The third-generation Suzuki S-Cross SUV has been revealed. It’ll be available to order in the UK from January 2022 priced from £24,999, which puts it in the same ballpark as the Nissan Qashqai.
Buyers have a choice of two specifications, called Motion and Ultra. There’s plenty of standard safety equipment, including front and rear parking sensors, a parking camera and driver-assistance technology such as lane-keep assist, traffic-sign recognition, blindspot monitoring and hill-hold assist.
The new S-Cross’s cabin layout is similar to that of the previous-generation model, with the biggest difference being a new floating infotainment system. Standard equipment for the Motion model includes heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a 4.2-inch driver information display in the centre of the gauge cluster and a seven-inch touchscreen. It also has 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, aluminium roof rails and electrically folding door mirrors.
The range-topping Ultra variant is priced from £29,799 and gets a set of polished 17-inch alloy wheels, a sliding panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree parking camera, a nine-inch infotainment system with built-in sat-nav and leather upholstery.
Both are powered by an updated version of the turbocharged 1.4-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine found in the Vitara, which produces 127bhp and 235Nm of torque. Suzuki says that’s enough for a 0–62mph time of 9.5 seconds and a top speed of 118mph.
More importantly, the powertrain seems to be frugal. Suzuki claims it has a combined WLTP fuel economy figure of 53.2mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 120g/km. It meets the Euro 6d emissions regulations, too, meaning you need not worry about the expanded ULEZ charge.
An interesting quirk of the mild-hybrid system is that the electric motor can be used to keep both the engine spinning when stationary and power the car at up to 10mph, without using any petrol. The motor spins the engine’s crankshaft with the fuel injectors disengaged, which then sends drive through the gearbox to the wheels.
The powertrain comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, although a six-speed automatic can be specified as a £1,350 option. The flagship S-Cross Ultra comes with four- wheel drive as standard, although this lowers fuel economy to 47.8mpg.
The new S-Cross is 4,300mm long, 1,785mm wide and 1,593mm tall, so it’s slightly smaller in every dimension than the latest Qashqai. The Suzuki’s wheelbase measures 2,600mm and the boot can swallow up to 430 litres of luggage with the rear bench in place.
What does the new Suzuki S-Cross have to beat? Click here to read our list of the top 10 best SUVs on sale now…
Keyword: New 2022 Suzuki S-Cross launched with £24,999 price tag