Suzuki S-Cross 2017 Review

Suzuki S-Cross Turbo Prestige
Road Test

It’s only when you sit down and go through the list of small SUVs on offer to Aussie new car buyers that the challenge facing the Suzuki S-Cross can truly be appreciated.

Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, Nissan Juke and Qashqai, Subaru XV, Ford Ecosport, Holden Trax, Renault Captur, Skoda Yeti… the list goes on and on and on. So much competition, so many rivals.

Judging by sales, the battle for Suzuki isn’t to get potential buyers into the dealership – it’s to get the S-Cross on the shopping list in the first place.

Well, with the update, Suzuki is certainly rolling up its sleeves and having a decent crack at creating some interest.

It has pulled the 86kW/156Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine (sourced from the Swift mini-car) out of the S-Cross and bunged in a much more impressive 103kW/220Nm 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, while at the same time replacing the five-speed manual and CVT transmission choices with a torque converter six-speed automatic (incorporating paddle shifters). It’s the same drivetrain as in the Vitara SUV.

All-wheel drive has also been kicked out, leaving only two front-wheel drive models. Which means the only thing SUV-ish about this car is its raised ride height. Otherwise it’s actually a small hatch. Or crossover in industry lingo.

Exterior styling has been given a revamp, so the S-Cross now looks formally bossy rather than droopily sad, while inside there is a new infotainment system housed in a 7.0-inch touch screen that includes Apple CarPlay (but no Android Auto) standard.

Mostly good so far, especially as the essentially box-like shape has been retained, meaning the significant storage and passenger space remains.

All these worthy improvements have been accompanied by a rather dramatic price repositioning of the standard S-Cross Turbo (previously dubbed GL), which rises in price from $21,990 to $27,990. Yep, $6000 before on-road costs.

Thankfully the sticker shock doesn’t apply to the Turbo Prestige we are testing here, which is $29,990 (before on-road costs - $30,000 drive-away) compared to $27,990 before ORCs previously. That is basically equivalent to the old front-drive S-Cross GLX.

Safety equipment in the Prestige includes seven airbags, brake assist, hill hold assist, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors. Sadly, there is no autonomous emergency braking. The S-Cross gets a five star ANCAP rating, although that is based on the old model with the 1.6-litre engine.

Comfort equipment includes fog lights, privacy glass, electrically folding exterior mirrors, leather covered steering wheel with audio and phone controls, the 7.0-inch screen, cruise control with a speed limiter, power windows, keyless start, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, LED headlights with a levelling function, automatic wipers, automatic headlights, leather accented seats and 17-inch polished alloy wheels.

One piece of equipment that has gone missing is a panoramic sunroof that was formerly part of the top-spec GLX Prestige’s equipment.

There is no doubt the new drivetrain is leaps and bounds ahead of its earnest and pedestrian predecessor. It, boasts a broad torque curve and a versatile auto that gets snappily eager in manual mode, while staying calm when cruising.

Maybe the engine lacks some fizzy character, but most of us would take the real world 6.3L/100km fuel consumption average we achieved over that any time. The claim is 5.9L/00km, 0.1L/100km worse than the old 1.6.

The S-Cross loses some of its gains on the road, where our lumpy, bumpy surfaces tend to challenge the capabilities of the retuned MacPherson strut front and beam axle rear suspension. It’s fine, if a little terse, on smoother stuff but becomes too intrusive on the crags.

There’s a notable lateral motion from the rear, which is a beam axle signature. There’s also tyre noise intrusion on rawer surfaces.

Handling, on 17-inch Continental rubber, is good enough up to the point of moderate cornering enthusiasm. Then the S-Cross kinda gives up the ghost and resorts to stability control intervention and understeer.

Torque steer also intrudes if throttle use and steering angle are excessive. The electric assist steering manages to be light, vacant and uninspiring.

So the S-Cross isn’t a dynamic leader. But it makes up ground around town where its height, large glasshouse and 10.8m turning circle (up from 10.4m previously) make manoeuvring a low-stress occupation. Lower speeds also tend to dull the ride’s sharp edges.

The squared-off shape also ensures it’s a capable load-hauler, accommodating four adults and their luggage. Or to put it another way, split-fold the 60:40 rear seat and it will fit a full-size dual suspension mountain bike with both (29-inch) wheels still bolted in … just.

It also has such niceties as underfloor storage in the decent 430-litre boot, small cubby holes, bins in all four doors, a big open container and centre lidded bin up front, a glove box, single seatback pocket and sunglasses holder. The rear seat doesn’t slide, but it is sizeable and there is enough space back there for a 180cm adult to sit behind another 180cm adult with adequate head, leg and foot room.

Up front, the driver can get comfortable with the help of a reach and rake adjustable steering wheel and sizeable and supportive seating.  Analogue instrumentation is legible, and dashboard presentation and materials quality of the Hungarian-built car are workmanlike.

There are some detail irritations. You can pull the gear shifter straight back into manual mode without realising it, then drive off down the road and wonder why the car is stuck in first gear revving its head off. It would also be nice to have the set speed of the cruise control indicated in the dash.

There is also an underlying sense of lightness – not flimsiness - to this car. The doors ding rather than thunk shut. At 1170kg, its claimed kerb weight is even lighter than notorious gram counter, Mazda’s base model CX-3 Neo. And the Mazda is a shorter, narrower car. So go figure.

Where does all this leave the S-Cross Turbo Prestige?

Well, there’s no doubt it has been improved via this substantial mid-life overhaul.

But it is also unlikely that will trigger some sort of seminal moment among new car buyers that will fundamentally boost its popularity. There are simply too many quality rivals out there.

2017 Suzuki S-Cross Turbo Prestige pricing and specifications:
Price: $29,990 (plus on-road costs) / $30,990 (drive-away)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Outputs: 103kW/220Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 138g/km (ADR combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Also consider:
>> Ford Ecosport (from $20,790)
>> Holden Trax (from $23,990)
>> Nissan Juke (from $23,490)