Suzuki in southern Africa hasn’t put a foot wrong in many years, but is this new Across a few steps too far for this brand?
You should know: By “a few steps too far” I meant the following. Firstly, our market is already bursting with this type of car. At last count, a couple of weeks ago, I ended with about 130 different SUV’s and crossovers which you can choose from in southern Africa. Did we really need another one? Really?
Secondly, with a good selection of sensible crossovers on offer, most of which have great value-focussed trim lines, did the brand actually need another one? Surely this will cannibalise Fronx and Vitara sales too? Although I’ll be the first to admit that this brand-new Across feels a bit more refined and grown up than those two stable mates.
More info: The third issue I found is a proper double-edged sword. Suzuki, being a budget brand, has stuck to affordable naturally-aspirated petrol engines, which also adds to their longevity and ease of maintenance, but they took some flak from self-righteous buyers demanding more modern means of propulsion.
Why you shouldn’t: So what this rounded 5-seater introduces to our market is Suzuki’s new mild hybrid system, although it has to be said that this is an extremely mild (12-volt) hybrid setup. More Lemon & Herb than Peri Peri. The resulting 76kW and 137Nm are hardly enough to properly propel this 1,250kg family hauler around.
Suzuki has no performance claims and our best 0-100km/h sprint time was a pedestrian 13.6 seconds. To put that into perspective, that lands this new Across 1.5 in the bottom tenth of our 600+ acceleration tests, and at any traffic light grands prix it will be sandwiched between 1L budget hatchbacks, 1.2L soft-roaders, and noisy old Isuzu bakkies.
What else: However, the upside of this demure motorisation is an pretty smooth drive (at least in this automatic model) and claimed average fuel use of just 5.3L/100km from the 45L tank. As can be expected, our real-life average was exactly two litres higher – at 7.3L/100km – but that is still mighty impressive by today’s standards.
Why you should: Everyone thought the Across was pleasing to look at and even more pleasant to sit in. Passenger comfort and space was good and the new(er) infotainment system was most welcome in a new local Suzuki. Better yet, it’s got a physical volume knob, excellent climate controls and plenty of that versatility we’ve come to expect from the big shiny S.
Conclusion: If power and performance are your things, oh Heavens above, please keep moving. But I have it on good authority that most people don’t permanently crave it, or happily trade it for better fuel efficiency on their daily commute. And that, together with good levels of refinement, is exactly what this new Across delivers.
FULL SPEC LIST
| Engine: | 1,462cc in-line 4-cylinder petrol hybrid |
| Transmission: | 6-speed Automatic, FWD |
| Max. Power: | 76kW @ 6,000rpm |
| Max. Torque: | 137Nm @ 4,400rpm |
| Avg. cons.: | 7.3L/100km (claimed 5.3L/100km) |
| 0-100km/h: | 13.59 seconds (no claim) |
| Top Speed: | No claim |
| List Price: | R 372,900 |
