S-entially a frills-free package that doesn't disappoint

Start the conversation

The Suzuki s-Cross will get the job done. Photo: Supplied.

Suzuki sales in Australia were up by one-third in March over the same month last year.

The number is a reflection of a baby brand – compared with the serious sellers led by Toyota, Ford and Kia – that continues to do the right thing.

A Suzuki is not a flashy car, or a trendy car, or loaded with the sort of electronic wizardry that is used by many brands as shiny showroom bait.

But strap in and head for a long drive, either for a weekend or the next couple of years, and a Suzuki will get the job done. Over a long-weekend run from Brisbane to Sydney, and back, the latest S-Cross proved the point. It was quiet and calm, solidly economical with an average consumption of 6.8 litres/100 km, and zero drama. It even fitted a mountain bike easily in the back alongside a bunch of luggage.

The only major disappointment was the high-beam lamps, which continue to prove that none of the engineers at Suzuki has done any serious after-dark driving in Australia. They are barely better than the low beams and it’s hard to believe other brands – I’m thinking Subaru – overcame the problem more than a decade ago.

The Suzuki s-Cross is great for people who want solid family transport. Photo: Supplied.

But back to the S-Cross, which is the newer front-wheel-drive model with pricing from $37,490. It means a saving of about $5000 on the same car, even the same turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine, with four-wheel drive. Nobody who buys an S-Cross is likely to go seriously off-roading, perhaps just some gentle work on bush tracks or a beach, and that means the front-driver is the smart pick.

For day-to-day bitumen driving, I would defy anyone – well, nearly anyone – to pick the difference. The front-driver is smooth in all conditions, has good overtaking push if you tickle the paddle shifts for a lower gear (or two), and is quiet and comfortable. All of this, of course, needs to be measured against the price tag and the proven reliability of a brand with one of the lowest warranty costs in the car business.

Low claims means next-to-zero dramas with quality. There is nothing sporty about the S-Cross, apart from the paddles, but that is fine for people who want solid family transport. There is space for five adults, with good access and reasonable boot space.

The Suzuki s-Cross has space for five adults, with good access and reasonable boot space. Photo: Supplied.

The dashboard is clean with effective controls, the infotainment screen is perfectly adequate, and the wireless connection for Apple CarPlay works well without glitching – unlike too many Chinese newcomers. But a single USB plug-in is not enough and the twin cupholders in the centre console should be deeper.

The driver-assist systems work well, without trying to take total control for no reason, and the car brakes well and has good cornering grip. For many people, it does everything they want without fuss, foibles or frippery and that’s a good thing. It says Suzuki on the badge and that’s really all you need to know.