The Suzuki Ertiga has often struck us as one of the more humble-looking offerings in the Philippines, at least as far as seven-seat MPVs are concerned. Even more so now, with the likes of the Mitsubishi Xpander and Toyota Rushentering the market. That's not a knock on the car by any means, as the Ertiga exuded a simple, no-nonsense styling befitting its practical nature and reliable performance. Well, the all-new one was revealed in Indonesia today, and we're glad to report that its look one-ups that of the previous model with a more aggressive face plus sharper and more elegant design bits. First up, you'll notice the vehicle's eye-catching new grille design flanked by angrier-looking projector headlights. The fenders are subtle, but the Ertiga shows off a muscular new look with well-sculpted foglight housings. Meanwhile, the rear flaunts new L-shaped modern taillight designs and it runs on new 15-inch alloys. This MPV is now 130mm longer, too, providing more space for both passengers and cargo inside, Suzuki says. The interior features a clean look--but one that appears difficult to maintain--with plenty of light-colored fabrics and materials, and a fair bit of glossy faux wood trim on the dashboard and door panels. There's a flat-bottom, three-spoke steering wheel with controls, a new instrument cluster design, and a touchscreen infotainment system for higher-end variants as well. Other optional features include smart entry, electric folding side mirrors, and a push start button. Underneath the hood of this Ertiga is a newly-developed 1.5-liter gasoline engine capable of 104hp at 6,000rpm and 138Nm at 4,400rpm. It can come mated with either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. If the all-new Ertiga arrives here, it will compete directly with the likes of the Honda Mobilio, Toyota Avanza, and yes, even the aforementioned Xpander and Rush. To say it'll have its work cut out for it is a major understatement. Would you consider this over its rivals mentioned above? ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINESNow we know what it looks like, but no, that isn't an all-new FJ Cruiser. At least we can take solace in the fact that the vehicle you see above isn't a fan-made render, but an actual concept set to be displayed at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. It's a concept compact crossover called the XBEE (or cross-bee), and Suzuki's bringing it to Tokyo next month along with a handful of other creations. But for FJ-related reasons, this one's our favorite of the bunch. The XBEE will be showcased in three distinct variants: the regular XBEE, XBEE Outdoor Adventure, and XBEE Street adventure. One's for nature, one's for the city, one is for those who can't decide, and we'll leave it up to you to guess which is which. Not much else regarding this vehicle yet, though Suzuki does say it'll be compact, boast rough road drivability, and feature a spacious cabin. We're excited. For those looking for concept a little less likely to make it into production, there's the Suzuki e-Survivor. "A compact SUV of the next age" Suzuki calls this one, and a mix of the ever lovable Jimny and Suzuki Vitara. It's lightweight and features all-electric four-wheel drive. Lastly, there's are a pair of "tall miniwagons" called the Spacia. You can catch all these and more when they take to the Tokyo Motor Show next month. ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINESDetails at last on the new Suzuki Swift Sport! Revealed with one lonely picture and no tech data, we worried the new Swift Sport might be hiding some secrets. But no. It's lighter and more powerful than the last car. The new one ought to reach infatuation, if it lives up to these specs… First off, it weighs just 970kg. That’s a massive 80kg saving versus the last Swift Sport, which already felt like it would blow away in a stiff breeze. Though the new one's 40mm wider, Suzuki says its new platform is the key to cutting out chub. Not bad, since the engine has sprouted a turbocharger. Yes, pray silence for the passing of the last naturally aspirated hot hatch. And when you eye the specs and see the new Swift Sport’s 'Boosterjet' 1.4-liter turbo engine develops 136hp--just 2hp more than before—you might feel a tad cheated. Fear not. You don't need more power when the cabin has more red highlights than a Paramore concert. That's got to be worth 50hp. Happily, torque is now a chunky, Toyota 86-busting 229Nm--up by over 69Nm—and dished out lower down the rev range. This lighter, heartier Swift ought to feel properly punchy for a small car. Suzuki's still not released acceleration times or top speed, though. But the engine is probably quite light, because it appears to defy gravity altogether in the image Suzuki has provided. Anti-gravity engines? That's a world-first in our book. The suspension's had a thorough workover, with stiffer anti-roll bars and wider-spaced wheel bearings. Because nerdy changes equal big B-road smiles, hopefully. The wheels are 17-inchers, wearing another controversial feature: bigger rubber. Yep, tires are 40mm wider front and rear, which slightly sets out scrappy handling fun alarm bells off. Let's hope Suzuki has kept the last car’s brilliantly approachable balance, instead of just concentrating on growing up. The tech spec list is seriously mature—you can have adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning assist, anti-crash braking and a driver drowsiness alert. Drowsy? In one of these? We doubt it… ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINESThe Suzuki Swift Sport has always been a bit of a hero. Naturally aspirated, light, a joy to manhandle and styled presumably to resemble a baby sports shoe. It was really good. This is the new one. And immediately you will notice that it no longer resembles a baby sports shoe. The fact it’s yellow probably doesn’t help. It’s recognizably a Swift Sport… just a little different. We’ll leave you to decipher whether it’s a good change or a bad change. Otherwise, that’s pretty much your lot. Suzuki isn’t revealing anything until its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on 12 September, so we’ve got a while to go yet. We are told however, that this new third-gen Swift Sport "has undergone a complete redesign and delivers an all-new level of excitement for sport minded drivers across the world." Have they whacked on a turbo and given in to the modern world of motoring? Will it still be the chuckable loon we know and love? Tune in on 12 September to find out. NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made. ARTICLE BY TOP GEAR PHILIPPINES |
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