Read Caroline’s Suzuki S-Cross review for everything you need to know about buying Suzuki’s new crossover in Ireland.
The Suzuki S-Cross is back for a new generation with a rugged new look and attractive entry price of just €29,365 on the road.
The S-Cross does the honours of family SUV in the Suzuki line-up offering five seats and a spacious interior.
It’s well-priced in today’s market where family SUVs just keep going up in price but is it any good? In this review we’re going to take a closer look to find out.
The Suzuki S-Cross on test for Changing LanesWhat’s new for the Suzuki S-Cross?
The S-Cross has been a dependable part of the Suzuki range for some years now and has matured well. This latest version of the car has a lot more character than the car it replaces.
The styling is smart and boxy, and the S-Cross sits further off the ground than your average hatchback. That’s what buyers love right now, so the S-Cross is one for the fashionable crossover set with its muscular design, angular wheel arches, skid plates and roof rails.
The S-Cross is not quite as glamourous or impressive in the metal than say the latest Kia Sportage or Nissan Qashqai but it’s considerably cheaper to buy and well-equipped. So it’s an accessible route into a trendy compact SUV that still has reasonable space inside for five people and their things.
Within the Suzuki line-up, the S-Cross offers more interior space than a Suzuki Vitara and feels more practical and mature. But the new Suzuki Swace will make an attractive alternative for some, with its sleek looks, big boot and super efficient hybrid powertrain.
The interior of the latest S-CrossInside the S-Cross
The Suzuki S-Cross has a new interior design that fits pretty well with this car’s rugged SUV character. There are lots of hard plastics but some nicer soft-touch materials too. The cabin is more modern than what has come before from the brand. But it’s still far from the high-tech experience in some of the best of the segment.
Granted all versions come with a touchscreen and an impressive suite of safety equipment as standard including lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.
The infotainment system syncs easily with smartphones for access to Apple Car Play and Android Auto, which means you can bypass the native system’s quite basic and dull graphics.
Other standard features on the entry level ‘Motion’ include 17-inch alloy wheels, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, push button start, keyless entry, dual zone air conditioning and heated front seats.
The Ultra model will arrive before the end of the year and will be four wheel drive only. It will add 17-inch polished alloy wheels, leather seat upholstery, integrated on-board navigation, panoramic sliding sunroof and a 360-degree view camera.
The interior is a bit more spacious and versatile than the car it replaces with seating for five and reasonable legroom and headroom in the rear, though it will be tight for three across the rear bench. The boot offers 430 litres of space, which is very practical in every day terms though some rivals do offer a larger boot.
The S-Cross has grown up with a trendy new lookDriving the Suzuki S-Cross
There’s just one engine on offer in the S-Cross range. It’s a 1.4-litre ‘Boosterjet’ turbo petrol engine with 48V mild hybrid technology to boost efficiency. It comes with the choice of a manual or automatic gearbox.
A full hybrid will join the range before the end of the year. So if you’re looking for diesel, there is none. But this car is lightweight so it is pretty efficient by class standards. The mild hybrid components add less than 15kg to the overall weight of the vehicle.
Weight savings during development help the new S-Cross remain one of the lightest SUVs in its class at just 1,235kg for front wheel drive models.
Over a week of driving my average fuel consumption was 5.9 litres per 100 km. So no nasty surprises from a petrol-driven SUV capable of carrying five people.
On the road the S-Cross is straightforward to drive. It’s hardly fun to drive like some Suzukis like the Swift and Vitara, but there’s good grip, light steering and agile handling. So it doesn’t stray too far from standards for the segment.
Did you like it?
The Suzuki S-Cross is a simple and honest way to travel, and has matured well for this new generation of the car. The S-Cross now has quite a distinctive look with all the rugged design cues that are so fashionable right now.
While it’s not as impressive as an overall package as some other, more expensive family SUVs, the S-Cross does offer a simple range with just one petrol mild hybrid engine on offer that is efficient and cheap to run. These days that accounts for a lot. There’s no nasty surprises when it comes to efficiency so the S-Cross will be a reliable motoring companion.
Let’s not forget, the Suzuki S-Cross is one of the last family SUVs on the market to start at just under €30,000. That’s a triumph in itself these days and that car is exceptionally well-equipped with lots of comfort and safety features that will keep life good behind the wheel of the latest S-Cross.
Model tested: Suzuki S-Cross Motion
Price: €29,365 OTR
Engine: 1.4-litre turbo petrol
Power: 129hp
Torque: 235Nm
Top speed: 195km/h
Acceleration (0-100 km/h): 9.5 seconds
CO2 emissions: 120g/km
Motor Tax: €190 per year
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes