The firstborn of a partnership between Suzuki and Toyota announced last month has arrived in the shape of the Suzuki Across hybrid SUV. The partnership was agreed so that the two companies could share Toyota’s plug-in hybrid tech and Suzuki’s production facilities.
Most punters don’t care about that sort of stuff though, but they may be interested in the Across SUV if it does indeed turn out to be an alternatively badged Toyota RAV4 with some pounds knocked off the price. Time will tell – the prices haven’t been announced yet – but we’d be amazed if that’s not the case.
The Across will go on sale towards the end of this year, although because it uses the more powerful of the RAV4’s two available hybrid setups, it’s unlikely to undercut the RAV4’s base price. Rather, it’ll give buyers access to the more powerful 2.5-litre setup for a lower price.
Very little effort has been made on Suzuki’s part to alter the styling of the RAV4; the Across really is an exercise in badge engineering, presumably because fundamental cosmetic changes would require significant cost to develop and tool up at the factory. As it is, the Across has very slightly altered rear bumpers, differently shaped LED daytime running lights and a bit of work behind the glass of the taillights.
The wheels are different too, unique to Suzuki, as is the colour palette, which comprises six including shades of red, blue, white, grey, silver and black.
The Across will be followed up by a hybrid hatchback based on the Toyota Corolla, which is likely to get the very same re-badging treatment and little else.
If it’s not ultimately cheaper on paper, the Suzuki Across will certainly major on equipment as compared to the RAV4. We know that it’ll come with nine-inch touchscreen infotainment, smartphone mirroring, dual zone climate control, cruise control and four-wheel drive as standard.
In the RAV4 the 2.5-litre hybrid setup mates an Atkinson cycle petrol engine with 173bhp with two electric motors – one of them on the rear axle and the other on the front. Power for the electric motors is 54bhp and 180bhp respectively, with total output 302bhp and, of course, four-wheel drive.
It’s not clear whether the Suzuki will have this output, but that would make the car by some distance the most powerful thing in a Suzuki showroom, so there’s a good chance it’ll be down-tuned slightly. That will make it easier for Toyota to swallow a cheaper version of its car being in existence.
Suzuki claims a 22g/km CO2 rating (less than the Toyota’s), with a zero-emissions mode one of four available; at 18kWh the battery pack is large enough to sustain around 45 miles of electric-only driving at speeds up to 84mph. There are also modes that combine both drive types, as well as the facility to driving using only the petrol motor. The four-wheel drive system can send up to 100% of the power to the front axle, and up to 80% the rear, using electronic torque distribution.
With the RAV4 2.5-litre range starting at a shade under £30,000 it’s likely that the Suzuki version will be a couple of grand cheaper. We’ll let you know.
Keyword: New Suzuki Across is a bargain Toyota hybrid 4x4...probably