THOSE masters of the small car at Suzuki realigned the range and one of the smart choices is the Celerio.

Built in Thailand, the Celerio embodies many of the qualities that have seen Suzuki sales rise in recent times, including ease of driving, an elevated driving position, interior space that surpasses expectations and a surprisingly good luggage capacity.

In fact it offers a degree of the qualities of a SUV without the usually massive expense and size.

The Celerio is a compact crossover and its initial 1.0 three-cylinder petrol engineis now joined by a a Dualjet version of the same engine which, with a top speed of returns a staggering combined economy figure of 78.4mph and a very low CO2 figure of 84g/km.

This version costs £8,499 and is very well equipped with six airbags and ESP fitted as standard safety equipment for both UK models.

Strong residual values of 39 per cent at three years /60,000 miles are forecast by Glass's Guide this month.

On the road the this version may not be the fastest set of wheels in the garage, but its top speed of 96mph and 0-62mph sprint should be enough to satisfy the customer who has an eye to economy as well as performance.

And the fact that the fuel gauge does not seem to want to move is a major plus point too. In everyday driving I was getting at least 69mpg which was impressive to say the least.

It is surprisingly comfortable with an elevated driving position that takes much stress out of long trips.

Its three-cylinder engine is reasonably silent but it does work hard. The real beauty of this car is its ease of operation in cities where total length of just 3,600mm and neat turning circle make it a doddle to park.

It is also extremely roomy for a small car with best-in-class boot space of 254L Even the basic model includes air conditioning, alloy wheels DAB radio, CD tuner plus Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

It competes against cars like the VW Up and Skoda Citigo and how it fares remains to be seen.

It is certainly one of the best models I have seen from Suzuki in recent times.