GO
GoAutoLogo
MENU

Make / Model Search

Car reviews - Suzuki - Liana - range

Our Opinion

We like
Stand-out styling, economical motoring, easy to drive, great vision out
Room for improvement
Small engine for small-car class, better ride comfort is desirable

14 Sep 2004

A JAPANESE car at a Korean price comparison is particularly apt in the case of the Liana. Tape over the badges and you'd think you were driving something that came from South Korea, and not necessarily in the last year or so.

The concern here is a certain lightness and tinniness that expresses itself in the dissatisfying hollowness when closing doors and the amount of outside noise that penetrates the cabin from the engine and road, a reliable indicator of skimping on sound deadening material.

The Laser/323 twins, Pulsar, Corolla and Hyundai's latest Elantra are all a step ahead here in terms of solidity and quietness, while the excellent Holden Astra is another step ahead again.

On the road a performance gap is also noticeable, particularly with the optional auto mated to the engine. It's willing and smooth enough, but considering the Liana weighs in at 1140kg - about the same as its 1.8-litre competitors - it does feel somewhat breathless.

There's a lack of finesse to the ride over rougher surfaces like railway crossings and potholes too, but the handling side of the equation seems adequate and appropriate enough, with light steering that will make city and suburban manoeuvres simple.

Excellent visibility from a high seating position helps here, although the seats themselves seem too short and too lacking in side support to hold occupants in place when cornering.

The interior is pleasantly presented and with a sense of originality missing in many small-medium cars. The digital speedo, triangulated instrument pod, and use of brushed aluminium-look plastic on the steering wheel, air-conditioning controls and around the auto gear lever offset the inevitable swathes of plastics done in a variety of greys.

The downer here is the hardness of those plastics which in this age of "slush moulding" emphasises cheapness, and the stereo head unit which bears no relation to the rest of a homogenous dashboard design.

The split-fold seat design ensures a fair degree of flexibility, opening to reveal a fairly large boot and a hatch that swings open to a reachable height - an important point considering many buyers will be women.

Speaking of which - buyers that is - Suzuki Australia is keeping its sales estimates conservative for Liana, expecting just 2000 to find homes in Australia by the end of 2002.

Considering the price and equipment equation and its attractive styling there's no reason to expect Liana to fall short of that goal.

Click to share

Click below to follow us on
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram

GoAuto can help you buy a new Liana

Customer Terms and Conditions – New Car Lead enquires

Agreement

This is an agreement between GoAutoMedia Pty Limited ACN 094 732 457 of PO Box 18, Beach Road, Sandringham, VIC, 3191 (“we/us”), the owner and operator of the GoAuto.com.au website (“the website”) and the person wanting GoAuto.com.au to provide them with a lead for the purchase of a new car (“you”).

By completing a New Car Lead Enquiry, you agree to the terms and conditions and disclaimers and acknowledge the policies set out below.

Terms and Conditions

  • In order for us to effect a lead you must you must complete a New Car Lead Enquiry (“Enquiry”).
  • We will call you as soon as possible after you complete the Enquiry and certainly no later than the next business day. When we call, we will discuss with you your new car requirements.
  • You consent to our passing on the Enquiry and your requirements to an appropriate authorised motor car dealer as a lead.
  • We will contact you again in approximately eight days following your initial enquiry to check on the progress of the Enquiry.
  • While we will provide the dealer with the Enquiry and details of your new car requirements, we take no responsibility for what happens after passing on that material as a lead.
  • You acknowledge that we are a new car information service providing new car editorial information, pictures and prices to our customers as a guide only. Any new car prices published on the website are the manufacturers’ recommended retail prices and do not include delivery charges and on-road costs. Any authorized motor car dealer to which we pass on your Enquiry as a lead will provide you with full details of the price at which the vehicle will be sold to you.
  • You acknowledge that we do not sell motor vehicles. Any sale of a new car to you by a dealer after we have passed on your Enquiry to that dealer as a lead, is a sale by that dealer not by us.

Privacy Policy– New Car Lead Enquires

  • We take privacy very seriously. We understand that you will only complete an Enquiry if you can trust us to protect your personal information and use it appropriately. Our policy is to ensure that the personal information collected when you make an Enquiry is only used for the purposes of connecting you with an authorised motor car dealer.
  • We do not on-sell information collected from you or any other customer.
  • From time to time, we may email you with information or promotions that may be relevant for car buyers. You will continue to receive communications from us unless you tell us that you do not want to receive any advertising or promotional information in the future by unsubscribing from these communications.
close
* Denotes required field
** Australian inquiries only

Motor industry news

GoAutoNews is Australia’s number one automotive industry journal covering the latest news, future and new model releases, market trends, industry personnel movements, and international events.

Catch up on all of the latest industry news with this week's edition of GoAutoNews
Click here