News Release
Lengthy Drive No Obstacle for New Suzuki Alto
02 October 2009
A pair of new Suzuki Alto hatchback models have shattered the illusion that mini-size cars are only suited to city and urban motoring.
Motoring journalists Allan Dick and Donn Anderson each drove an Alto from Auckland to Invercargill, and then onto the Bluff, before making the return journey to New Zealand’s largest city.
Not only was the objective to monitor the frugal fuel consumption of the one litre, 3-cylinder Suzuki’s, but to gauge the comfort levels of the compact cars on the six day, 3,400 kilometre journey.
The 5-speed manual gearbox Alto consumed 150.1 litres of petrol to average 4.4 litres/100 km (63.8 miles per gallon). This was an 8 per cent improvement on the 4.8 litres/100 km figure for the official combined fuel cycle test.
Compared to the manual car, the 4-speed automatic transmission Alto used an extra 15.3 litres of petrol, averaging 5.0 litres/100 km (56.5 miles per gallon). The official combined fuel test result for the Alto automatic is 5.5 litres/100 km.
The best individual leg result for the Alto manual was on the final day from Paraparaumu to Auckland via Taupo where the car achieved 3.98 litres/100 km (70.9 miles per gallon).
In the run from Oamaru to Invercargill on the third day of the lengthy drive, the Alto automatic posted its best result of 4.56 litres/100 km (61.87 miles per gallon).
Allan Dick, an experienced long distance driver, said the Alto was every bit as practical on the Auckland to Bluff run as he knew it was going to be.
“There are plenty of New Zealanders who still think that you need a big car for journeys longer than going to the supermarket,” said Dick. “And that small cars are only for girls, old people and people who are thrifty. Wrong on all counts.”
He said the Alto would have cruised all day at speeds that would have seen him lose his driver’s license before he reached the Interislander Ferry in Wellington.
“Instead we did the Auckland to Wellington drive with the speedo needle sitting close to 100 km/h all the way and were never passed by anything that wasn’t going the other way,” said Dick.
In the South Island the average speeds were a little lower but the exercise was a totally stress-free, comfortable drive, according to the two journalists.
“As we arrived at our destination each night - Oamaru the first night, Kingston (near Queenstown) the second - I literally felt that I could have driven another eight hours,” said Allan Dick.
He thought that for the sake of their bank balances and the planet, New Zealanders could put aside all those old prejudices about small cars.
“The Alto was capable of cruising at the legal open road limit all day and all night - all week if you wanted - and it was comfortable, swallowed hills without any indigestion and the fuel consumption was negligible,” he said.
“It will take four adults - but that knocks the performance back a bit and there’s probably not enough boot space for four and their luggage for a two week holiday.
“But I would think nothing of a husband and wife team hopping into an Alto tomorrow and going off and spending a week, or two weeks, on the road exploring this beautiful country. In fact, sometime in the near future, I’m off to do a lap of the North Island in one of the new Altos,” said Dick.
The five-door Alto hatchbacks kept to State Highway 1 in the North Island, negotiating Hamilton at morning rush-hour, and on to Taupo before tackling the Desert Road and on to Wellington.
Blenheim was the late-night halt location for the first evening stopover, and next morning the two Suzuki’s headed for Christchurch and on to Oamaru.
Day three took the Alto’s to Invercargill and then to Bluff on a sparkling sunny afternoon for a photo call. After a refuel in Invercargill, the route wound inland for Kingston.
With fresh snow edging the roadside, the little Alto’s negotiated the steep Crown Range highway to Wanaka and on to Fairlie and Ashburton for the fourth evening halt.
Day five saw Christchurch, a lunch stop in Kaikoura, and on to Picton before the ferry crossing to Wellington and a night stop north of the capital. The final day comprised a relatively easy run north to Auckland.
“This was something of a marathon drive for a small car, and one that surprised many people,” said Donn Anderson. “But the Alto’s took the journey in their stride and there is no doubt we could have taken a day less to complete the trip and still been in good shape.”
“We proved it was possible to get close to petrol/electric hybrid economy in a conventional car that carries a considerably lower price tag than those more complicated vehicles,” he said.
With on-road prices starting from less than $17,000, the low emission Alto is New Zealand’s most affordable new car. And it thinks nothing of tackling those long distance journeys.
…ends…
