The Suzuki Splash was always destined to be a special model that would help advance the popularity of the Japanese motor vehicle brand.
Like the top-selling Swift, the Splash is European inspired, but the highly practical five-door hatchback has been developed with a real point of difference.
Designed and built in Europe, the Splash is essentially an MPV (multi purpose vehicle) supermini incorporating many of the qualities that have made Suzuki a master of small car ingenuity.
The production version closely resembles the Project Splash concept vehicle which captured the imagination of new car buyers.
Toshiro Suzuki, a senior executive director of automobile engineering at Suzuki, said, “Our goal is a car for all people, young and senior, male and female, single, couples and families in every driving situation, whether it’s a short shopping trip in town or a long excursion.”
At the unveiling of Project Splash he said the car brought together three important attributes.
“The first is driveability. Sharing the (modified) platform with Swift, it’s fun to drive around town and over long distances,” he said.
“The second attribute is interior comfort. We have given Splash a relatively tall body, so there’s plenty of relaxing comfort to go along with the relaxing driveability. And the third attribute is a modern interior,” said Mr Suzuki.
Rather than a conventional boxy look, designers opted for a more streamline, aerodynamic body shape, offering room for up to five people within a compact overall length. Splash would always be available only in five-door form.
Designer Akira Kamio recognised that the Splash should offer good all-round visibility, have a higher seating position than the class normal, and incorporate high level of functionality. The entire rear section of the interior was designed to be turned into a large luggage space.
A ten-man Suzuki design team spent six months travelling in Europe researching car trends and developments in fashion, lifestyle and design.
In European car clinics potential customers showed a preference for a design that combined dynamism, sportiness and youthfulness with a strong interior ambience and practicality.
The Splash platform bears the genes of the Suzuki Swift. Steering, brakes and chassis were tested extensively on European roads as diverse as British cobblestones, winding Southern Spanish tracks and high speed German autobahns.
When Suzuki previewed the model with the concept Splash at the Paris motor show the highly positive public reaction revealed the car was on the right track and the eventual production version is close to the original concept vehicle.
“This is a cheerful, capable car with a high seating position and wide opening doors that will appeal to many buyers,” said Tom Peck, General Manager of Marketing for Suzuki New Zealand. “There’s an honesty about the intuitive interior and a simplicity drivers will welcome.”
“The cabin feels bigger than it is and the interior dimensions are more spacious than many rivals,” he said.
