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By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 83

Today, so many tiny citycars cost the kind of money you might expect would buy you a larger supermini. Here's one that doesn't, Suzuki's Celerio. It was not only the most affordable model of its kind but also one of the cleanest, the most economical and the most spacious from its 2014-2019 period on sale. There are funkier alternatives, no question. But are there fundamentally better ones? That's what we're here to find out. Let's check this car out as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 8

5dr city car (Petrol - 1.0, 1.0 Dualjet)

Historyword count: 269

There are very few brands who know more about small cars than Suzuki. Manufacturers who merely dabble in this sector usually produce trendy products prioritising style over substance. Those who specialise in little runabouts though, tend to deliver models like. well, like this one, Suzuki's Celerio, launched in 2014. You can see at a glance from the practical shape that a more sensible approach has been taken here - with the same kind of thinking prioritised when it comes to questions of price, power and equipment. Globally, this car did its part in making Suzuki an increasing force to be reckoned with. In India for example, thanks to this Celerio, the brand took over 40% of the entire market in this period, while in Japan, the company dominated the so-called 'Kei' car sector for models less than 3.4m long with engines under 660cc in size. This isn't a 'Kei' car of course. In the West, we like our city-sized models to be a bit bigger than that. We like them a bit pokier too, so the Celerio adopted the same kind of 1.0-litre three cylinder petrol engine format used by many of its rivals, the engineering highlight here being a 998cc Dualjet unit that delivers close to 80mpg and under 85g/km of CO2 (NEDC figures). Of equal interest for potential buyers will be the news that the boot is class-leadingly big, there's a strong standard of safety and prices will significantly undercut most major rivals. It should all sound very promising if you're one of those with a sensible approach to city car ownership. This car sold until 2019.

What You Getword count: 362

Are you fed up with 'funky' small cars? Suzuki is. The Japanese maker acknowledges that there's a place for fashion-led little urban runabouts - it makes the Ignis to go up against models like the Toyota Aygo or the smart forfour. You sense though, that it can't quite see the point of them. In contrast, Suzuki's citycars have always been sensible and in 2014 this Celerio replaced two of the most practical models in the company's back catalogue, the affordable Alto and the slightly smarter Splash. It combines the virtues of those designs too, with the boxy, budget convenience of the Alto and the smart modern look of the Splash. The 'luggage space' part of this car's buying equation is explained by a simple but very effective piece of design at the back. This has nothing to do with anything you can see - like for example the chunky bumper and the V-shape made by the tapering tailgate - and everything to do with the stuff you can't - namely the torsion beam suspension housed beneath the floor. It was configured with what Suzuki calls 'flattened ends' that create a very low base for the cargo area. As a result, you get a near-class-leadingly practical 254-litres of luggage space. And 'practical' is a word that springs readily to mind on taking a seat at the front. Those graduating on from a spartan little Suzuki Alto might find it to be an upgrade but just about everyone else will see little but strong durability in the firm, utilitarian plastics. To be fair, a few efforts were made to brighten things a little, with silver trim framing the centre console and the air vents. Taking a seat in the rear can sometimes be a bit of a contorted process in a city car but here is aided by wide-opening doors you can pull out as far as 90-degrees. Once inside, the rear bench is, as advertised, pretty much as spacious as you'd expect to find in a supermini from the next class up. Importantly too, it offers three sets of belts in a class where nearly every other city car rival provides only two.

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