What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

whatcar.com August 2020 21

FIRST DRIVE

Dashboardshowsitsagewithddly,low-resinfotainment

Suzuki SX4 S-Cross

Suzuki’s small SUV gets an efciency boost through a new

mildhybridengineOnsale Now Price from £ 2 0,749

BACKIN2009,Formula 1 introducedan

innovation called KERS (that’s kinetic energy

recovery system), which captured energy that

would otherwise be wasted under braking,

sent it to a battery and then redeployed it later

through a little motor. Proving the old adage

that technology from racing eventually reaches

showrooms, the same concept, now dubbed

‘mild hybrid’, is becoming common

ontheroadadecadelater,evenbeingoffered

bysmallmanufacturers

suchasSuzuki.

Thelatestversionofthe

brand’s1.4-litrepetrolengine,

newlyavailableintheVitara

andSX4S-CrossSUVsand

theSwiftSporthothatch,

featuresa48-voltmildhybrid

system.However,unlike

F1cars,Suzukiusesitto

improveefficiencyrather

thanboostperformance.

InthecaseoftheS-Cross,

official economy is up by 17%,

thanks to the electric assistancelighteningthe

load on the engine, allowing ittoswitchofffor

longer than with a normal stop-startsystem.

We averaged 38.7mpg over 200milesofmostly

motorway driving, so the official45.4mpg

should be achievable in moremixeddriving.

CO 2 emissions are competitive,too.

The engine may be new, butthisis

fundamentally the same S-Crossthathasbeen

around for seven years. This meansthatit

steers and handles in a mannerthat’ssecure

rather than lively, unlike the Seat Arona, and

its ride, while perfectly acceptable at 70mph,

isn’t great around town, with the car fidgeting

and feeling brittle over potholes.

The S-Cross is reasonably practical, being

Offersdecentreal-world

efciency, but there are lots

of better, classier options

SAYS

spacious enough up front,

providing acceptable rear

head and leg room for

adults under 6ft tall and

a decent boot. Its interior

is starting to feel dated,

though, most obviously in its

fiddly, low-res touchscreen

infotainment system.

The S-Cross would still be

competitive, if only it were

priced lower. Even the most

basic version costs £20,749

• almost exactly the same as our favourite

small SUV, the Ford Puma – and you’ll need

more than £27,000 for our top-spec test car.

Although that does give it four-wheel drive

(rare in the small SUV class), you can get any

number of far better cars for similar money,

including family SUVs such as the Skoda Karoq.

Price £27,549

Engine 4 cyl, 1373cc, turbo, petrol

Power 127bhp @ 5550rpm

Torque 173lb ft @ 2000rpm

Gearbox 6-spd manual

0-62mph 10.2sec

Topspeed 118mph

Economy 45.7mpg (combined)

CO 2 , taxband 139g/km, 28%

SuzukiSX4S-Cross 1.4 Boosterjet

HybridAllgripSZ5

BUYER’S FILE

‘TheeHybrid hasa

combined power

outputof 215bhp

andan electric-only

rangeof 34 miles’

The Arteon’s update also ushers in

Travel Assist, a system that enables partly

autonomous driving at speeds of up to

130mph. It uses adaptive cruise control

and can read speed limit signs to choose

appropriate speeds for urban driving,

roundabouts and junctions.

Prices have yet to be announced, but we

expect the Shooting Brake to cost around

£2000 more than the regular Arteon, which

starts at £33,105. That would make it pricey

against rivals such as the Audi A4 Avant

and Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake.

However, Target Price discounts should

help to narrow the gap in time; buyers

can currently get £6000 off the price

of the existing Arteon through our New

Car Buying service.

Shooting Brake’s shape lends greater practicality

Driving info is provided by a 12.3in digital screen

LED lights are now carried right across the grille

Kris Culmer

[email protected]