Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Economy, Euro, Hatchbacks, Suzuki
Suzuki Splash: It's Japanese for "Agila"
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Earlier today, we told you about the new Aglia city car, which will be sold under GM's Opel and Vauxhall banners. Like its predecessor, a rebadged Suzuki Wagon R+, the new Agila is Suzuki-based (it's on the Swift platform). It's only natural, therefore, that Suzuki gets its own version of the car.
That car is the Splash, a name that first appeared on the concept that teased the forthcoming city car at the Paris Motor Show. The production version of the Splash will be built in Hungary and will offer the identical powertrains found in the Agila. Aside from a mildly different front fascia (and the Suzuki badges), it looks no different than its GM sibling. It'll also debut at this year's Frankfurt show. Suzuki's press release is included after the jump.
[Source: Suzuki]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Niels 7:14PM (5/14/2007)
God damn that thing is atrocious. Absolutely hideous excuse for a car.
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John Metcalf 7:32PM (5/14/2007)
Niels,
In what way is it "atrocious"? I know that we each have our own opinion, but I really would like to know what ellicited this extreme comment.
Is it that it's too cute for a big he-man such as yourself? Is it the fact that it's efficient transportation rather than a fire-breathing (gas-guzzling) hot rod that's bothering you? I could understand an off-hand comment about not being the car for you, but "hideous excuse for a car?" That seems a bit harsh.
Did a Suzuki once run over your puppy?
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mk 8:02PM (5/14/2007)
those things will roll over easier than fido. square proportions for wheelbase and track, high roofline, and skinny little tires. just wait until they start making "CUVs" out of these sort of ultra-small econoboxes. (they have done that on just about everything else.)
Be careful not to hit a speed bump too hard, or your car will do a somersault.
I hope people like sardines. As in wanting to BE like sardines.
efficient is one thing, micro cars like this are another. Most people don't just *dream* of living in an efficiency apartment, either.
These things are not practical at all for the more rural parts of the country, where driving is more than a lifestyle, but a necessity.
They are also too tiny to even appearto be safe in insane city traffic. The laws of physics apply, and crumple-zone has to co-exist with passenger space at some point.
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andyx 9:04PM (5/14/2007)
These cars are not for the rural parts of the country! These are for most cities of Europe and maybe Asia where parking are difficult to find and roads are narrow. Please don't make fools of yourselves (Niels and mk), A wise man once said, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, just keep it to yourself.' By making those stupid comments, you're just exposing yourself as FOOLS!
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3cubedminus3squared 12:41AM (5/15/2007)
andyx, this is a blog. Anyone can say anything and it won't matter because we don't know them, and they don't know us. I guess thats why they exaggerate when they type. To make them feel special/better.
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Mr. E 2:16AM (5/15/2007)
I think it looks pretty good. Just the kind of car I need.
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Kri 5:44AM (5/15/2007)
If they make it fun to drive, it could be a great second / city car. The current Swift is a pretty decent effort, too.
As for safety, sure, any vehicle needs crumple zones but you will find that even the Smart, whose crumple zones are even smaller, will perform well in crashes, whereas many larger and sturdier looking vehicles will not.
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mk 9:44AM (5/15/2007)
Perhaps I and some others use some hyperbole when describing cars, it isn't the first time, and it certainly not an isolated practice.
But I don't go around insulting people with different points of view. You tell me which is more inflammatory?
If people like this car, fine. whatever. Personally, I don't, and I would not drive one, even if I did live in a congested city. Public transit, or a normal compact car would do fine in a city. a micro compact seems like a needless concession.
And this car and the Smart ForTwo, and others in this class are not exempt from the laws of physics. Smaller crumple-zones maybe. But the less energy that the chassis absorbs, the more energy is imparted to the contents of the car, namely the driver or passenger, which makes it more likely to get whiplash, or other injuries. You can't have it both ways.
Not to mention that the inertia of other, larger cars is a factor. The probability that a micro-compact hits another micro-compact is very slim. it is VERY likely that it will hit a larger car. And most other cars are getting heavier, to the tune of nearly two tons.
A two-ton american or imported mid-size to full size passenger car would punt this little think like football. (uh oh... more hyperbole!!!!)
That isn't to count a full size truck or SUV, even a CUV, or an urban-environment city bus.
Why people would put themselves into a sardine can like that is beyond me. A little more care required to park even a compact car is worth it, over the safety risk of such a small vehicle.
This from a guy who drives his wife's Miata on many an occaision; and owns a motorcycle. I am not generally against small cars, or small vehicles. But strapping myself into *such* a small "cage" seems a bit much.
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Arroba 10:22AM (5/15/2007)
Quote by mk: "But strapping myself into *such* a small "cage" seems a bit much."
It's 3.7m long. There's plenty of shorter cars on the market (not in the US) right now, and there's always been.
A 90's Fiat 500 was a sardine can, but these modern small cars aren't so bad. I'd rather crash in this Suzuki/Opel than in an 80's big car.
Anyway, what I wanted to say is that for those in Europe who need small cars and this one seems rather nice on the spec sheet.
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Calebe 10:23AM (5/15/2007)
Has the Suzuki family look to the front. I like the Opel front better. Not a bad looking car over all.
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Colin Smith 10:35AM (5/15/2007)
It's not so small!
I had a Wagon R for a while (yes, not pretty!), and there was plenty of room for four, and the back seats folded brilliantly to offer a lot of useful volume.
This will meet all the Euro safety requirements, which are strict by the way, and will, believe it or not, be great fun to drive. I just hope they don't put the Suzuki 1300cc motor in becuse this was harsh at high (70-100mph) speeds.
In Europe there is a better than even chance of 'hitting', if you must, another small car, so the mass thing isn't the concern it seems to be in the US.
Don't knock these cars; high build for ease of access and good visibility, plenty of realtime space, and economical and fun to drive. This one looks good - to European eyes - too; it will sell in bucketloads.
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carysott 8:14AM (5/16/2007)
At 1700 it is a little wider than a number of sub-compacts presently on sale in NA and close to the same length as say the Aveo. I prefer the Suzuki to the GM version but it looks like a strong edition to the segment. I am surprised that Hungary has the capacity to produce a car at this volume given the sales of both the SX4 and Swift but perhaps something is being moved out as the new Japan plant comes on stream. Europe is looking a lot easier to conquer than the US.
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