The wait is finally over and Suzuki has officially unveiled its latest family car for Pakistan. The already popular Cultus has received its first major upgrade in over 15 years and it comes on the heels of increasing competition in the market.
The car sports a new design, improved engine, extended interior space, passenger safety features, superior security and much more. The price, has received a slight hike too.
Pak-Suzuki’s Managing Director, Hirofumi Nagao, says;
This car has been manufactured considering the growth and demand by Pakistani consumers. From development and production, I would like to thank PS vendors, workers and Suzuki Motors Japan in making Cultus dream a reality.
“The company is proud of its 50 percent market share in Pakistan and its 35 year history with the country”, said Suzuki’s Global Managing Officier, Kinji Saito while making it clear the Pakistan holds great value for the Japanese car manufacturer.
Let’s get down to what the car offers and whether the New Cultus will be able to fill the shoes of its predecessor which managed to sell 244,000 units until now. Suzuki says the car will be available in two versions; one called the Cultus VXR while the other is the top-of-the-line VXL.
Exterior
From the first glance, it’s clear that the new model bears no resemblance to the Cultus of old. In fact, the new Cultus is actually a renamed Celerio.
The new car has a much bolder design and looks like a modern city car. However, the hatchback has plenty to offer and looks vastly superior to its aged predecessor. The new design is a welcome change.
Cultus 2017 sports fog lights and alloy rims. To top it all of the car comes in seven color options:
- Pearl Red
- Cerulean Blue
- Sand Beige
- Graphite Gray
- Silky Silver
- Super Pearl Black
- White
Interior
The interior is completely different from the older Cultus. Despite lesser width, the new model offers 254 litees of boot space.
Central door locking, adjustable side mirrors, built-in multimedia Bluetooth connectivity are some of the new features.
The backlit speedometer is nice addition as well. The higher end VXL edition gets all the top end features for some extra cash.
Engine & Performance
Brand new Cultus comes with a K Series K10B 12 valve 3 cylinder 1,000CC engine and 5 speed manual transmission with front wheel drive. Power steering is a standard feature available across both variants.
With the new engine, Suzuki aims to offer better fuel efficiency and improved torque delivery. New transmission should also aid in fuel economy, easier gear shifts and reduced noise in the car cabin.
Expect 50kW of output at 6,000RPM and 90Nm of torque at 3,500RPM.
Safety & Security
Suzuki Cultus 2017 comes with keyless entry and an immobilizer as a standard in both versions. However, VXL gets 2 SRS airbags and ABS brakes by default whereas VXR offers them as optional upgrades.
Seatbelts and rear seat child locks are standard as well.
Price & Availability
The 5-seater family car isn’t exactly cheap but considering how much a Mehran costs, the new Cultus isn’t the worst in terms of price for performance ratio. The two variants will come with the following price tags while optional features will cost extra:
- Cultus 2017 VXR – Rs. 1,250,000
- Cultus 2017 VXL – Rs. 1,391,000
By default, all vehicles will come with the standard 3 year or 60,000km warranty (whichever expires first).
Suzuki’s latest family car will be available at all of its dealerships immediately. Those who want to test drive the car can do so by visiting any of Suzuki’s 3S dealerships.
With this car, Suzuki is hoping to weather the onslaught of imported cars that have taken over the Pakistani market. Has it done enough? Let us know in the comments below!
Have something to say or want to know more about this? Drop an email at [email protected] or find Aadil Shadman on Twitter (@ashadman25) or Facebook(fb.com/AadilShadman).
So the new Cultus is old Alto. Great.
No, both are on completely different platforms.
at a price of 14 lakh can it compete with the FAW?
People still buy Wagon-R..so yeah, people who only believe on the lable and not the product are still going to buy this!
Is FAW good enough?
I bought the FAW V2 2.5 years ago when the total sale of it was 250 cars. Now they are approaching 5000 sale. I have to say, I have made a great decision. The car has given me no issues expect minor hiccups here and there. Driven it 30,000KM so far and haven’t noticed any of the pathetic issues that come with locally manufactured/ assembled cars. The only downside perhaps is resale but since I am going to keep the car for at least 5 years, I am not really worried about it. In short here are the goodies:
Total Cost 1.1 million including registrations
Comes with AC, Audio, Airbag, Safety Beams, Child Lock, Immobilizer, auto lock
Comes with Electronic power steering, power windows, ABS, EBD
Comes with alloy rims and original hankook tyres which are amazing even after 30k mil
Mileage is around 14km/l without AC and 12.5km/l with AC and around 18km/l on long
Top speed(I dont drive fast) was 160km/h which I hit on the motorway
Downsides
There is a whistling sound at high speeds, something to do with gaps in door design
In case of spare parts, you have to wait since they are imported from China
Resale of the car is still building up
Only available in Manual(doesn’t matter to me though, I prefer manuals)
Thank you so much. That is one genuine review.
Thanks for taking the time to write such an in depth review
It’s delightful whenever I meet a fellow owner of this brilliant car.. Great to know that you are enjoying the ride as much as I do..
Too little.. too late.. Suzuki is dying a slow and painful death because of its policies and rightly so..1,391,000.. I wonder who who would spend 1.4 million on a Suzuki.. With the same old AC Buttons like 15 years ago..
It is offering EBD, SRS airbags, alloy rims pre installed in VXL.. These are not offered by Honda CIty
Honda life is offering ABS Alloy rims SMS Airbags too.. Not sure about EBD.. 660 cc engine.. And 18 km avg.. Costs 9 to 10 Lacs… For apples to apples comparison.. This car is not even comparable to Honda city
For similar specs do review the faw v2..
Hahaha Honda city? The two are incomparable! Come on!
You ll be surprised at the number of people who would buy this car. If our people can get brand new Mehran, then why not this ;)
should not be more than 10.5 to 12
Suzuki chalo kuchh to change lai b hopeful
koi pagal he hoga jo toyota passo ko chor kr ye cultus le ga even k 1.4M me achi bhali city mil jani hai , pagal ho gaye hain suzuki wale bc
agreed……….
price is too high , could have an impact if price was something aroung 1.1 m for vxl
10 lac is enough for vxl if a parson afford 1.4 lac he can afford 1.6 for honda city
What a joke by Suzuki.. and they want to beat the import mafia by pricing it such!!
How does this have Bluetooth and Alloy Rims when even the 20 lakh Ciaz doesn’t have it?
Everything’s gud abt this car… But Suzuki needs to learn that safety remains a basic and essential feature which shudnt be variant specific. Life of all passengers are worth taking care of. Shud have launched just one variant vxl with all features at vxr price and it wud still have earned Suzuki the deal they are looking for in market.
You are absolutely right. The company that thinks that safety feature in a car should only be added at additional cost to the customer is not even worth bothering spending your hard earned money on! Piece of junk Cultus continues to be overpriced death trap!
There is no point not giving air bags and abs in vxr… Ridiculous
Pakistan Local Car Standrad
“Seatbelts and rear seat child locks are standard as well”
At 14 lacs why not vitz???
Cars with automatic transmission compete with Japanese cars
Price is high, should be around 1 million
Suzuki profit is going down, so take less margin and increase sales by reducing price
Why selling so cheap in India
CULTUS VXL 1391000 Price is too high. I think better options are available in the market.
Bakwas Gari yeh lynay say behtar hay banda Ganday Nalay main Paisy Phenk day
Suzuki will keep cheating & making more profit (by selling Celerio under Cultus brand), till they face real challenge from new car manufacturers, than they will reduce prices. Hope to see Datsun Go / Go+, Renault, Kia…soon on our roads
style is better but the price is high