Our cars
Standard equipment: 17in alloy wheels, aluminium roof rails, LED headlights and DRLs, automatic lights and wipers, electrically folding door mirrors, keyless entry and start, leather seat upholstery, heated front seats, two-position reclining rear seat, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, 9in infotainment touchscreen, satnav, Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, double sliding panoramic sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, 360° camera, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning and prevention, weaving alert, traffic sign recognition.
Options: Metallic paint (£550)
Crossover appeal The latest member of our fleet brings strong SUV pedigree. Sean Keywood
If one was asked to make a list of car brands with a strong heritage in SUVs, dating from before the explosion in road- biased family car models over the past decade or so, it would be easy to come up with the likes of Land Rover and Jeep. But don’t forget about Suzuki. The Japanese manufacturer has been making SUVs since the 1970s, meaning that unlike other manufacturers who have recently jumped on the bandwagon, the brand has a strong heritage in the market, including a big track record in four-wheel drive and therefore proper off-road ability. Top Gear fans may remember a second-hand example being driven across the Amazon
rainforest alongside a Range Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser.
Now, don’t be confused into thinking the S-Cross, the latest member of our long-term fleet, is the brand’s latest full- blown mud plugger – it’s very much of the modern family SUV mould. But unlike many of its contemporaries, the S-Cross – the second generation of the model, introduced earlier this year – does retain four-wheel drive availability, meaning there’s a bit of substance to go with the chunky styling.
One thing Suzuki certainly can’t be accused of is overburdening S-Cross customers with choice. Only one engine is available, a 1.4L, 129hp petrol mild hybrid, and there are only two basic equipment
Why we’re running it
To see if Suzuki’s four-wheel drive heritage make the S-Cross a good SUV choice.
grade and drivetrain combinations – the lower-spec Motion grade comes with front-wheel drive, while the higher-spec Ultra grade specced with our test car gets the aforementioned four-wheel drive system (both also come with a choice of manual or automatic transmission – we have the former).
As well as four-wheel drive, Ultra spec comes with an impressive looking list of standard equipment. Highlights include a 360° camera system, which as well as helping with parking also provides a sweeping look around the vehicle when the ignition is turned on, which while primarily a safety feature also lends a bit of a sense of theatre to proceedings. Other safety systems include blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and prevention, and rear cross traffic alert. Adaptive cruise control is also standard, while the interior benefits from features such as leather seats and a 9in touchscreen. The only notable omission
WEBSITE Please visit
www.businesscar.co.uk/tests/long-term-test/ for previous reports on our fleet
compared with rivals is a digital instrument cluster, though you do get a fun video game-style live mpg bar on the 4.2in LCD info panel as compensation. Metallic paint is the only option specced, and indeed the only one available.
All in all, it seems like the S-Cross will be a good tool to use for my next six months of motoring, and I’m looking forward to it. There is one note of concern, however. While four-wheel drive is an advantage in off-road or low-traction situations, it does normally have a negative effect on fuel consumption – a major concern for fleets at the best of times, and with prices rising daily at the time of writing, now so more than ever. I’ll therefore be very interested to see what sort of real-world mpg figures I record as the miles rack up.
Suzuki S-Cross 1.4 Boosterjet Mild Hybrid Ultra Allgrip
P11D price £29,534 As tested £30,084 Official consumption 47.8mpg Our average consumption N/A Mileage 730
www.businesscar.co.uk | March 2022 | 43
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