The city car twins of the 2021 Suzuki Solio and the 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit have been officially unveiled. The new generation ‘compact height wagon’ kei cars go on sale in Japan, their main market, on 4 December 2020.
Exterior
The next-gen Suzuki Solio and next-gen Suzuki Solio Bandit have more aggressive designs compared to their predecessors. The former features sleeker and sharper headlamps with LED DRLs, a slimmer upper grille, more athletic bumper and a larger lower grille. On the sides, the new greenhouse looks wider and the character lines are a welcome change. At the rear, there are vertical tail lamps instead of L-shaped horizontal tail lamps on the 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit. The full-width chrome stripe may be a bit much for some.
The 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit appears like a mini MG Hector from the front due to the similarity in the upper grille and LED DRLs and to an extent the bumper. Though older generation Solios were spied testing in India and even presented by Maruti at the Auto Expo and should in principle make news here, the all-new Suzuki Solio Bandit is likely to get more media attention as comparisons would be drawn to the MG’s lights.
Interior & features
The interior of the 2021 Suzuki Solio and 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit is less cluttered compared and while the layout is the same, the instrument panel and centre console seem to have shrunk. The steering wheel has apparently remained completely unchanged.
A welcome addition to the cabin is a colour head-up display, which should be a boon especially for drivers finding the central positioning of the instrument panel inconvenient. Also new is a bigger, 9-inch HD touchscreen infotainment system with navigation. Electric parking brake has been given a miss in the new generation Suzuki kei cars. On the plus side, the 360-degree camera system has been added to the Suzuki Solio and Suzuki Solio Bandit.
Specifications
The 2021 Suzuki Solio and 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit are underpinned by the new Heartect platform. They measure 3,790 mm in length, 1,645 mm in width and 1,745 mm in height, and they have a 2,500 mm wheelbase. The all-new compact height wagon kei cars are 80 mm and 70 mm longer respectively and 20 mm wider than their predecessors. The rear seats and luggage compartment are also wider, while their luggage compartment’s floor is 100 mm longer.
Under the hood, the K12C 1.2-litre DualJet N/A four-cylinder petrol engine producing 67 kW or 91 PS of power and 118 Nm of torque is standard. It is married to a CVT across the range. As an option, customers can equip it with mild-hybrid technology in the 2021 Suzuki Solio, and in the 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit, this fuel-sipping technology is standard. The mild-hybrid system makes use of an ISG and an additional (Lithium-ion) battery pack.
The energy produced during deceleration is recovered and stored in the Lithium-ion battery. This energy is used by the ISG (WA05A electric motor) to assist the engine during acceleration. The ISG generates 2.3 kW or 3.1 PS of power and 50 Nm of torque.
| Aspect | Suzuki Solio Specification | Suzuki Solio Bandit Specification |
| Length | 3,790 mm | 3,790 mm |
| Width | 1,645 mm | 1,645 mm |
| Height | 1,745 mm | 1,745 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,500 mm | 2,500 mm |
| Engine | K12C 1.2-litre DualJet | K12C 1.2-litre DualJet |
| Engine Power | 67 kW (91 PS) | 67 kW (91 PS) |
| Engine Torque | 118 Nm | 118 Nm |
| Motor | WA05A (optional) | WA05A (standard) |
| Motor Power | 2.3 kW (3.1 PS) | 2.3 kW (3.1 PS) |
| Motor Torque | 50 Nm | 50 Nm |
| Transmission | CVT | CVT |
| WLTC Fuel Economy | 19.0 km/l (petrol)/19.6 km/l (hybrid) | 19.6 km/l |
| JC08 Fuel Economy | 20.7 km/l (petrol)/22.4 km/l (hybrid) | 22.4 km/l |
The 2021 Suzuki Solio and 2021 Suzuki Solio Bandit Hybrids can achieve fuel economy of 19.6 km/l as per the new and more realistic WLTC test cycle or 22.4 km/l as per the old JC08 test cycle. Their prices start at JPY 15,81,800 and JPY 20,06,400 respectively.
The image & video clip of the Solio Hybrid are from Japanese Suzuki dealer Suzuki Arena Shimzu Inter via Twitter.
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