Out of the five most affordable new cars in South Africa, Suzuki occupies the first, second and fifth place spots. In first and second place is the S-Presso and Celerio respectively. With only approximately R14 000 difference in price tag, which do you choose? To complicate it more, with design aesthetics aside, you could be forgiven for thinking you are in the same car if you were teleported from one to the other.
We had the opportunity to drive the latest S-Presso and Celerio right after each other. Thus, we have done the legwork for you by comparing the two in the most important areas: drive, design and, tech and other noteworthy specifications to determine which we would pick. Ultimately, though, vehicle selection is a personal choice and what works for us may not work for you.
The drive
To admit bias upfront, whenever someone asks me for advice on the best affordable car to buy, my suggestion is the Celerio without hesitation. To be fair though, the S-Presso performs just as well and there is only one factor that personally differentiates the two for me.
The reason it is quite difficult to differentiate
between the drive of each is because they feature the same engine. The S-Presso added the Dualjet 1.0 K10C engine a few months after it was introduced in the Celerio in 2022. Consequently, the power output of both vehicles is 49 kW and 89 Nm of torque.
I would not recommend racing for pink slips but these figures are expected in this segment. As city cars doing daily run-abouts, both are more than adequate and never lacks responsiveness, likely due to their light curb weight, or struggle to reach speed on the highway. I would not, however, try to do a quick overtake on a single lane carriageway or fail to plan for inclines. If you would like to push either well past the speed limit, the problem is less with the car and more with driver expectations.
The S-Presso has an impressive 5.2L/100 km whereas the Celerio was not far off, measuring 5.5L/100km. Claimed fuel consumptions of each is 4.6L/100km and 4.4L/100km respectively. Admittedly, I drove the S-Presso almost solely on highway trips of about 80km each day while the Celerio had more local and suburban driving. Unfortunately, the S-Presso displays consumption as kilometres per litre whereas I prefer litres per 100km.
One downside to the S-Presso is that the steering is extremely light. In fact, too light. It is marketed to a younger audience who may not be experienced enough to handle oversteering safely.
Now the answer we have all been waiting for, which has the preferred drive and why? With so many similarities it is difficult to place one above the other. For me, it came down to a personal preference. The S-Presso is a 3-cylinder and is loud and proud about it which I have never liked. While the Celerio is a 3-cylinder as well, it has a much quieter drive.
Design
It is also tricky to compare the design elements of two
vehicles because personal preference is the main deciding factor when it comes to the aesthetics of a car. Both the S-Presso and the Celerio made minor upgrades to their exterior design rather than a complete overhaul.
The main change on the S-Pesso was to make the mini-SUV look more bold and athletic. As such, updates were made to the headlights and indicators and alloy wheels were added. These are available in different sizes according to the derivative.
Moving to the interior, the one thing I hoped to see a change in, is still the same. The front seats are just too high and you can’t adjust it. I feel like I look like a nervous new driver who has not positioned their seat correctly. A colleague drove with me one day and as she climbed in, she looked around her in confusion and asked why the seats are so high.
Most of the updates to the S-Presso were in the interior. It is also one of the few budget cars to feature a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This can be increased to a 9-inch in the S-Edition.
It is also slightly larger inside but I still believe having SUV anywhere in its description is a push. At one stage I had a car seat and three adults in the car and everyone did fit comfortably but an SUV it is not. Of particular note is the boot which we were able to fit a pram, baby bag, cool bag and other items in and still have space to spare. The comment made was, this is a good car for parents.
Updates to the Celerio include more curves a well as being both longer and wider. This is likely to propel the hatchback into the 21st century which the previous derivative did not excel at. The top option and sports variant adds black alloy wheels. This makes a major a difference to its visual appeal. This variant also adds fog light. The lower specified GA, has to go without these benefits but still benefits from the overall changes to the body.
I like to listen to the comments shared by those
around me and this time the remarks were focused on the rear of the vehicle. Some could not quite say what it was while others said it looked too big. I spent a fair amount of time starting at the rear to try see what they saw but I just could not see it.
From the interior, the Celerio also has the 7-inch infotainment screen. The seats feature silver accents. The two of these features combine to make you think you are driving a more expensive car than what you really are.
Other improvements 
include a larger speedometer, an LCD screen displaying important vehicle info such as distance-to-empty and trip information. Space in the boot is increased as well which is quite impressive considering the previous derivative was the only hatchback I could fit something as big as a wheelchair in.
A bit of an oddity in the Celerio was placing the rear window controls in the centre console at the rear. When someone asked me where they were I looked at them in confusion (and a bit exasperated) and said they must be there. They eventually found them and I was more than surprised at their positioning.
Tech and specifications
Something that the S-Presso has which is impressive for an entry-level vehicle is start/stop technology. Despite attending the launch, I had forgotten that the S-Presso even had this function and was not instantly reminded of it because it is so discreet you can neither hear it or feel it. Honestly, I only remembered it when signing in at security one day because my window was open and I heard it.
Other new additions include Hill Hold control, ESP, ISOFIX child anchors, two airbags, electric mirror controls and a reverse camera in the S-Edition. The S-Presso is one of only four of the most affordable cars that has both ABS and ESP. The other three are all Suzukis as well.
I drove the S-Presso until the tank was almost empty. You are provided with a beep and a message on the touchscreen to let you know a fill-up is needed. If you are connected with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay it also provides an option to navigate to the nearest service station. It does not, however, have a fuel light. This seems a bit risky to me but I assume it does warn you again when things get critical.
The Celerio adds rear parking sensors which is adequate in a small hatchback. Where the S-Presso outperforms the Celerio, is in their higher specified variant which has a rear view camera.
An important addition in the Celerio is stability control, which is particularly important for younger drivers who the car will more often than not be purchased for. It is also one of the other four entry-level Suzuki’s with ABS.
Thus, what is the verdict in the comparison between the two most affordable cars in South Africa? Ultimately, it is extremely difficult to say that one far outperforms the next. There are many similarities between them and little differences. The final choice then depends on you and what is important to you when it comes to a vehicle.
My choice remains the
Celerio because of its comfort, size, drive and many other factors. My only criticism was the rear window switches. Even though it is the second most affordable car, a more accurate comparison would likely be against the Swift. If, however, I had to choose between the two most affordable vehicles, the higher price tag of the Celerio would be worth it. Circumstances dependent, every extra R10 000 only equates to an extra R200 repayment each month.
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