• Home
• Green cars
• Electric cars
• Hybrid cars
• Hydrogen cars
• Road tests
• Blog
• World news

Quick links: Most economical cars | Low emission cars | Biofuel | Algae biofuel | Advantages / Disadvantages of biofuel | Bioethanol | LPG | Electric vans

Poll

Awards won by TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk

Information

The figures alone suggest that the Splash isn’t going to outrun most cars on the road. With just 74bhp, it takes a glacial 13.9 seconds to hit 62mph and tops out at a meagre 103mph. Equally, in oil-burning guise, the Suzuki doesn’t have the old-fashioned revvy appeal of a traditional small car. But a turbocharged engine and kerb weight of 1,160kg mean that the Splash has grunt in the right places. Get the revs up between 1750 and 2250rpm and there’s 140lb ft of torque on tap, which is more than enough to make the little car shift mid-range. As such, it’s pretty competent at speed and overtaking, which is where many petrol superminis lack ability.

The Splash utilises the same platform as its bigger brother, the Swift, but it’s a shortened version. That’s no bad thing though, as the Swift is a cracking car to drive and the Splash has inherited its sound chassis. Fling it into a corner and it’s easy to tell what the little Suzuki is up to. The suspension does a good job of ironing out most of the bumps, but there’s obvious body roll through tighter curves. But the highlight of the Swift is its small car thrills. You can drive it hard and not worry about the consequences – low power, low weight and a short wheelbase make for bags of fun at safe speeds.

Suzuki has long been renowned for slapping solid little cars together and the Splash is certainly no exception. Due to its budget price, it isn’t as plush inside as its German rivals – but that’s to be expected on a car of the Splash’s nature – think budget, not cheap. The chunky buttons and heater dials, robust plastics and the tiny rev-counter that sits atop the dash are just some of many funky and endearing touches. The Splash is far from badly equipped for a small car, but it has less electronic trickery than larger motors – which means that there’s less to go wrong, so you can buy with confidence.

For small car, the Splash is pretty sturdy. It gets a sound Euro NCAP rating of four stars for adult occupants – that’s one shy of extremely safety-savvy cars – plump for a Renault or Volvo if five stars are a must have in this sector. But the little Suzuki makes up for it with child and pedestrian rating of three stars each, which is more impressive than many cars of this size. Though the less-than-powerful Splash is tricky to upset, you do get electronic stability control as standard on all models should you need it, and there’s also remote central locking, an immobiliser and driver, passenger and front side airbags as standard.

The interior is well laid out and the Splash feels like a larger car up front. The high driving position and spacious cabin make the little Suzuki feel much bigger than it actually is. The Splash suffers at the rear though. Headroom for rear passengers is pretty generous, but legroom is minimal and the boot is even worse. 178 litres of boot space really isn’t much to work with. Fold the rear seats down and you’ll get the benefits of 573 litres, which is roughly what a generous estate car will offer with the rear seats in place.

The fundamental concept of the Splash is that it’s spectacularly cheap to run. The 1.3-litre diesel averages 62.8mpg and, according to Suzuki, it even achieves 51.4mpg around town – the least economical place to drive. Settle down to a comfortable cruise and you’ll see a sky-high 70.6mpg, which is more than welcome in the current conditions. The perks don’t stop there though, as the diesel-engined Splash emits just 120g/km of CO2 so it qualifies for road tax charges of just £35 per year. Don’t discount the 1.2-litre petrol alternative, though. It starts at just £8,810 for the entry-level GLS, which is significantly cheaper than the £10,288 1.3 DDis diesel. If your annual mileage is low then it’s well-worth buying a petrol, as you’ll spend less on fuel. Residually, the Splash is a sound choice. Small, affordable and economical cars are currently in favour with buyers. It’s cheap to buy new, so even with used car values plummeting, the Splash won’t lose nearly as much money as a larger car.

Suzuki contract hire and leasing