when you are taking corners at high speed it doesn’t feel like it’s going to turn over. I was even more impressed when i wined down the window and did not hear the tyres squeaking. This comes as a result of good weight distribution and engineering, something you’d more expect from a Subaru.
Fuel usage - The gas mileage is impressive. While driving around Kingston I got an average usage of 11km/1l. This means you’ll comfortably get over 473km on a full tank with constant a/c usage, and, what’s great the dial cluster shows your fuel usage. With this range you can drive from Kingston to Westmoreland and back without having to stop at a gas station.
Cost to full gas tank: $5 805 (octane 90 @ $135*)
Fuel usage on average 11 km/ 1L
Gas tank size: 43 Litre, cost to full

Steering-mounted controllers -  No longer do you have to stretch to the center console to control the music, you can now do so from your  steering. However where it really comes in handy is when it’s paired with your cell phone via Bluetooth. This will allow you to control many features on your phone such as accessing your contact list and making calls.
There are three designated phone switches placed at the lower half of the steering, once there is an incoming call you can answer it using one of the buttons and you will hear the person on the line through the car stereos.
Price: $3.29mil*
Basic specs: Engine: 1.4L, HP 92, Weight 2227 lb
Class: Subcompact sedan
Competing vehicles: Honda City, Nissan Versa, Toyota Belta
*Data as at July 2015

You can check the video on line at our website www.jamaica-gleaner.com or our JamaicaGleaner page on Youtube.

Vehicle was provided courtesy of Stewart's Auto Sales Ltd, 928 – 5041/5042.

-For comments and suggestions email yl.jamaica@gmail.com.