Suzuki Across 2021 long-term review
Our badge-engineered plug-in hybrid already looks promising. Will the love last?
*Why we’re running it: *To find out if this plug-in hybrid SUV can eclipse its higher-profile donor model
-Month 1 - Specs-
-Life with a Suzuki Across: Month 1-
*Welcoming the Across to the fleet - 24 February 2021*
We should get this out of the way early, I suppose: despite the Suzuki badge on its nose and the Suzuki lettering across its tailgate, this latest addition to the Autocar long-term fleet isn’t actually a Suzuki at all.
It’s called the Across (seems like a strange name for a car, but there have been worse), and although it may have a new face and a different set of alloys, in reality, it’s nothing more than a rebadged Toyota RAV4 PHEV.
So what’s the logic here, then? Why does this car exist, and why would someone buy one of these instead of an own-brand RAV4? Well, we will be looking to find an answer, or answers, to that last question over the coming months. But we can at least have a go at the other two for the time being.
The Across is the first car to emerge out of an alliance that was struck between Toyota and Suzuki back in 2019. The two Japanese manufacturers each acquired a financial stake in the other’s business, with the goal being to work together to prepare for an electrified and increasingly autonomous future – all while remaining competitors.
So Suzuki gets access to Toyota’s hybrid technology on a global level, along with the RAV4-based Across and the Corolla Touring Sports-based Swace (another strange name) to bolster its European line-up’s environmental credentials against increasingly strict emissions regulations. Toyota, meanwhile, will build Suzuki’s compact vehicle engines in Poland for use in its European vehicles. And the pair will collaborate to develop hybrid cars for the Indian market, where Suzuki will also let Toyota sell rebadged versions of a couple of its compact models.
It’s quite a complex deal, but it does at least explain the Across’s origins. And for what it’s worth, I’m actually rather looking forward to getting to know this badge-engineered SUV over the coming months.
A good deal of this anticipation is down to the Across’s plug-in hybrid powertrain, which is, of course, exactly the same as that found in the new RAV4 PHEV. Curiously, the Toyota was released after the Suzuki, so the powertrain actually made its UK debut in the Across.
Up at the front, a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor combine to drive the front wheels through an e-CVT, while further back, a smaller electric motor drives the rear axle. This mix of powerplants endows the Across with a system output of 302bhp – which is quite a bit more than the 178bhp made by the diesel Land Rover Discovery Sport I ran previously.
The baby Disco was certainly quiet enough at a cruise, but it wasn’t swift. In fact, its straight-line performance could be a bit tractor-like at times. The Toyo… I mean Suzuki, on the other hand, can hit 62mph from a standstill in 6.0sec, so it’s hot-hatch quick. This additional performance has been particularly handy in town driving, where the electric and petrol power sources combine to deliver not only greater thrust than was available in the Land Rover but also more immediate throttle response.
There’s an 18.1kWh battery beneath the floor, which is quite big by PHEV standards. It allows for an electric-only range of 46 miles on the WLTP test cycle (so it slots into the 6% BIK tax bracket), but I’m getting closer to 36 miles out in the real world. That’s not bad at all.
The charging time is 2.5 hours from a wallbox; I don’t have one of those at home, but a battery charge mode allows me to top up while I’m out driving. In fact, even when the battery has been flattened, the hybrid powertrain has still managed to tick over at around 45mpg. So far, it has proved to be impressively efficient.
I’m also a fan of the Across’s interior. It doesn’t look or feel as plush as that of the considerably more premium Discovery Sport, but it’s extremely functional and feels solidly built. There’s loads of passenger space, and the boot is big enough to swallow all of my photography kit with ease. The controls are all large, chunky and easy to find, which I far prefer to the occasionally fiddly touch-sensitive buttons found in the Land Rover and elsewhere. Usually it would be the British car that you would praise for having switches and dials that you could operate with gloves on, but here it’s the other way around. I really like that.
Standard equipment is generous, although you really would expect it to be when you consider that this standalone Suzuki model costs from £45,599. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a powered tailgate, 19in alloy wheels, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, a rear-view camera and more besides.
The only real scope you have for personalisation is the colour. It’s also interesting to note that the RAV4 PHEV starts from £47,395; I guess that’s one reason why you would opt for the Suzuki over the Toyota.
It’s still early days, but already I’ve been really quite impressed with the Across. The only thing that I’m not massively enamoured of is the slow-to-operate tailgate – and that’s pretty small fry in the grand scheme of things. I think we will get along just fine.
*Second Opinion*
A 6% BIK rating will appeal to company car drivers, but I struggle with the Across’s price. It’s more than £7000 pricier than the poshest RAV4, and I’m not sure many private buyers will see the value in opting for the plug-in hybrid over the regular hybrid. It goes to show how the tax rules affect the appeal of these PHEVs
*Simon Davis*
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-Suzuki Across 2.5 PHEV E-Four E-CVT specification-
*Specs: Price New* £45,599 *Price as tested* £45,599 *Options*
*Test Data: Engine* 4 cyls in line, 2.5 litres, turbocharged, petrol, plus 2 electric motors *Power* 302bhp (combined) *Torque* 376lb ft (combined) *Kerb weight* 1915kg *Top speed* 112mph *0-62mph* 6.0sec *Fuel economy* 282mpg *CO2* 22g/km *Faults* None *Expenses* None
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