Suzuki Splash (2008-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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For a small car the Splash has a lot of room, with headroom especially good. The rear seat is set higher than the front seats so all occupants get a good view out, and all seats are comfortable enough. It's a proper four-seater, and big enough for five at a squeeze.

There's plenty of storage space including a flip-lid box on top of the dashboard, a fair glovebox and a tray ahead of the front passenger, but non-slip surfaces would make them more usable. The boot looks small, especially front-to-rear, but there's a big compartment hidden under the false floor with the (optional) space saver spare wheel hidden in another layer below that. The rear seats fold down in one movement per side, the cushion cranking forward to make space for the descending backrest. The old Wagon R and Agila used the same system.

The fake carbon fibre finish on the dashboard can be in black, blue or grey, with these colours joined by turquoise for the seat and door-trim inserts to make a colourful cabin if that's what you want. Manual air conditioning is standard, as are central locking, electric front windows and a CD player. The top trim level adds alloy wheels, electric mirrors, aluminium-look instead of gloss-black trim on the centre console edges, body-colour door handles and that cute rev counter. An iPod interface will appear in the accessories list.

On the move, the Splash is quiet in all its forms and the lighter petrol cars soak up sharp road disturbances well. Higher speeds reveal them to be quite firm in their suspension, though, and they can fidget on uneven roads. It remains to be seen how they will cope in the UK. The diesel is worse at absorbing bumps and potholes, not least because the greater nose weight calls for higher tyre pressures.