Suzuki Across drive by Steve Rogers
Having
friends in high places has come in handy for Suzuki particularly when the buddy
is one of the world’s biggest car companies.
The
Japanese company has only a modest chunk of the UK market even though it has a reliability
record that is the envy of big name rivals.
The
funky Ignis and evergreen Swift have quite a following but the range lacked a
big SUV so it looked to partner Toyota who said help yourself to our RAV4.
Enter Across.
Across
is starting its fourth year and still confuses people who can’t decide what it
is, mainly because it does not look like a Suzuki. The body is 99 per cent
RAV4, the only difference is a Suzuki grille which makes the front snazzier
than the Toyota.
Unlike Rav4 the Across is a single model; an
all wheel drive plug-in hybrid which is astonishingly economic, putting some
rivals to shame. My best return was 74.3mpg and a look through the computer
economy stats showed it was often up around 60mpg so expect to regularly return
50mpg, heaps ahead of the official figure.
The downside is a price tag closing in on 50
grand. A two wheel drive hybrid Rav4 comes in under 40k. That said you get a
lot for your bucks which we will come to later.
Suzuki was fortunate to inherit a car that
was bang on point from the start but there has been a significant update for
2024 with the output for the on board AC charger doubled to 6kW slashing the
charging time from a home charger from five and a half hours to 2h 45mins.
That gives Across an electric only range of
46 miles, one of the best around, so if journeys are short you can stay away
from the petrol pumps and may be get close to the claimed 282mpg max.
You can also enjoy some fiery performance
thanks to two electric motors, one on each axle, significantly boosting the
182bhp petrol engine. Maximum output is a commendable 302bhp so foot to the
floor will have you at sixty in a swift six seconds, quicker than most rivals.
Too much of that obviously defeats the object of keeping running costs low.
This is a big family car, a full five seater
with plenty of leg, head and shoulder room and a big boot. All the kit for the
plug-in hybrid cuts into boot space but there is still plenty of room for the
family luggage. Disappointing that there are no boot wall levers to drop the
split back seats, but you do get a powered tailgate with a kick opening option
when hands are full.
Across has a more than generous spec list so
expect the usual niceties like full leather, heated front seats, powered
driver's seat (but no memory function) heated steering wheel, all round LED and
auto dipping headlights, and keyless entry.
The one significant omission is on board
navigation - it was not part of the Toyota package, but there is a new, larger
10.25in central touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so navigation
apps can be paired to the screen. And the USB ports have been upgraded to type
C making them compatible with a wider range of mobiles.
The list of safety features is even more
impressive and includes my essential cross traffic alert which is a real boon
when reversing in a busy car park, especially supermarkets where some drivers
treat the lanes as race tracks.
I tend not to dwell on the handling qualities
of SUVs, it is not that important. Across has a fairly hard ride, common with
all wheel drive cars, so expect to feel a few bumps, and when pushed it rolls a
bit in corners, but generally this is a safe, comfortable family car that is
perfect for long motorway journeys.
This is the most crowded sector of the car
market but, with the help of Toyota, Suzuki is one of the best when it comes to
economy, quality, reliability and low running costs. That said it is outgunned
by the exceptional new Honda CR-V reviewed here in December. Good job it is
more expensive than Across.
Fast facts
Across E-Four E-CVT
£48,729
2.5 litre PHEV; 302bhp
0-62mph 6secs; 112mph
EV range 46 miles
42.9mpg combined
22g/km. First tax: Zero
Insurance group 39
Boot: 490-1168 litres
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