Drivesouth - Best Motor Buys: February 16, 2023

NEW CAR REVIEW
By Ross Kiddie
Suzuki S-Cross JLX
When you think of Suzuki motor
vehicles of all shapes and sizes,
you immediately think of their origin
from Japan.
Well, all models are designed and
engineered in Japan, but Suzuki has
a global manufacturing infrastructure
that sees it source variants from a wide
periphery.
The Suzuki S-Cross is built in Europe,
Hungary to be exact, and I must say it is
all quality and feels just so nice to be in.
The S-Cross has just entered a new
lifecycle, its shape is bolder, sharper and
has a lot more presence on the road. It
has also received interior attention that
makes it completely state-of-the-art,
it is modern fresh and fitted with all of
the character you want when buying a
new-age SUV.
I’ve long been a fan of the S-Cross,
early in its production it arrived with the
1.6-litre engine out of the Swift Sport
and it was a real cracker, I remember
vividly a trip I took in it to Queenstown
to watch an annual Gibbston Valley rock
concert.
In recent years the S-Cross has shared
its four-cylinder engine with others
in the Suzuki line-up, it’s a 1.4-litre
turbocharged unit that first appeared
here in Baleno. This engine is also
noteworthy, it’s a strong unit at 103kW
and 220Nm, but its biggest claim to
fame is that of its economy.
Well that’s no surprise, Suzuki has
long been revered for its ability to
produce feisty, free-revving engines
that also sip fuel in acceptable amounts
in this age where costs to fill up are
forever on everyone’s mind. In part, the
small capacity engines Suzuki build so
very well hark back to the company’s
motor-cycle heritage, gleaning decent
horsepower out of small cylinders.
Even though the S-Cross’ engine
likes to work freely, it doesn’t need to
be hunting towards the top end. One
of the major benefits from today’s
turbocharging technology is the ability
to produce maximum torque from low
in the rev band.
In the S-Cross’ case peak power
is developed at just 5500rpm, while
torque is maximised between 1500
and 4000rpm. These figures mean the
engine doesn’t need to work hard, it is a
sweet unit that is honest and quiet.
Acceleration is ushered in willingly
and swiftly when required (0-1000km/h
in 8.8sec) but such is the sultry way the
turbo boost arrives it’s hard to tell there
is forced induction.
Drive is channelled through a
traditional six-speed automatic
transmission, if you want to be involved
in the gearing process there is a paddleshift
sequential system.
There are also variable drive modes,
there are no surprises here, they are
snow, normal and sport, the latter livens
throttle response considerably.
In terms of fuel use, the Suzuki claims
6.2-litre per 100km on a combined cycle
average, which was very close to the
7l/100km figure showing constantly
on the trip computer. At 100km/h the
engine turns over slowly at 1750rpm
in sixth gear providing a 5l/100km
instantaneous return.
The evaluation car was what Suzuki
describes as an All-Grip variant, it tops
the line-up at $41,990. Put simply, that
means drive is carried to all four-wheels,
normally it’s the front wheels that do
the work, power sent rearwards when
traction up front is compromised.
The spring and damper rates are such
Price: Suzuki S-Cross JLX, $41,990
Dimensions: Length, 4300mm;
width, 1785mm; height, 1585mm
Configuration: Four-cylinder,
front-wheel-drive, 1373cc, 103kW,
220Nm, six-speed automatic
Performance: 0-100km/h, 8.8sec
Fuel Usage: 6.2l/100km
that the suspension is firm enough to
keep the tyres in constant contact with
the surface when undulations off-road
are presented, yet there is a good
compliance when comfort is required
on a long on-road journey.
I covered more distance in the
S-Cross that I had intended, showing
up to 280km on the odometer when I
returned it to the dealership. Most of
that was on highway travel and I felt
fresh and relaxed after a long inland
journey.
When spending a lot of time inside
the car you become quite familiar
with the layout of the controls and the
specification built into the vehicle. I can
report the S-Cross wants for nothing,
it gets all the modern kit for comfort,
convenience and safety.
Suzuki builds cars for the masses
and it sells well here. I’m sure with its
dramatic new looks it will continue to
lure those who want something just
that little bit different from their SUV.
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