![]() ![]() The seven-inch touchscreen has Bluetooth connectivity and gets two rather average speakers, remote locking, and-uh-not much else. The S-Presso’s standard kit is pretty good for the price. Body roll in corners remind you that this car is taller than it is wide, but the featherlight curb weight and well-controlled suspension make the S-Presso pleasingly nimble and secure, even over the worst roads. The steering is relatively steady, however, and the Indian-made 165/70R14 MRF ZVTV ‘ecotred’ tires prove relatively quiet and grippy. ![]() Wind noise around the pillars at 100kph is considerable, and buffeting can push you around on the highway. The S-Presso is a bit less impressive out on the open road. Tidy dimensions, a tiny turning circle, and standard parking sensors allow you to slip into parking spaces too small for anything else. Not that you should drive on the sidewalk, mind you. Short overhangs give it Jimny-rivaling approach and departure angles, which makes jumping curbs ridiculously easy. Combining the compact dimensions of the Alto with the commanding height of a crossover, it filters through traffic with ease, fitting wherever a tricycle can fit. The S-Presso is a joy to drive in traffic. Consumption in light traffic hovers around 13km/L, which isn’t bad at all. But that should get better as the engine breaks in. The short gearing and bluff body shape limit fuel economy to 25-27km/L at 80kph, compared to the Celerio’s 29+km/L. With no tachometer, you’ve got to shift by ear, which isn’t difficult, as the engine isn’t particularly quiet. Shift action is precise but notchy, and the clutch is springy but light. Combined with an ultralight 770kg curb weight, this allows the S-Presso to do 0-100kph in 12.5sec, about half a second faster than the Celerio or the old K10 Alto. This gives it incredibly short gearing, with first topping out at just 35kph. The S-Presso uses the same 67hp three-cylinder K10B engine and five-speed gearbox as in the Celerio, equipped with a taller final drive to make up for the taller tires. While it’s still a shade smaller than those in other competitors, none of them have anything to match the S-Presso big, sturdy tonneau cover parcel shelf. On the other hand, the S-Presso boasts a usefully larger trunk, at 239 liters versus the Celerio’s 235. Still, thin door cards mean extra elbow room, and there’s noticeably more in here than in the older Alto or Jimny, but it’s harder to sit three across the back than in the Celerio. This leaves the door cards themselves feeling rather plain, and the thin plastic on the lower doors are about the only objectionable material in here. A big central binnacle houses digital instrumentation, a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, and window and door controls. While there’s a lot of hard plastic here, it feels sturdy and nothing wiggles or rattles. The vertically stacked dashboard leaves lots of knee room, but the driver’s pedal box puts your right knee up against the center console. Seats sit cartoonishly high off the floor, giving you a commanding view out the windshield. Full of chunky and purposeful shapes rendered in durable plastics. While it is a light car, the higher center of gravity makes it a little unsettling in corners, but the manual transmission and the lightness really make you want to drive it and engage with the car, so proceed with caution.Despite its Indian roots, the S-Presso feels very much the modern Kei car. We do have to give it some flack, however, about its handling at speed. ![]() Shifting through the manual transmission is a breeze and is reasonably notchy. The clutch is also light, and not that bothersome to use. ![]() The lightness also allows it to have extremely nimble steering and handling characteristics, which make it a great city car to take through tight city streets, parking lots, or through rush hour EDSA. Its tall stature means that you won’t have to worry about potholes scraping your undercarriage. In the city, though, the S-Presso is a joy to use. We do wish that this model did at least come with an automatic or a CVT. If you want to merge quickly or overtake, you do have to shift to the appropriate gear and put the engine at an optimal RPM to get as much power out of the 1.0-liter mill as possible. On the highway, however, it will take a while for the S-Presso to get up to highway speed. It’s not a deal-breaker, even when loaded up the car still performed well enough within the city. Once loaded up, the small 3-cylinder engine will struggle a bit, and you will find that you have to give it a bit more gas than usual. This engine, even if it is small, is enough for the weight of the car and a few passengers. Equipped with a 1.0-liter engine that produces 67 hp and 90 Nm of torque mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. All those qualms disappear once you get behind the wheel of this tiny car. ![]()
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