The Suzuki S-Cross has lived its life in the shadows of the Vitara, never quite hitting the mark with Kiwi buyers. But the new heavily facelifted version aims to change that.
The new S-Cross comes in three variants: JX Turbo 2WD, JLX Turbo 2WD, and JLX Turbo AWD.
Suzuki flew us to Napier to take a look and have a first drive of the updated SUV. And while it was a wet day in wine-country, the refined aesthesis of the vehicle certainly fit the environment.
The basis of the car hasn’t changed much. All variants share the same underpinnings as the Vitara, with its 1.4-litre BoosterJet engine producing 103kW and 220Nm of torque, and 6-speed automatic transmission.
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But the body has undergone quite the transformation.
View Suzuki S-Cross listings on Driven
The front and rear of the car sits higher, with new horizontal LED lights at both ends. A chrome bar sits on the grille, hosting the familiar Suzuki ‘S’ emblem. The shape of the SUV is certainly more boxy looking, giving it a much trendier and more refined style. Black cladding around the wheel arches exaggerates the increased height of the car.
The S-Cross is (and always has been) larger than the Vitara, measuring 4300mm long, 1785mm wide and 1585mm tall compared to the Vitara, which measures in at 4175mm, 1775mm, 1610mm. Though, previously, the S-Cross appeared to be smaller because of the shape and position of the body. With the raised height of the facelifted S-Cross, the size difference is now more exaggerated.
The exterior isn’t the only thing that’s been heavily facelifted. Inside, you’ll find the cabin is made of better-quality materials than its predecessor, with leather and leather-effect weave for the JLX versions.
There’s also a new-generation 7-inch infotainment screen (9-inches for JLX), which features Apple CarPlay (though this is only wireless in JLX versions), Android Auto, voice recognition and satellite navigation. All models come equipped with keyless entry and automatic headlights and wipers – which certainly came in handy on the rainy Napier day.
All versions also get heated front seating, but these seemed to take a while to heat up, before getting way too hot.
The JLX variant features Suzuki’s first 360-degree camera, and the JLX AWD also sports Suzuki’s AllGrip 4-mode driving dial, allowing drivers to switch easily between different driving modes and improve fuel economy.
Suzuki claims a fuel efficiency of 6.6 litres per 100km for the 2WD variants and 6.9 litres per 100km for the AWD. It was certainly easy to keep things under 10-L/100, even with some acceleration testing. For everyday use on urban roads, you’d certainly be able to keep things efficient.
In terms of safety, the S-Cross gets quite a large upgrade. Suzuki claims the car has more safety features than some of its competition, with adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, collision warnings and mitigation, parking sensors, lane departure and weaving warnings, AEB, rear cross traffic alert, and a speed limiter.
The S-Cross aims to be more refined than the Vitara, which is targeted towards those with a more active lifestyle. The boot capacity is 430 to 440-litres, with a false floor that allows for more space, compared to 375-litres for the Vitara.
All variants are carbon neutral, meaning no discount, but you won’t be slapped with a fee either. Prices start at $35,990 for the JX 2WD, and go up to $40,990 for the JLX AWD, which seems a little steep.
While the S-Cross is only available in petrol drivetrains at current, Suzuki has said that a mild-hybrid does exist in Europe. But this isn’t confirmed for NZ.
The cars are set to arrive in mid-August.
