Suzuki LIANA RANGE
Suzukis Family Hatch Now Offers A little More Substance. Andy Enright Reports
For many, the
Suzuki Liana will never be anything other than the econobox that contained a gurning celeb in the BBC Top Gear Star In A Reasonably Priced Car skit. Although this did give the car a measure of public recognition, it didnt prompt an avalanche of sales. Perhaps the latest set of revisions and price cuts will do a little more to tempt British buyers to part with their money for what has to be a seriously underrated car.
The exterior has come in for a mild tinkering, a two bar grille, body coloured side mouldings and bumper corner mouldings differentiating this latest model. Although these will probably go unnoticed by all but the most socially inept anoraks, the changes made to the Lianas interior are a whole lot easier to spot. The fascia has been thoroughly revised with an updated speedometer and tachometer, and a silver finish applied to the centre console, air vent surrounds and the door-mounted window switches. Theres also a digital clock and an outside temperature gauge built into the top of the fascia.
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The seats have been beefed up with extra side support should you take to emulating Simon Cowell or Jodie Kidds exploits around a racetrack, while the door pockets have been reshaped to offer a bit more room in the footwell. The drivers
seat benefits from a height adjuster and automatic versions get a centre armrest. Additional refinements include a ceiling mounted sunglasses holder, a 12v auxiliary power outlet in the centre console, wheel mounted audio controls and heated electrically operated door mirrors. The Liana certainly isnt short on metal, its 423cm length making it comfortably longer than a
Ford Focus and only a smidgeon shy of a Jeep Cherokee.
Whilst most manufacturers aim to position a wheel at each corner for maximum packaging advantage,
Suzuki has bucked this particular trend and instead opted for long overhangs and a short wheelbase to make the Liana turn on a sixpence. Couple this with conservative styling that doesnt fall into any convenient pigeonhole and the Liana looks set to confuse British buyers. Is it a
mini-MPV, a hatchback or a rather chubby conventional estate? Pass. If you dont want to be confused, go for one of the two saloon versions, rather than the five-door hatch.
"The Liana offers a whole lot of car for nine grand"
Whatever your model choice, what you can expect is remarkably good value for money. Granted, that may not be too difficult in a class of one, but when compared with, say, a
Daihatsu YRV, the Liana is bigger, offers a more powerful 1.6-litre engine and at prices starting from under £9,000, looks to offer a more compelling proposition. Even up against the Focus, whose sales even the most optimistic Suzukiphile would admit will barely be scuffed by the Liana, the Suzuki looks a bargain with the base Focus 1.
6 (listing at close to £12,000) lining up neatly against the top of the range Liana 1.6GLX models at £11,867 in four door guise or as a hatch. Cynics expecting a big box, a lot of padding and scant toys inside wont find the standard equipment list pleasant reading. Two models are available in either bodystyle, GL or GLX, all powered by the same 102bhp 1.
6-litre fuel injected engine. The £8,995 hatch includes power steering, a CD player, ABS with EBD, central locking, an LCD instrument panel, driver and passenger airbags and body-coloured addenda, but the extra £1,000 youll have to come up with to buy the GLX model could well be money well spent. That premium will net you air conditioning and front side airbags. The Liana makes more than a nod towards safety and security.
Side impact protection beams and a rigid safety cage protect passengers from harm, the front seatbelts feature pretensioners, plus theres a child seat fixing device in the rear seat. The prospects of your Liana disappearing in the night are lessened by the standard engine immobiliser and deadlocks that feature freewheeling external cylinders. If you see somebody getting in and out of a Liana Dukes Of Hazzard style, chances are hes a villain. A combined fuel economy figure that nudges 40mpg is class competitive, with a Focus 1.
6 returning 40.9, an Astra 1.6 capable of an identical 39.8 and a
Peugeot 307 1.
6 falling only slightly shy at 39.2mpg. Likewise performance seems to be right on the money, the Liana reaching 60mph in 10.8 seconds before running out of ideas at 106mph, which when compared to the rivals looks good; the Ford managing 10.
9s/115mph, the
Vauxhall 13.5s/106mph and the Peugeot 11s/118mph. Traffic light pole position to the Liana then. Unfortunately, as we touched upon earlier, despite the fact that the Suzuki appears to be leagues ahead of anything the company has yet produced in this sector, itll still face a hard time.
Its sad to note in a country that prides itself on design excellence that bland designs sell in the UK. Think
Fiat Multipla versus Vauxhall Zafira for a clear-cut example. Despite the changes that have taken place and the price cuts Suzuki have wrought, the Liana will still struggle for oxygen in this crowded sector of the market. Those who do give it the time of day will find a well engineered and decently equipped car.
The problem is that most customers are looking for a little more in the way of X factor. More exciting Liana models could well provide the boost the range needs but for the time being at least, the Liana isnt going to threaten the mainstream contenders.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Suzuki Liana range
PRICE: £8,999 - £9,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-7
CO2 EMISSIONS: 171g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 106mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 30.7mpg / (extra urban) 47.9mpg /(combined) 39.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, seatbelt pretensioners
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height cm 423/169/155
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