Suzuki is pretty good at making cheap small cars. Their new Alto is Britain’s cheapest new car, and now there is this, the 2012 Splash. The Splash is a bit bigger than the Alto, and a bit less ugly, and it’s priced from just £7,777 in a VAT-free offer. The base version comes with a 68 PS VVT 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that does 60 mpg.

So as a cheap way of getting about, the Splash offers a pretty compelling package. There is also a 94 PS 1.2-litre petrol engine that it shares with the Swift with 55.4 mpg. The 1.0-litre is available in SZ2 and SZ3 trim; the 1.2 model is available in either SZ3 or SZ4 grades, with optional automatic transmission available on the SZ4.

The 2012MY Splash also gets a couple of styling tweaks on the outside and some upgrades for the interior, including new front and rear bumper styling, new bonnet and grille design, new design seat fabric and graphite colour scheme, Piano Black finish to centre console and Black cloth finish to the front door armrests.

Despite its compact size, the Splash  can comfortably seat five adults with plenty of legroom and luggage space. Thanks to the split 60:40 rear seats, you can have as much as 573 liters of space.

All Splash models offer a comprehensive equipment list as standard including four airbags, CD tuner with MP3 player and steering wheel-mounted audio controls; leather-trimmed steering wheel; remote central locking; front electric windows with driver’s auto-down; electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors; height-adjustable front seats; tilt adjustable steering wheel and an information display. 1.0-litre SZ3 models upwards add air conditioning as standard.