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The Suzuki Eeco might be a small delivery vehicle but there is so much you can do with it. Aimed at the small to medium businesses, the Eeco can be an erstwhile runner, with it’s frugality on fuel and the low purchase price. I tested the Eeco for a week recently and can deduce that it just ideal for work on weekdays and play on weekends.
Quick Facts
The Eeco also has a load-carrying capacity of 615 kg, so you can safely and legally load a large amount of cargo.
“The Eeco has been highly anticipated by our customers in the know. Like the Super Carry, it offers fuel-efficient point-to-point transport of goods at the lowest possible price. Unlike its pick-up sibling, however, the Eeco has all the benefits of a panel van and all the safety of its entry-level passenger vehicle sibs,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.
Load it up!
With a load-carrying vehicle like the new Eeco, it is important to list its dimensions first. The Eeco has a large roof-to-bumper rear door that opens upwards and two side sliding doors that can be operated independently. Both side doors are also fitted with child-lock mechanisms to prevent accidental opening from inside when carrying loose items. The load bay itself is wide and flat, offering a loading length of 1 620 mm from the rear door to the start of the steel grid partition that is fitted as standard between the loading bay and cockpit.
Perhaps more important is the width of the load bay. At 1 300 mm, the Eeco can easily swallow a full-sized South African pallet and with a height of 1 070 mm, there is also enough space for large and bulky items.
Easy Peasy
In South Africa, the Suzuki brand is best known for its range of passenger vehicles and SUVs, but globally the brand is also a leader in inner-city and compact load-lugging vehicles.
With the design of the Eeco, Suzuki has used its specialist knowledge of compact vehicles to make this panel van extremely easy to use. Overall, the Eeco is 3 675 mm long and 1 475 mm wide with a wheelbase of 2 350 mm.
Fuel efficient
The Eeco is fitted with a workhorse version of the brand’s well-known 1.2 litre petrol engine. The K12N engine has 16 valves across its four cylinders and is equipped with variable-valve timing. The engine also has a multipoint fuel-injection system and a compression ratio of 12:1 for greater low-down torque. In the Eeco, the K12N engine delivers 59 kW at 6 000 r/min and 104 Nm at 3 000 r/min. Power is delivered to the rear wheels through a manual five-speed transmission.
Go safely!
There are two airbags – one for each occupant – and anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) as standard. More impressive for its segment, however, is the inclusion of electronic stability control (ESP) as standard. Suzuki has also squeezed in rear parking sensors, a real boon for when the rear window is blocked by a full luggage bay, a high-mounted stop lamp and an anti-theft immobiliser as standard. Lastly, all Eeco models have side-impact steel beams in the front doors and three-point retracting seatbelts for both driver and passenger.
Comfort
As mentioned before, the Eeco has been designed to offer the easiest and most efficient movement of goods. This is done partly by the wide opening side doors, the wide rear luggage door and the low sill for easy loading and offloading. Inside the cabin, the focus on comfort has translated into large and easily adjustable side mirrors, large and wide front side windows for easy navigation in compact spaces and a high seating position.
Added to this is a digital instrument cluster with a large and clear display of important vehicle information and speed and a large polyurethane steering wheel for comfortable operation and manoeuvring. Suzuki has added an air conditioner and a 12 V power socket – perfect for charging phones and GPS devices – as standard. Two speakers and an antenna in preparation for a radio rounds off the comfort package.
Final Word
“As with many of our other vehicles, the proof of the pudding is in the eating thereof. We want entrepreneurs to drive the Eeco, see how much they can load and lock up in the loading bay and test for themselves how frugal the 1.2 litre four-cylinder petrol engine really is,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.
Price
R212 900
