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SA’s Best Budget and Compact Vehicle

Suzuki added two very special pieces of silverware to its trophy cabinet last week.

South Africa’s compact car specialist received the winner’s trophy in the Budget and Compact Vehicle category of the SA Car of the Year (COTY) Competition, sponsored by Old Mutual Insure.

The Guild picked the Suzuki Fronx as the winner in this category.

“We are truly honoured to receive this category win,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa. “The jury of the SA Guild of Mobility Journalists chose the Fronx after a thorough vehicle testing process, which means that their choice truly reflects the best in automotive excellence in its segment.”

The Fronx and all other finalists were tested at length at the Zwartkops Raceway during the COTY evaluation phase. The results from these tests were combined with data from Lightstone Auto, which considered market share, sales volume, value for money and public perception.

The Suzuki Fronx made a surprise appearance again at the end of the evening when the overall winners of the SA Car of the Year competition were announced. The Fronx came in a strong second, with the BMW 7-Series taking first place and the high-performance BMW M2 following in third.

With these two very special awards, Suzuki can claim a recent award for virtually every passenger vehicle in its line-up.

Last October, three Suzuki models – the Swift, Dzire and Baleno – were announced as finalists in the naamsa Accelerator Awards. During the gala evening, the Swift and Dzire won awards as South Africa’s most popular imported vehicles in their respective classes.

In December last year, the Suzuki Celerio and Jimny won special accolades in the GadgetWheels of the Year Awards.

Two months later, in February, Suzuki received the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards for the Swift (Best Entry Level Hatch), the Baleno (Best Budget Hatch) and the Suzuki Grand Vitara (Best Entry-level Crossover).

Suzuki remains the most-awarded compact and budget vehicle brand in the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards. Like the Car of the Year Awards, the Consumer Awards test each finalist thoroughly and also consider the input from owners for 50% of the final score.

In a last unique award, the Suzuki Swift Sport filled all three podium positions in Class A1 for turbo-charged production cars at the 2024 Simola Hill Climb.

Says Carpenter: “We are thankful that the market has responded favourably to our products and believe that awards such as the coveted Car of the Year Awards bolster and support our commitment to provide top-class and reliable mobility to South African motorists.”

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