Suzuki cars have traditionally sold well in the East, but the difficulty for Suzuki is in translating their success to Europe. What goes down well in Asia and the Orient often can’t sell at all over here and such is the case with the Suzuki Alto. In the depths of a sub-continent the qualities of cheapness, reliability and durability are vital and trim is an afterthought; in Europe the factors of decent handling, driver comfort and a smart-looking interior are usually a sine qua non of the deal. Sadly the Alto offers none of these European frivolities – cheapness, reliability and durability are all you get – everything else is pretty poor and after 3 years you’ll get back less than a third of what you paid for it. Avoid.
The Suzuki Ignis is a decent Supermini class car: fairly cute, economical, easy to drive and good for parking in tight spots. There are better small cars out there but the Ignis isn’t a bad choice. The newly updated Suzuki Swift is an even better option, hampered only by a slightly weak engine, but a serious attempt to crack Europe in every other respect. The Wagon R is a mini with more space on offer and is very popular in Japan – but only buy this if you want a car strictly for the city.
The Suzuki Jimny offers up a 4x4 off-roader the size of a city car, but in our opinion you don’t want to use this around the city – it does well off-road, and poorly on tarmac. Still, it’s the cheapest 4 wheel drive car you can buy, which counts for something, so if you need an off-roader this will do the trick.
Avoid the Suzuki Liana estate, for the same reason you would avoid the Alto.
The Suzuki Grand Vitara is a shrunken SUV 4x4 that lacks real off-roading ability in the 3 door version, but cuts the mustard in the 5 door model. This is because the 5 door Grand Vitara offers the vital short gearing ratios necessary for a decent off-roader. This is a decent choice but again there are more attractive cars out there. Shop around and you can do better.