Currently reading: Cropley on cars - taking delivery of our Suzuki Celerio, buying another Lotus

First foray in our long-term Suzuki Celerio proves economical; I've bought another Lotus; prototype Astra shows big promise

MONDAY - Began a sunny week with a two-mile trip to Suzuki Heathrow to collect our new Suzuki long-termer, a beguiling 1.0-litre three-pot five-door 
baby called Celerio (née Alto). It’s shorter and lighter than a Mini or a Fiat 500 yet more spacious than either.

I’ve latterly been elected to take delivery of various members of our changing fleet (one recent arrival, you may remember, was the Ferrari FF) and, as it happens, the Suz and Fandango match one another very well. For me, the Celerio is exactly the kind of runabout that validates ownership of a car as mighty on open roads as the FF.

An errand near Birmingham took the Suzuki briskly to its first fuel fill at 380 miles, where I discovered I could squeeze only 26 litres of unleaded into the tank. This corresponds to about 66mpg – while the car is still being run in.

Next day the bloke from Suzuki said that early cars like ours are soon to get a five-minute trip computer update, because the existing readout caps average fuel mileage at 60mpg, which isn’t nearly enough. What wonderful news for the fuel consumption fetishist (me).

TUESDAYCan never go within a 20-mile radius of Bromsgrove, where my friend Paul Matty operates a Lotus dealership, without calling in for the cup of tea always on offer. I first went there to gather material for a story just over 28 years ago – and finished up buying a pre-litigation Westfield Seven. 

Over my next hundred visits, PM and I have established a routine: we always tour the stock and the curiosities of the workshop (this week’s curiosity: an Elan, for restoration, that had been standing for so long that its carburettors had been dissolved by the pee of car-loving rats nesting above them).

Saw two other great sights. First was the famous Esprit-based active suspension prototype, famously known as SID, which Matty bought last Christmas in order to give it a good home. Second was a very tidy late Elise S1 priced at £10k, quite similar to another I owned and enjoyed a decade ago.

WEDNESDAYAwoke from slumber knowing I had to own that Lotus Elise. Paul had known it, too, but he never intrudes in customers’ decisions. We agreed the matter in a couple of minutes, whereupon I announced it more widely. 

The Steering Committee (who might have been expected to jib a bit by those who don’t know her) was simply happy for me. Friends – and I include you in this – who have endured unending what-will-I-buy commentary were relieved. Me? I just felt (and feel) great. Two weeks and one cambelt and I’ll be driving my own Elise again.        

THURSDAYTo the Millbrook proving ground, to sample a couple of cars I probably wouldn’t recognise if I saw them properly dressed. They were disguised prototypes of the all-new Vauxhall Astra.

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It’s weird driving a car whose interior features you’re mostly not allowed to see, but the oddness of the situation was counterbalanced by the presence of Vauxhall-Opel’s chief car guy, Horst Bormann, who left me in no doubt about the scale of the firm’s ambitions for the Astra.

We know it must get smaller and lighter, Bormann said, which is why every new Astra will be 2.0in shorter and 120kg to 200kg lighter than before. These, alone, are very serious engineering achievements. Then I drove the diesel and petrol versions and was instantly aware of extra refinement, vastly better ride quality, greater agility and performance and lower suspension noise levels.

Oh yes, and clear improvements to the steering, gearchange and brakes. Vauxhall is determined to win the same level of respect it feels Volkswagen and Ford get from buyers in this class and is sparing no effort.

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Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley Autocar
Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business. 

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back. 

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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LP in Brighton 7 May 2015

Great choice

I've just been on the Paul Matty website and it's well worth a visit. The old Lotuses look truly gorgeous but, having owned a few of them back in the day, I know just how much trouble they can be. A Mk 1 Elise looks a much better proposition at one quarter of the price, and hopefully four times the reliability? The combination of Elise and Suzuki Celerio is an interesting mix of sporting and usefulness, much better than the default option of a new Mini for the same money. Not sure where the Ferrari fits in but, as a free set of wheels, who could resist!
LP in Brighton 7 May 2015

Great choice

I've just been on the Paul Matty website and it's well worth a visit. The old Lotuses look truly gorgeous but, having owned a few of them back in the day, I know just how much trouble they can be. A Mk 1 Elise looks a much better proposition at one quarter of the price, and hopefully four times the reliability? The combination of Elise and Suzuki Celerio is an interesting mix of sporting and usefulness, much better than the default option of a new Mini for the same money. Not sure where the Ferrari fits in but, as a free set of wheels, who could resist!
sirwiggum 6 May 2015

Did Suzuki rectify the lack

Did Suzuki rectify the lack of brakes on the Celeryo?

I was enviously eying up a Kizashi the other day. Ridiculous car, rare, which makes it interesting :)