Suzuki S-Presso

Bigger and better than you expect

- NEIL PAGULAYAN

You’ve probably done a double take when you see them on the road. They were launched right as the metro was plunged into enhanced community quarantine earlier this year. Is it a hatchback? Is it a crossover? Well according to Suzuki, it’s a compact crossover.

Exterior

On paper, it’s specc’ed out like an entry level variant, but it’s the only variant currently available, and, as I found out, it’s sufficiently equipped.

If you look at it from the side, you’ll notice the belt line is higher and this works two ways, to give it an illusion of a higher center of gravity and there’s more door to protect you from side impacts.

The contoured wheel arches give it a muscular look and squarish wheel arches give it a sporty feel. Out front, you get halogen headlamps with integrated turn signals. At the rear are C-shaped brake lights.

The manually adjusted side mirrors, and both front and rear bumpers are color keyed to the top half, while black on the bottom.

It rolls on 165/70’s and 14-inch steel rims with decent looking plastic covers.

Interior

Step inside and you’ll find a roomy cabin thanks to its high roofline. The first thing you’ll see is that the digital instrument “cluster” is in the middle of the dashboard. It’s considerably wide inside, despite looking narrow outside.