Our cars Long distance champion? An increasingly packed schedule allows us to assess the S-Cross as a motorway cruiser.
Sean Keywood
Based on my diary, the automotive world seems to be very much back to business as usual following the Covid-19 pandemic. Certainly, over the past couple of months, I have been on more trips to car launches, conferences and in-person interviews than at any point since March 2020. So, what sort of companion is the S-Cross for the sorts of long-range journeys often needed to get to these appointments?
Well, the number one feature I look for in a car for motorway use these days is adaptive cruise control, and in the S-Cross this is present and correct – in fact it’s standard equipment throughout the range, not just on our top-spec Ultra test car, which is impressive. Opinions on these systems can differ, but personally I’m a big fan of the way they automatically adjust
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 47.4mpg Mileage 2,931
to the speed of traffic in front, meaning there’s no need to constantly disengage and reengage the system when caught behind slower vehicles. There are a couple of niggles with the S-Cross’s system though. I find it a bit annoying that it resets to the middle of three available following distances every time the car is started, meaning I have to repeatedly reselect my preferred close-following option (note that this still doesn’t follow that closely – I’m not some sort of tailgating maniac). Also, the system doesn’t operate at speeds below 25mph, making it no good in stop- start motorway traffic, which is the sort of situation where I’ve previously found this technology most useful in other test cars. And even if speeds stay above 25, with our manual S-Cross there’s obviously still a need to change gears down from cruising in sixth at a certain point when encountering slower traffic – it’s not quite as advantageous as with an auto (which is available for £1,350 as an optional extra). Another important feature on a motorway is good smartphone connectivity, allowing me to enjoy my choice of music and podcasts easily to help pass the time while travelling, and the S-Cross makes this easy with Apple Carplay connectivity (Android Auto is also included for those who need
“Another important feature on a motorway is good
smartphone connectivity, allowing me to enjoy my choice of music and podcasts easily to help pass the time.”
WEBSITE Please visit
www.businesscar.co.uk/tests/long-term-test/ for previous reports on our fleet
it). Now, you might be thinking that’s nothing special as the vast majority of cars come with Carplay these days, and that is true. However, in practice some cars integrate it more seamlessly than others, and I’ve found with other test cars you often have to unlock your phone after plugging in before it’ll work, which is annoying and sometimes unpredictable. With the S-Cross however, the system is faultless – just plug the phone in and it fires up seamlessly every time with no extra faffing around ever needed. With our Ultra grade test car, this system also works wirelessly if you want it to – plugging in is purely my personal preference. As for overall comfort, the S-Cross performs reasonably well. It’s no limo, but ride quality is decent, as is the comfort offered by the leather seats to go along with their high-end appearance. Not forgetting the dual-zone climate control, which thankfully, with easy-to- use physical knobs and buttons, is also a welcome feature.
Why we’re running it
To see if Suzuki’s four-wheel drive heritage make the S-Cross a good SUV choice.
www.businesscar.co.uk | May 2022 | 45
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