The most economical petrol-engined car in New Zealand has taken out another motoring award.
Across the Tasman the National Roads and Motorists Association (NRMA) names the Suzuki Alto the least expensive car to own and operate in Australia in its 2011 survey of more than 1,200 models.
NRMA, one of the largest motor vehicle insurers in Australia, is regarded as the leading motoring authority in Australia.
In its latest annual vehicle running costs survey, the Alto was confirmed as the car offering the best value for money.
Other Suzuki passenger car models also endorsed the make’s reputation for offering stand-out performance.
Based on average car operating costs, the one litre Alto with five-speed manual transmission dominated the light car class, easily out performing its competitors.
It was the least expensive of all new cars in
These costs take into account purchase price, vehicle depreciation, petrol prices, maintenance and insurance. The Alto’s average weekly fuel bill was calculated at A$24 (NZ$32.21), returning an overall cost per kilometre of just A31 cents (NZ42 cents).
“While fuel prices fluctuate and differ between Australia and New Zealand, a combination of factors make the Alto such an attractive economical proposition,” said Gary Collins, Sales Manager for Suzuki New Zealand.
“Motorists in New Zealand are becoming increasingly concerned about fuel costs and the new Alto is not only highly thrifty but also extremely safe with a four star crash rating and standard features like electronic stability control,” he said.
David Carr, the NRMA Motoring and Services vehicle expert, warned consumers to be careful with vehicle choice with costs potentially fluctuating by hundreds of dollars per week between vehicles in the same size or class.
“The cheapest vehicle to run, the Suzuki Alto, costs A$89.61 per week, while other cars in the same light car class could cost more than A$200 (NZ$268.46) per week to operate, meaning the disparity could run into the thousands of dollars over a year,” said Mr Carr.
In last year’s national Energywise Rally, run over North Island roads, the Alto was the most economical petrol car and also the vehicle with the lowest emissions.
With the recent fitment of new low rolling resistance tyres, the official combined fuel consumption of the Alto improved to 4.7 litres/100 km (60.1 miles per gallon).
“Low running costs have made the seventh generation Alto the economic car of the year and a real budget beater in these tough times,” said Gary Collins.
Suzuki also scored highly in the NRMA’s Compact Sport Utility Vehicle segment, taking the top three positions for low operating costs. The Suzuki Jimny (manual and automatic) and Grand Vitara (manual) averaged weekly costs of A$130.39 (NZ$175.02) and A$155.16 (NZ$208.27) respectively.
The Suzuki SX4 was one of the best performers in the small class with weekly running costs of A$128.33 (NZ$172.22). The medium size 2.4-litre Suzuki Kizashi was the cheapest naturally-aspirated car in its class with an average costs of A$182.18 (NZ$244.54).
The Suzuki Alto range in New Zealand starts from a low $16,500 driveaway including 5 years roadside assistance.
(* Note Australian dollars converted to NZ currency at a rate of 0.7450.)
