Smart announces pricing and specification for the Fortwo, Cabrio and Forfour Brabus trim range.

• Prices start from £16,320 on-the-road for the smart BRABUS fortwo
• Range features 898 cc turbo engine with increased power of 109 hp
• Choice between BRABUS or BRABUS Xclusive – smart BRABUS Xclusive available from £19,490

Prices for the new smart BRABUS range start at £16,320 for the smart BRABUS fortwo. The smart BRABUS forfour costs £16,815, while the smart BRABUS cabrio is available from £18,460.

The BRABUS range uses the existing turbo-charged 898 cc engine, with an increased power output of 109 hp (up from 90 hp). In keeping with its sportier engine and exterior, it also comes with BRABUS Performance sports suspension with specially adapted ESP, sports power steering, and a twinamic dual-clutch transmission with race start function.

Based on the existing passion model, the BRABUS models add significant styling updates including BRABUS badging; BRABUS sports steering wheel; BRABUS seats with dinamica inserts; handbrake and gear shift with BRABUS logo; BRABUS sports pedals; 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels (front – 16; rear – 17). Passion models come generously equipped as standard, including the smart audio system; automatic climate control; and cruise control. 

For £845 BRABUS customers can add the Premium package which includes height adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel; heated and electrically operated door mirrors; rear parking sensors; and smart media system. The night sky option also adds a fabric folding sunroof for an additional £625 on smart forfour models only.

For an additional £3,170 customers can opt for the BRABUS Xclusive model, which adds BRABUS leather sports seats; a bi-fabric dashboard (leather and mesh); BRABUS floor mats; and Xclusive badging. BRABUS Xclusive models come standard with the Premium Plus package (£1,345 on BRABUS models) which includes ambient lighting; rear view camera; automatic window wipers and lights; fog lamps with cornering function; and a centre armrest. 

Prices for all smart models:

Model line	g/km - CO2	% - BIK tax rate	£ - P11D value	£ - Price OTR
BRABUS fortwo	102	16	16,265	16,320
BRABUS Xclusive fortwo	102	16	19,435	19,490
BRABUS fortwo cabrio	104	16	18,405	18,460
BRABUS Xclusive fortwo cabrio	104	16	21,575	21,630
BRABUS forfour	104	16	16,760	16,815
BRABUS Xclusive forfour	104	16	19,930	19,985
night sky BRABUS forfour	104	16	17,385	17,440
Night sky BRABUS Xclusive forfour	104	16	20,555	20,610

New Special Edition Swift Super-mini comes packed with kit, and all for a price that's hard to turn down.

• Special Edition SZ-L model based on mid-grade SZ3.
• On sale from February 1^st and priced at £10,999 for the three door model and £11,499 for the five door.

Following further strong success of the Swift model in 2015 with a 21 per cent increase in sales year on year, Suzuki has now added further customer appeal with the launch of the Special Edition SZ-L model, available as either three or five door with manual transmission.

The SZ-L is based on the popular SZ3 which is well equipped as standard with seven airbags, ESP, air conditioning, USB port, Bluetooth and LED daytime running lights and adds a unique exterior design with Gloss Black 16” Alloy wheels, rear upper spoiler and SZ-L badging.

Further standard equipment features for SZ-L include satellite navigation, DAB Radio, cruise control, Sport type steering wheel with silver stitching plus further silver stitching to the seats and gear lever boot.  SZ-L is available in seven colours including new Horizon Orange metallic which is available for the first time on Swift; metallic paint is a £430 option.

The Swift SZ-L offers value for money in terms of running costs and purchase price; the 1.2-litre Dual VVT 94PS engine is one of the most powerful in its class, but offers low emissions of just 116g/km CO₂ costing £30 in annual VED after the first year and returns a frugal 56.5mpg on the official combined cycle. What Car? magazine recently achieved close to this figure in their ‘True MPG’ testing at 51.7mpg.

SZ-L is in insurance group 11E, the same low group as the rest of the Swift 1.2-litre range, making it the ideal purchase for younger Swift buyers who want to own a more striking, design led car at an affordable cost.  

A range of flexible options from Suzuki Financial Services are on offer with a Nil deposit PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) available followed by 42 monthly payments of £165 for the three door SZ-L and just £10 more per month for the five door model.

Payments can be as low as £99 per month for the three door if a deposit of £2,772 is made. This is also over a 42 month period with a final payment required at the end of the term to keep the car.

After a Hiccup at launch, the new Suzuki Celerio gets updates and upgrades.

• New Dualjet engine with 84g/km CO₂ emissions is the cleanest and most fuel efficient new car on sale for less than £10,000.
• SZ3 Dualjet priced at £8,499 includes air conditioning, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth and alloy wheels as standard.
• Auto Gear Shift (AGS) now available on SZ4 model as an £800 option.
• “A+ compact” car that exceeds ‘A’ segment standards gives class leading interior space.
• Six airbags and ESP fitted as standard safety equipment for all UK models.
• Class leading luggage capacity of 254 litres.

The Celerio, Suzuki’s all-new global compact city car, went on sale in the UK in February and more than 2,000 have been delivered to date. Suzuki has now introduced two new derivatives to the range which are the Dualjet and Auto Gear Shift models.

The new ultra clean Dualjet engine emits 84g/km of CO₂ and attains 78.4mpg on the EC Combined fuel cycle making it the most fuel efficient new car on sale for less than £10,000. Dualjet is a lot less in fact, as it is on sale for £8,499 which is just £500 more than the 99g/km SZ3 model.

The new engine incorporates twin fuel injectors for improved fuel economy; Dualjet technology positions the fuel injectors very close to the engine inlet valves and allows for a finer fuel mixture which in turn provides a more effective transfer into the engine. This engine also incorporates a stop start facility when stationary.

Also now on sale is Suzuki’s new development in automated manual gearbox technology. Known as Auto Gear Shift (AGS), this system features an Intelligent Shift Control Actuator positioned at the top of the transmission that operates the gearshift and clutch automatically.

With AGS, the driver can enjoy the effortless driving of an automatic, particularly in city traffic, but without any loss in fuel efficiency or increase in CO₂ that would normally be the case with a conventional torque converter equipped automatic transmission. CO₂ emissions are only 99g/km and Celerio with AGS is therefore VED exempt.  A unique feature of the Suzuki AGS is a low speed ‘creep’ facility which allows the car to move in gear without the accelerator being applied, ideal in slow traffic and when parking.   

AGS is offered on the top SZ4 grade for £9,799 representing an additional £800 over the manual transmission model.

Standard specification highlights for all Celerio models is comprehensive and includes six airbags (Driver, passenger, side and curtain), ESP*, air conditioning, alloy wheels, DAB Radio, CD Tuner, USB, Bluetooth connectivity and remote central locking.

The even higher equipped SZ4 model adds polished alloy wheels, rear electric windows, front fog lamps, body coloured door mirrors and chrome front grille.

Fifth consequtive safety award for Mercedes-Benz at What Van? 2015 awards ceremony.

Mercedes-Benz Vans has been honoured with a fifth consecutive What Van? Award for Safety – a title which the brand has received every year since the award was added in 2010.

“Mercedes-Benz takes an industry-leading approach to vehicle and occupant safety, and there seems to be no let-up in its innovative development,” said What Van? Editor Paul Barker. “The company has now won this award for five consecutive years, and it’s thanks to the continual improvement and pioneering development that we have repeatedly rated the company as the best in the safety business.”

The What Van? Awards are decided by the expert editorial panel of What Van? magazine, calling on their combined decades of experience in the light commercial vehicle industry. The What Van? Awards seek to reward the best products, companies and services in the industry for their ability to make life easier, cleaner, safer and more efficient for light commercial vehicle operators in the UK.

Steve Bridge, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans, added: “Mercedes-Benz has been making Vans since 1896 and has pioneered new standards in safety every step of the way. From introducing ESP in 1995, offering the driver airbag as standard in 2000, launching Crosswind Assist in 2013, and most recently becoming the first manufacturer in the world to equip all new vans as standard with Rescue Assist QR code stickers, we have never sat still.

“To be awarded with the prestigious What Van? Award for Safety for the fifth consecutive year is the ultimate compliment, and we are extremely proud today.”

Prices and specs for the new Suzuki Celeriac, oops Celerio, has been announced.

• On sale in the UK from February 2015 and available in SZ3 and SZ4 grades.
• Six airbags and ESP fitted as standard safety equipment for all UK models.
• SZ3 model priced at £7,999 and includes air conditioning, DAB radio, Bluetooth and alloy wheels as standard.
• “A+ compact” car that exceeds ‘A’ segment standards gives class leading interior space.
• Class leading luggage capacity of 254 litres.
• 99g/km CO₂ emissions from launch with even cleaner engine due in the summer of 2015 offering best in class fuel efficiency.

The Celerio, Suzuki’s all-new global compact City car will go on sale in the UK from February next year and is priced at just £7,999 for the highly equipped SZ3 model and £8,999 for the SZ4.

Suzuki is well known as the small car experts and Celerio offers a compact car ease of drivewhile providing an elevated driving position, interior space that surpasses most conventional A-segment cars as well a class leading luggage capacity of 254L.

Standard specification highlights for the Celerio SZ3 includes six airbags (Driver, passenger, side and curtain), ESP*, air conditioning, alloy wheels, DAB Radio, CD Tuner, USB, Bluetooth connectivity and remote central locking.

The even higher equipped SZ4 model adds polished alloy wheels, rear electric windows, front fog lamps, body coloured door mirrors and chrome front grille.

During design, Suzuki aimed for a resolution of the contradictory elements of retaining interior space within a compact body. By going back to basics in development and reviewing the body structure, Suzuki has succeeded in delivering a roomy and comfortable interior within a compact body measuring just 3,600mm in length and a width of 1,600mm. 

Celerio has a turning circle of just 9.4 metres too making it one of the most manoeuvrable in its class.

A height of 1,540mm and a non-slanting roofline allows greater headroom for occupants. The 2,425mm long wheelbase provides a tandem distance of 743mm which gives plenty of space in the cabin for five occupants.

Celerio offers low CO₂ emissions of 99g/km and 65.7mpg on the EC combined cycle from its 1.0-litre three cylinder 68PS engine.  Next summer a new engine will be available offering even higher combined fuel economy of 78.4 mpg and CO₂ emissions that fall to just 84g/km thanks to the introduction of Suzuki’s new Dualjet engine technology.  This engine will also incorporate a stop start facility when stationary.

Also available in the summer will be Suzuki’s newly developed Auto Gear Shift (AGS). This system features an Intelligent Shift Control Actuator positioned at the top of the transmission that operates the gearshift and clutch automatically.

With AGS, the driver can enjoy the effortless driving of an automatic, particularly in City traffic, but without any loss in fuel efficiency or increase in CO₂ emissions that would normally be the case with a conventional torque converter equipped automatic transmission.

A unique feature of the Suzuki AGS is a low speed ‘creep’ facility which allows the car to move in gear without the accelerator being applied, ideal in slow traffic and when parking.   

* ESP is a registered trademark of Daimler AG

First pictures af the all-new Vauxhall Viva, the return of the iconic name.

• First official pictures of VIVA ahead of Spring 2015 launch
• Specially-developed 1.0-litre ECOTEC (75PS) powertrain
• Comfortable and practical with room for up to five people
• IntelliLink connectivity for seamless smartphone integration 

These are the first pictures of the VIVA, Vauxhall’s all-new five-door entry-level model. Arriving in Spring 2015, the VIVA will be the latest addition to Vauxhall’s small car range joining the fashionable ADAM and the popular Corsa supermini.

Design

With a name that pays homage to Vauxhall’s original Viva made from 1963 to 1979, the all-new VIVA shares the original’s philosophy of clean lines, durability and practicality.  It is designed for modern, everyday life and at 3.68 metres long is practical and spacious providing more than enough room for up to five people.

VIVA is the latest model in the range to display Vauxhall’s sculptured, precise design philosophy. Three strong feature lines swoop down the sides with the signature ‘blade’, seen previously on Insignia and GTC amongst others, slicing through the doors. The two others run through the front and rear door handles. The VIVA’s front end features a distinctive winged chrome bar that presents the Griffin badge.

Large headlights and taillights add to the vibrant appearance, creating an overall design that shows exceptional attention to detail for a vehicle in this class.

VIVA will be available in ten exterior paint colours with a variety of 14- to 16-inch wheels.

Powertrain and Chassis

After first appearing in the ADAM ROCKS AIR and subsequently the New Corsa, VIVA is the latest Vauxhall to feature its new 1.0-litre three-cylinder ECOTEC engine.  Specially-developed for VIVA, this 75PS powertrain is smooth, punchy and efficient, and is mated to a slick five-speed transmission.

VIVA’s chassis and steering have been developed to provide exceptional safety and class-leading comfort.

Equipment and Practicality

Like its stablemates ADAM and Corsa, VIVA is fully-connected thanks to the IntelliLink infotainment system, which allows seamless integration of Apple iOS and Android devices.

It’s also equipped with ESP featuring traction control, ABS with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution and Hill Start Assist, which prevents the car from rolling back when starting on a slope.  Further safety options can be selected including Lane Departure Warning.

Another feature that VIVA shares with ADAM and Corsa is City mode which reduces steering effort at the push of a button. Park Assist alerts the driver to obstacles whilst parking plus there’s optional cruise control, sunroof, fog lights, heated front seats and heated steering wheel.

“Short, crisp and full of character, Vauxhall’s new entry-level model is a ‘proper’ small car and will hold great appeal in this rapidly growing sector,” said Tim Tozer, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “On sale next year at an extremely attractive price point, VIVA joins new Corsa and ADAM in a compelling small car portfolio, giving Vauxhall an unrivalled position in the small car market.”