This kei car quietly beat the world to electric power steering in 1988 — offered as a pricey surcharge option, a decade before EPS went mainstream.
Median 63 hp across 125 similar cars
Lead trim: 547 cc F5B SOHC 12V (40 PS)
Suzuki Cervo CG72V/CH72VCG72V/CH72V · 1988–1990
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Suzuki Cervo CG72V/CH72V yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis kei car quietly beat the world to electric power steering in 1988 — offered as a pricey surcharge option, a decade before EPS went mainstream.
Introduced on 22 January 1988, playing up the Cervo's van capabilities with a squat, boxy rear on the Alto/Fronte front clip and door skins, a very wide C-pillar and a glass panel in the front of the roof: nicknamed "Airbrick" and the "Side Alley Beauty" (Yokocho Komachi). Its new F5B is a SOHC 12-valve three-cylinder of 547 cc with 40 PS at 7,500 rpm. Models were the CGXF (FWD, 5-speed), CGXL (FWD, 3-speed automatic) and CGXJ (four-wheel drive, 5-speed); in March 1988 the world's first electric power steering arrived on the Gokigen Pack versions. A female motorcycle team raced a turbocharged Cervo in the 1988 Rallye des Pharaons, but the Daihatsu Leeza and Autozam Carol outsold it, and with the new 660 cc kei rules Suzuki ended production in May 1990.
Collectors Spotted in the Suzuki Cervo Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Suzuki Cervo yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 547 cc F5B SOHC 12V (40 PS) | 1988–1990 | 0.5 L Inline-3 | 39 hp | 30 lb-ft | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
The HG21S Cervo SR pulled off something no other turbocharged kei car managed — qualifying for Japan’s lower eco-tax grade while still being the most powerful version in the lineup.
The SR-Four trim made this Cervo a double first — only the second kei car with a four-cylinder engine, and the very first with a 16-valve DOHC turbo.
This kei car quietly beat the world to electric power steering in 1988 — offered as a pricey surcharge option, a decade before EPS went mainstream.
Suzuki pitched the Cervo as its sporty kei car — but anyone over 5'8" would crack their head on the roof just sitting in it.
Britain couldn't get enough of the tiny Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid: demand always outstripped supply, and the importer still shifted 4,696 of them before the car became a minor British classic.
Suzuki marketed this Cervo mainly to women, calling one trim the CX-L, its own ladies' version.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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