# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect, but wholeheartedly good value for money

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect, but wholeheartedly good value for money

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect, but wholeheartedly good value for money

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect, but wholeheartedly good value for money

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.description[]
A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content[]
"description":"A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content[]
but wholeheartedly good value for money"

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.value
Suzukis have a rare knack of feeling astutely engineered whatever their price. Rather more effort than was strictly necessary was poured into making the latest Swift lightweight and deft to drive, and so seems to be the case with the latest S-Cross.

It weighs a maximum of 1,330kg (in 4WD auto trim) making it lighter than the bulk of its rivals, something that’s tangible right from the off. It reacts sharply, handles neatly and boasts wonderfully transparent steering. It gets dangerously close to being fun on a decent stretch of road. The ride is more supple than the crossover norm, too, no doubt helped by 17in wheels that look modest in size in perhaps the most vain of all the market segments.

And what of its hybrid powertrain?

It’s got a lot of pep to it, and you’ll have to be especially lazy with your gearchanges to catch it napping. The electrification is very subtle indeed, simply smoothing out the stop/start process in traffic and helping fill the gap of the 1.4’s turbo lag.

A good job it does of both, too, for this is as quick and keen as you really need a family SUV to be. Its performance figures may look tame on paper, but it potters along nicely in reality.

Manual or automatic?

We’d stick with the former – It shifts slickly and feels like it’s been geared for life on British roads, its ratios spaced out neatly to keep the car on the boil on bumpy backroads before letting it settle at a mite over 2,000rpm during motorway cruising. There’s that astute engineering again.

But the auto is smooth enough too, if a little too keen to kickdown. You’ll ask for a little acceleration down a slip road but sometimes get a lot. It’s only a bugbear because the 1.4 turbo is so keen to rev and will buzz right towards its redline at first opportunity when the gearbox gets itself excited. But soften your inputs and this ought not be too much of an issue. A big pair of paddleshifters are standard fit, should you wish to take manual control.

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.processed
Suzukis have a rare knack of feeling astutely engineered whatever their price. Rather more effort than was strictly necessary was poured into making the latest Swift lightweight and deft to drive, and so seems to be the case with the latest S-Cross.

It weighs a maximum of 1,330kg (in 4WD auto trim) making it lighter than the bulk of its rivals, something that’s tangible right from the off. It reacts sharply, handles neatly and boasts wonderfully transparent steering. It gets dangerously close to being fun on a decent stretch of road. The ride is more supple than the crossover norm, too, no doubt helped by 17in wheels that look modest in size in perhaps the most vain of all the market segments.

And what of its hybrid powertrain?

It’s got a lot of pep to it, and you’ll have to be especially lazy with your gearchanges to catch it napping. The electrification is very subtle indeed, simply smoothing out the stop/start process in traffic and helping fill the gap of the 1.4’s turbo lag.

A good job it does of both, too, for this is as quick and keen as you really need a family SUV to be. Its performance figures may look tame on paper, but it potters along nicely in reality.

Manual or automatic?

We’d stick with the former – It shifts slickly and feels like it’s been geared for life on British roads, its ratios spaced out neatly to keep the car on the boil on bumpy backroads before letting it settle at a mite over 2,000rpm during motorway cruising. There’s that astute engineering again.

But the auto is smooth enough too, if a little too keen to kickdown. You’ll ask for a little acceleration down a slip road but sometimes get a lot. It’s only a bugbear because the 1.4 turbo is so keen to rev and will buzz right towards its redline at first opportunity when the gearbox gets itself excited. But soften your inputs and this ought not be too much of an issue. A big pair of paddleshifters are standard fit, should you wish to take manual control.

# data.attributes.field_cars_editor_title
Suzuki S-Cross review: sensible hybrid SUV gets a jazzy reboot

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.value
We’ll start with the fundamentals. The ergonomics are delightfully simple, with good old physical climate controls and a manual handbrake among the highlights. The boot is decent in size, if not class leading (with 430 litres of capacity), while there’s plenty leg and headroom for adults sat in the back. Though limited headroom, at least if you’ve gone top spec and gained the panoramic folding roof. Perhaps the base car will finagle another inch or two for those over six foot.

Visibility is top notch; for all the S-Cross’s bold new look, its glasshouse hasn’t been nibbled away by wanton design frivolity. And if you’ve gone top spec, the 360-degree parking system – Suzuki’s first, no less – works at least as well (and perhaps even more intuitively) than those found in pricier rivals. It seems to suffer no lag whatsoever and each time you get in and prod the starter buton, there’s a swish ‘walkaround’ animation on the touchscreen to show any obstacles or bollards you might have parked unwittingly close to.

Is there a ‘but’ coming?

‘Value’ is the S-Cross’s big sell, and ‘value’ is a word that springs to the fore inside. For while the cabin is jam-packed with tech and equipment – and the fundamentals are absolutely nailed – there are pernickety details where it feels a wee step behind the eleventy thousand other crossovers you could be buying. It’s the slightly wacky array of fonts and sporadic upper and lower case used across its various display screens. The lack of USB ports and air vents for rear passengers. The slightly flat seats all round.

And while standard safety kit is impressive and better than almost all its rivals (blind spot, rear cross traffic, lane departure and forward collision warning systems are all fitted, as well as traffic sign recognition) the execution isn’t always with sophistication. The lane departure buzz is barely more noticeable than the thump of the cats’ eyes you’re likely crossing, while the traffic sign alert has a habit of obscuring the digital speedometer right at the moment its readout is most useful.

All told, though, it operates right at the level you’d hope for a car whose top spec pricing nibbles away at the lower rungs of its rivals. Equipment has perhaps taken precedence over perceived quality, but that’s no disaster in what’s likely to be heroically sensible family transport.

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.processed
We’ll start with the fundamentals. The ergonomics are delightfully simple, with good old physical climate controls and a manual handbrake among the highlights. The boot is decent in size, if not class leading (with 430 litres of capacity), while there’s plenty leg and headroom for adults sat in the back. Though limited headroom, at least if you’ve gone top spec and gained the panoramic folding roof. Perhaps the base car will finagle another inch or two for those over six foot.

Visibility is top notch; for all the S-Cross’s bold new look, its glasshouse hasn’t been nibbled away by wanton design frivolity. And if you’ve gone top spec, the 360-degree parking system – Suzuki’s first, no less – works at least as well (and perhaps even more intuitively) than those found in pricier rivals. It seems to suffer no lag whatsoever and each time you get in and prod the starter buton, there’s a swish ‘walkaround’ animation on the touchscreen to show any obstacles or bollards you might have parked unwittingly close to.

Is there a ‘but’ coming?

‘Value’ is the S-Cross’s big sell, and ‘value’ is a word that springs to the fore inside. For while the cabin is jam-packed with tech and equipment – and the fundamentals are absolutely nailed – there are pernickety details where it feels a wee step behind the eleventy thousand other crossovers you could be buying. It’s the slightly wacky array of fonts and sporadic upper and lower case used across its various display screens. The lack of USB ports and air vents for rear passengers. The slightly flat seats all round.

And while standard safety kit is impressive and better than almost all its rivals (blind spot, rear cross traffic, lane departure and forward collision warning systems are all fitted, as well as traffic sign recognition) the execution isn’t always with sophistication. The lane departure buzz is barely more noticeable than the thump of the cats’ eyes you’re likely crossing, while the traffic sign alert has a habit of obscuring the digital speedometer right at the moment its readout is most useful.

All told, though, it operates right at the level you’d hope for a car whose top spec pricing nibbles away at the lower rungs of its rivals. Equipment has perhaps taken precedence over perceived quality, but that’s no disaster in what’s likely to be heroically sensible family transport.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.value
This is the S-Cross’s strong suit. However neatly judged its dynamics or prosaically trimmed its interior, the big draw of a Suzuki is its price and buying experience. Spend £25k on a Nissan Qashqai and it has steel wheels lurking behind the kind of plastic trims last seen resting at the side of a challenging multi-storey kerb, not to mention a dingy radio without a semblance of a screen to mirror your phone.

The S-Cross arrives with just two options boxes left to tick – colour (£550 if you want anything other than Washing Machine White) and gearbox (a six-speed manual is standard, a six-speed automatic a £1,350 option that 40 per cent of buyers will go for).

Which of the two specs do I want?

Unless you absolutely need four-wheel drive, we’d be tempted to stick with the base Motion spec. The car is lighter, simpler and greener with front-wheel drive, and the most tangible thing you’ll miss out on beyond the Ultra’s 4WD is its big sunroof, which we suspect eats into rear passenger headroom anyway. CarPlay and a load of safety stuff is standard across the range, and you can have the auto box with either trim level. Suzuki expects two-thirds of buyers to go for the base FWD manual, and we’d advise you save £5k by following the herd.

A fully hybrid S-Cross will come in 2022, but for now you’ve just a mild-hybrid 1.4 petrol on offer. Suzuki wants to cut the jargon when it comes to hybrid tech, and merely sell each car it makes on how it’ll affect buyers’ lives. So it’s calculated that the car will save you around £20 a month on fuel compared to a Qashqai, Tucson or suchlike (if you’re achieving the base car’s full 53mpg and covering 12,000 miles a year, anyhoo).

Suzuki’s also proud to shout about being rated the UK’s most trustworthy car seller, at least according to the very stoic-sounding Institute of Customer Service. It ranks behind John Lewis and First Direct as the third most trusted company in Britain overall, the next automotive entry being Dacia in 29th.

And if you don’t really believe in surveys (who truly has time to fill them out properly, after all?) then know that if you buy an S-Cross from a Suzuki dealer, you’ll have a 14-day period to change your mind and return the car for a full refund, like buying a top from ASOS before realising it hugs your biscuit belly too tightly.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.processed
This is the S-Cross’s strong suit. However neatly judged its dynamics or prosaically trimmed its interior, the big draw of a Suzuki is its price and buying experience. Spend £25k on a Nissan Qashqai and it has steel wheels lurking behind the kind of plastic trims last seen resting at the side of a challenging multi-storey kerb, not to mention a dingy radio without a semblance of a screen to mirror your phone.

The S-Cross arrives with just two options boxes left to tick – colour (£550 if you want anything other than Washing Machine White) and gearbox (a six-speed manual is standard, a six-speed automatic a £1,350 option that 40 per cent of buyers will go for).

Which of the two specs do I want?

Unless you absolutely need four-wheel drive, we’d be tempted to stick with the base Motion spec. The car is lighter, simpler and greener with front-wheel drive, and the most tangible thing you’ll miss out on beyond the Ultra’s 4WD is its big sunroof, which we suspect eats into rear passenger headroom anyway. CarPlay and a load of safety stuff is standard across the range, and you can have the auto box with either trim level. Suzuki expects two-thirds of buyers to go for the base FWD manual, and we’d advise you save £5k by following the herd.

A fully hybrid S-Cross will come in 2022, but for now you’ve just a mild-hybrid 1.4 petrol on offer. Suzuki wants to cut the jargon when it comes to hybrid tech, and merely sell each car it makes on how it’ll affect buyers’ lives. So it’s calculated that the car will save you around £20 a month on fuel compared to a Qashqai, Tucson or suchlike (if you’re achieving the base car’s full 53mpg and covering 12,000 miles a year, anyhoo).

Suzuki’s also proud to shout about being rated the UK’s most trustworthy car seller, at least according to the very stoic-sounding Institute of Customer Service. It ranks behind John Lewis and First Direct as the third most trusted company in Britain overall, the next automotive entry being Dacia in 29th.

And if you don’t really believe in surveys (who truly has time to fill them out properly, after all?) then know that if you buy an S-Cross from a Suzuki dealer, you’ll have a 14-day period to change your mind and return the car for a full refund, like buying a top from ASOS before realising it hugs your biscuit belly too tightly.

# data.attributes.field_cars_stand_first
A small SUV that's always prioritised sense above all else gets a knowingly bolder look

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.value
The Suzuki S-Cross is not a car you’d ever love. But if you’re dishing out £25,000 (or 200-odd quid a month) on a small SUV, you’re probably not looking for a mechanised new family member anyway.

It offers a helluva lot of equipment for a price roughly equivalent to the base spec of its key rivals, while serving up stuff many of its foes don’t – the combination of a manual gearbox and 4WD transmission among them.

Its hybrid element is thus far small, but the performance lent to the S-Cross by its sliver of electrification is laudable. This is a crossover that’s brisk, deft to drive and should be a doddle to live with. It may prove hard to love, but it’ll be even tougher to vehemently criticise.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.processed
The Suzuki S-Cross is not a car you’d ever love. But if you’re dishing out £25,000 (or 200-odd quid a month) on a small SUV, you’re probably not looking for a mechanised new family member anyway.

It offers a helluva lot of equipment for a price roughly equivalent to the base spec of its key rivals, while serving up stuff many of its foes don’t – the combination of a manual gearbox and 4WD transmission among them.

Its hybrid element is thus far small, but the performance lent to the S-Cross by its sliver of electrification is laudable. This is a crossover that’s brisk, deft to drive and should be a doddle to live with. It may prove hard to love, but it’ll be even tougher to vehemently criticise.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_against
The interior is short on quality detailing

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_for
Drives deftly, comes loaded with with equipment

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_text
Sensible SUV lets a little style into the mix. Not perfect, but wholeheartedly good value for money

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.value
The outgoing Suzuki SX4 S-Cross wasn’t a car imbued with much drama or excitement. It launched looking suspiciously like a MkI Qashqai, offering a similar bunch of skills but costing the kind of money new that the Nissan commanded on the used market. It was a sensible buy above literally everything else.

But lasting over eight years on sale – longer than the usual five- or six-year lifespan typical across the industry – it clearly did a solid job for Suzuki. Nevertheless, the new one is here and looks more beguiling.

It ain’t pretty, but which crossover is? Rivals like the Peugeot 3008 and Hyundai Tucson have proved a bit of aesthetic bravado can go far in such a crowded segment. The latest S-Cross isn’t quite in their league, but for once it might warrant a second glance as you stroll past. In the words of Suzuki itself, the car "now looks right".

What’s new beyond the styling?

Actually, not a huge amount. Suzuki’s kept the recipe intact, offering the new S-Cross with the same mild-hybrid powertrain as the outgoing one.

It sees a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine (which Suzuki calls ‘Boosterjet’, making us think it was named by a toddler on bring your child to work day) with 128bhp/173lb ft peaks driving either the front or all four wheels, depending on spec.

The hybrid bit is extremely mild; it’s the same 48V architecture as the latest Swift Sport and doesn’t allow for any emission-free running or suchlike. It apparently papers over the Boosterjet’s low-down turbo lag while smoothing out the stop/start function in traffic. A full hybrid will follow in time.

Suzuki claims 53.2mpg and 120g/km of CO2 emissions for the S-Cross as a base FWD manual, with those figures respectively dipping and rising as you add an automatic gearbox or 4x4 transmission. Though claiming 46.3mpg and 139g/km in its most decadent trim, the S-Cross shouldn’t attract the ire of Extinction Rebellion too abruptly. Not least because with its 9.5secs 0-62mph time and 118mph top speed, performance is best described as ‘tame’. At least on paper.

So I only have one engine to choose from?

Yep, and just two specs as well. They’re called Motion and Ultra, and the latter is basically your only way to snare four-wheel drive. The Motion costs £24,995 and comes with very few blanked-off switches. There’s 17in alloys, heated front seats, a 7.0in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a whole bunch of active safety systems all as standard. The only options boxes you can tick are for metallic paint (£550) or the auto box (£1,350).

If you want 4WD, you need to go for the S-Cross Ultra, which costs £29,799 and as well as a driven rear axle, adds another two inches to the touchscreen, a 360-degree parking camera (which works very well indeed), part leather seats and a ginormous panoramic sunroof.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.processed
The outgoing Suzuki SX4 S-Cross wasn’t a car imbued with much drama or excitement. It launched looking suspiciously like a MkI Qashqai, offering a similar bunch of skills but costing the kind of money new that the Nissan commanded on the used market. It was a sensible buy above literally everything else.

But lasting over eight years on sale – longer than the usual five- or six-year lifespan typical across the industry – it clearly did a solid job for Suzuki. Nevertheless, the new one is here and looks more beguiling.

It ain’t pretty, but which crossover is? Rivals like the Peugeot 3008 and Hyundai Tucson have proved a bit of aesthetic bravado can go far in such a crowded segment. The latest S-Cross isn’t quite in their league, but for once it might warrant a second glance as you stroll past. In the words of Suzuki itself, the car "now looks right".

What’s new beyond the styling?

Actually, not a huge amount. Suzuki’s kept the recipe intact, offering the new S-Cross with the same mild-hybrid powertrain as the outgoing one.

It sees a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine (which Suzuki calls ‘Boosterjet’, making us think it was named by a toddler on bring your child to work day) with 128bhp/173lb ft peaks driving either the front or all four wheels, depending on spec.

The hybrid bit is extremely mild; it’s the same 48V architecture as the latest Swift Sport and doesn’t allow for any emission-free running or suchlike. It apparently papers over the Boosterjet’s low-down turbo lag while smoothing out the stop/start function in traffic. A full hybrid will follow in time.

Suzuki claims 53.2mpg and 120g/km of CO2 emissions for the S-Cross as a base FWD manual, with those figures respectively dipping and rising as you add an automatic gearbox or 4x4 transmission. Though claiming 46.3mpg and 139g/km in its most decadent trim, the S-Cross shouldn’t attract the ire of Extinction Rebellion too abruptly. Not least because with its 9.5secs 0-62mph time and 118mph top speed, performance is best described as ‘tame’. At least on paper.

So I only have one engine to choose from?

Yep, and just two specs as well. They’re called Motion and Ultra, and the latter is basically your only way to snare four-wheel drive. The Motion costs £24,995 and comes with very few blanked-off switches. There’s 17in alloys, heated front seats, a 7.0in touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a whole bunch of active safety systems all as standard. The only options boxes you can tick are for metallic paint (£550) or the auto box (£1,350).

If you want 4WD, you need to go for the S-Cross Ultra, which costs £29,799 and as well as a driven rear axle, adds another two inches to the touchscreen, a 360-degree parking camera (which works very well indeed), part leather seats and a ginormous panoramic sunroof.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_we_say
A car that used to be purely sensible now lets some style into the mix. Not perfect, but wholeheartedly good value for money