Suzuki's famous five are on the rise

Here around 38,000 are sold in a calendar year. Go to India around 1.35 million are sold in the equivalent period and a new Suzuki is produced every 16 seconds.

But while sales are small by comparison in the UK anyone contemplating a new car should look at the Suzuki range because they varied, attractive and excellent value for money.

Suzuki has seven different models in its range and five of them have ALLGRIP four wheel drive capability either as standard or as an optional drivetrain choice. ALLGRIP models account for more than 25 per cent of Suzuki sales in the UK and Suzuki offers seven of the top 10 most fuel efficient lower cost four wheel drive cars on sale in the UK.

And instead of going down, the sales of 4x4 are on the climb because more people feel safer in one of these type of cars.

Because sales of new cars have hiccupped this year in the UK, the sales of Suzuki are on the rise by about nine per cent. Some of the opposition are down by up to 20 per cent.

The Suzuki range starts with the Ignis which has been on sale for just about a year with a 90PS 1.2-litre four cylinder Dualjet engine and with a mild hybrid system (offering CO2 emissions of 106g/km and combined fuel consumption of 60mpg.

Suzuki is well established globally for its expertise in small cars and the new Ignis compact crossover was launched to high acclaim in early 2017.

With 180mm of minimum ground clearance, the Ignis enhances driving performance on rough roads, while also enabling a higher seating position for clearer visibility.

Enhancements to the Ignis ALLGRIP ‘Auto’ system include Hill Descent Control and Grip Control. Grip Control activates on slippery surfaces at speeds of less than 18mph.

Safety equipment After Ignis comes the all-new Swift – on sale in the UK since June and it is up to 10 per cent lighter, 19 per cent more powerful and eight per cent more fuel efficient than outgoing model.

There have been Swift sales of 5.4 million units around the world since 2005 and the new Swift features excellent visibility, a spacious cabin and ample luggage space.

Standard equipment for all models in the range is comprehensive and all models include six airbags, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, privacy glass, DAB radio with Bluetooth and four speakers, LED daytime running lights, 15-inch wheels, body coloured door mirrors and front electric windows. SZ3 and SZ-T models are available with 2WD only.

Specification for the SZ5 2WD and ALLGRIP adds auto air conditioning, 16-inch polished alloy wheels, satellite navigation, Advanced forward detection system, keyless entry and start, rear electric windows, LED Headlamps, LED Combination rear lamps, adaptive cruise control and six speakers Suzuki first introduced its 1.2-litre (K12C) Dualjet technlogy in 2014, initially in the Swift.

As already detailed for the Ignis model, the new Swift also adopts Suzuki’s ALLGRIP Auto four-wheel drive system and is available as an option on the SZ5 model with 1.2-litre engine.

Now welcome the Vitara which has been around since May 2015 with ‘S’ ALLGRIP model launched in January last year.

Ever since its launch in 1988, the Suzuki Vitara series has earned high acclaim for stylish, city oriented designs, compact and easy to manage dimensions, good on-road performance and genuine off-road capability Vitara is a popular model in the range with over 24,000 units sold since launch.

The 1.4-litre engine offers strong benefits in performance too with a 0-62mph acceleration time of 10.2 seconds for both manual and automatic transmissions and a maximum speed, where permitted, of 124mph.

With the normally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine, friction reductions combined with weight savings in the engine and related components help to achieve good fuel.

A six-speed manual transmission is fitted as standard for the 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine and a five-speed for the 1.6-litre petrol engine. The 1.6-litre DDiS model also has six-speed manual transmission as standard.

Number four is the S-Cross which first went on sale in October 2013 and the major facelifted model was introduced three years later with more distinctive and upright front end styling offering a stronger and bolder road presence.

All SZ4 models are equipped as standard with seven airbags, ESP, Bluetooth, air conditioning, Daytime Running Lights (DRL), 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control with speed limiter, air conditioning, heated door mirrors, black protective skid plates and black wheel arch extensions.

SZ-T adds LED Projector Headlamps, satellite navigation with DAB digital radio, polished 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking camera, front and rear parking proximity sensors, Dual Zone automatic air conditioning, front fog lamps, rear privacy glass, silver roof rails and silver skid plates.

Number five is the perennial Jimny which has one of the most loyal followings of any vehicles in the UK.

It is a genuine off-roader with push-button selectable four-wheel drive and high and low gear ratios and it celebrated its 47th anniversary of Suzuki’s first compact SUV this year.

Its global sales are almost three million and it has been sold in 188 countries.

It is full of character and fuel efficient with a1.3 litre petrol engine giving almost 40 mpg and emissions of 162g/km. It has front fog lamps, roof rails, heated electric door mirrors, DAB radio and front electric windows standard on all versions and a higher specification SZ4 model available with either manual or optional automatic.

The Jimny is a 4x4 for all. It is fun to drive and backs up its chunky looks with honest performance off the beaten track as well as in the cut and thrust of urban traffic and sells 1,000 every year in the UK regardless of the weather.

Jimny has built up an established, tough and capable reputation amongst its 26,000 loyal owners in the UK with many now on their third or even fourth car in succession.

Durability was certainly put to the test back in 2014 when long standing Suzuki owner and enthusiast Les Carvall and three friends drove two Jimnys around the world on their charity expedition. Starting in Southampton, the four month long Global tour clocked up over 18,500 miles across some challenging terrain and both cars returned unscathed with no reliability faults to report.