When I first set eyes on the Suzuki S-Presso, I was fixated

Funky cars need funky names, see?

In naming the car, I could feel a little magic in the air – but the real magic was still to come. Magic – as in: How on earth did you do that?

Suzuki must have magicians working for them because when I looked at the tiny car, I thought: No way am I getting in there. I am 1.70cm tall (or five foot 8 in the old terms) so I could not see how I would fit. My uncle laughed and said I would struggle to get comfortable.

My friend even described the S-Presso as a “toy car”.

With trepidation, I opened the door, cautiously sat on the driver’s seat and dragged my feet in.

To my surprise, I could fit and there was enough space to wobble in excitement – “I can fit perfectly, mos”.
My leg and head room were perfect and I believe it was at that moment that aura of light enfolded me and I realised I needed to give Blue Goo a fair chance at impressing me.

This car is more than just an affordable, entry-level piece of transport. For many, because it will be their first car, it offers real freedom – the freedom not to rely and buses, taxis and other pubic transport. The freedom to go where you want, when you want.

And that’s what my brief was for my road trip “mission”: let us know what you think, as a young mom…
So, I roped in my 10-year-old daughter (not that she needed much encouragement to join) for our little adventure to Harties from Joburg.

When I got home, that first night, I hooted for her and she came out, expressing joyous surprise: “I love it, because it is blue… but is it not too small for you?”

I was now more than ever adamant to let her in the car, but as Trigon, Raven’s father would say on Teen Titans – “I always have tricks up my sleeve”.
“Wait until tomorrow,” I replied.

First thing Saturday morning, her eagerness took over and off went on our way, and as we dashed out to the driveway, we both felt awesome.
Just as I was about to utter – ‘Put your seatbelt on’, the little princess had already hijacked the infotainment. She quickly turned on her Bluetooth and easily integrated via Android Auto.

At this point, I know words to BLACKPINK’s How You Like That off by heart, would even sing them in my sleep.
She then turned on the music full blast and put on the air conditioning to warm, because it was a bit chilly in the morning.
With a full petrol tank and mobile disco, little did I know I was about to unleash the beast and created a groupie in the making.

First stop: Upside Down House

Our first stop was at the Upside Down House in the Hartbeespoort area. The Upside Down House is less than an hour from Joburg.

The S-Presso made the trip a breeze. At a certain point I even received a compliment – “Mom you are a great driver”. I thought to myself “it is not my driving darling, it’s the car, smooth ride that it is”.

With the slogan: Feel fun, feel different, feel the other way around, the Upside Down House is just that, it’s a house built upside down, including all the furniture inside.

We spent an hour or two in and around the house, taking all kinds of amazing photos.

Second stop: Cable Way

Located about 25 minutes from the Upside Down House, the destination proved to be a tourist attraction with great scenery.
A Swiss engineered and installed cableway elevator that takes visitors to view beautiful Magaliesberg Mountains, Hartbeespoort Dam and surrounding areas, all while enjoying world-class recreational activities.

My daughter enjoyed the cable ride and we ended up spending more time than we had planned at the top of the mountain as she did not want to leave.

The Blue Goo was visible from the top of the mountain and we took turns trying to use our fingers to measure the S-Presso’s size from the mountain top.

Third stop: Little Paris

Situated about five minutes from Cable Way, Little Paris consists of, amongst other things, a clothing boutique, deli, a gift shop and a French styled restaurant.

However, the main reason it is so popular is for its name and because of the illumination version of the “Eiffel Tower” hidden at the end of a lake which is covered with “lover’s locks”.

To our surprise, a grandstand presented itself where the S-Presso was parked. It was then at that moment that I thought – “You beautiful beast. You hide behind your cute façade, but me and you both know that you are a beast”.

S-Presso specs

The S-Presso is available with a choice of two transmission options, a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT transmission and a front wheel drive. The colour is complemented by a snazzy set of alloy wheels on the GL+ model.

While it’s easy on the eye, the little package should also be easy on your bank account…Suzuki says it will give you fuel consumption of 4.4 litres per 100km, which is fantastic. My jaw dropped when I arrived home with still more than a half tank left.

The exterior includes a black front grille, body coloured door handles, and halogen multi-reflector headlamps.

Its interior includes a urethane steering wheel, an information display integrated info meter cluster, an audio and Bluetooth – 7″ touchscreen LCD with Apple CarPlay & Android auto display, and USB port front console on the GL+ model.

Ending all myths

Time to be honest: I didn’t really expect the S-Presso to be so good. Being Suzuki’s baby, the car is cute but still has that vava voom vibe.

On the road, the S-Presso is balanced. It was windy during the road trip, however, the Blue Goo stayed flat on the road and did not veer off, not one bit. I was really impressed by its safety and comfort.

Would I recommend the S-Presso to a friend? Hell yeah! I repeat, it is cost effective and provides the overall specs needed in a vehicle, especially in South Africa with our soaring fuel costs.

Toy? Hell no, the Suzuki S-Presso is more beast than Beauty and the Beast, and hella cute.

To find out more on the Suzuki S-Presso. Visit here

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