REVIEW: Suzuki SX4 S-Cross very first drive – roaring towards us from the rising sun
Maybe the secret of the SX4 S-Cross is exposed in the engine’s name – Boosterjet. It churns out 111bhp at Five,500 rpm and only one hundred thirteen g/km of CO pops from the end of the harass.
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- 07:57, ten APR 2017
- Updated 16:07, seven MAY 2017
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When the Japanese car industry was embryonic, it kept itself busy manufacturing designs from the west.
Datson (as it then was, literally son of Dat) manufactured an Austin Seven copy. But there’s no shame in that, BMW did exactly the same in Germany.
Sadly, these car makes kept on developing while those in England stagnated to such an extent they all-but disappeared, at least from British ownership. Some blame the unions but the principal culprit was chronic underinvestment.
Either way Datsun, now Nissan, wields Europe’s most efficient car plant right here in the UK while the thickest British motoring icon, the Mini, belongs to BMW. Ironic, as the Mini was originally marketed in one thousand nine hundred fifty nine as both the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Seven.
The Japanese engineers were hard at work while we basked in our shrinking glory. They had already created some awesome motorbikes and then Daihatsu (actually the very first Japanese brand imported into the UK, most people think it was Toyota) hit us in the 80s with the one litre, three-cylinder petrol engine in its GTti supermini hatchback.
British reviewers, and a smallish number of buyers, were fascinated by its lion-hearted roar, the decibel-laced indication that here was something a bit special. By the standard of the day it flew.
That three cylinder format has stood the test of time, most likely far better than the car that brought it to us. Major manufacturers are keen to use it and so too is Suzuki.
Earlier we tested a Suzuki SX4 in its original form with a much beefier motor, so when we very first spotted the engine size of the latest S-Cross, we thought its one litre three-cylinders might be dazed by the physical size of the car. However, this crossover SUV proved us wrong.
Maybe the secret of the SX4 S-Cross is exposed in the engine’s name – Boosterjet. It churns out 111bhp at Five,500 rpm and only one hundred thirteen g/km of CO pops from the end of the harass.
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Not only did it perform well but also it showcased that the power to weight ratio must be about right as it averaged 48.6 mpg on a diet of unleaded.
In a world where diesel cars are being ostracised and may face punitive taxes later this year the antipathy to diesel is palpable.
Fresh tax solution
Perhaps its 48.6 mpg will cheer up drivers who, instead of getting zero road tax in the very first year and £30 a year bills thereafter now face a very first year tax bill of £160 and ongoing renewals at £140.
The fresh on the road list price is £Nineteen,749 after the switches – but Suzuki’s cunning plan is to suggest three years’ extra tax back as an upfront discount which the buyer can then use to fund the higher tax.
The SX4 S-Cross has just undergone a facelift. It’s difficult to tell if that’s a good thing or not. We think the toothy-looking chromed front grille could do with revision already. It just looks too much. Suzuki is no more guilty than many other makers who adorn their cars with massive grilles but a little more discretion would be nice. It’s a cyclical thing and as soon as one maker is courageous enough to shrink a grille all the others will go after.
With its equipment list and price, it would emerge that the SX4 S-Cross is a range-topping model but in fact it’s only 2nd up from the bottom. If you indeed want to splash the cash you could mitt over more than £25,000 and get a diesel-powered model with even higher trim standards and all-wheel drive, too.
But most buyers will be content to with the SZ-T trim of the test car as it has more than enough to keep everyone entertained. More importantly, it has sufficient space to give its occupants lounging room. There was also more headroom than most people need, providing the lie to the theory that smaller cars are cramped.
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The rail quality and seating ironed out the bumps far more efficiently than might be expected of a smallish car.
The SUV styling also delivered usable boot space, an extraordinaire four hundred thirty litres with the seats in place and eight hundred seventy five litres with them folded, the latter figure maybe not as good as some rivals but it was at least sensibly shaped.