2017 Suzuki S-Cross SZ5 Review – The Crossover Underdog

Our first test car of the year was the newest 2017 Suzuki S-Cross SZ5. Just what a way to kick the entire year off – we loved this car!

What’s the brand new S-Cross about?

The S-Cross has actually been with us for some time, since about 2006 I really believe – but perhaps you have ever noticed one? Nope, neither have I. Probably because, as an understated car, it blended in to the background. The brand new one, however, differs.

For 2017, Suzuki have given the S-Cross a much-needed update and facelift, and from the exterior everything looks good. To begin with, the aggressive new front end sports a bold, glossy, chrome grille and a couple of updated, smaller, super bright LED headlights. All of this fresh attention provides car a far more serious snarl to its face.

The sides include a group of new 17″ alloys and shiny chrome-work along the windows for that extra flare.

We tested the top-spec model, the SZ5 – which is powered by Suzuki’s 1.4 Boosterjet (turbo) petrol engine. It’s an extremely quiet powerplant quite often yet pulls the automobile along nicely.

Price-wise, the S-Cross is fantastic. You don’t purchase the badge, starting at £15,000, and with an extraordinary selection of standard equipment (adaptive cruise control as standard!) it represents an excellent budget crossover.

How Does it Drive?

The S-Cross is available with the FWD or 4WD options. We tested the 4WD model, and without a doubt it had been seriously impressive from the street. The S-Cross rides 15mm greater than the old model, and the updated suspension setup is frankly genius. It offers a reasonably firm ride, nonetheless it is actually a lot worse. However, what it loses in smoothness it a lot more than accocunts for for in composure. In the corners, body roll is minimal for an automobile of the height, and the steering is wonderfully direct.

Its agility in the corners is principally due to the insufficient weight this car carries. At around 1,200 KG, it weighs significantly less than virtually any other car in its class. But for that reason lightness, when you inevitably hit any kind of pothole, you are feeling it. Larger bumps will unsettle the automobile slightly if hit while cornering.

The apparatus shift isn’t just what you’d call sublime; it’s very notchy and a bit clunky, too. But also for a straightforward family car and daily driver, it’s adequate.

When driving – the seats, and the positioning they put you in is quite comfy, and from the wheel to the glovebox is at easy reach. You do sit fairly high up, however the S-Cross’ tall waistline and sloping windscreen provides lower feel to the driver. Worth this article can be the pedal feel, clutch specifically. It’s extremely light and doesn’t travel far, making sitting in traffic significantly less of a chore.

The 1.4 turbo petrol we tested became a great engine. After the turbo kicks in, it shifts the automobile along nicely, especially with that 4WD. Put it in in sport mode and you’ll get yourself a slightly more aggressive response too. However the real feature with the driving experience may be the S-Cross’s cornering ability. In the twisties it certainly does feel just like a much smaller car.

What’s it Like Inside?

So far as interiors go, the S-Cross doesn’t really inspire the imagination. There are a great number of black surfaces and a good amount of plastic to create up everything. Saying that, it’s all very functional. The controls are organized where you’d be prepared to find them, and so are convenient to use from both driver and passenger seat.

The same could be said for the infotainment unit. The 7″ screen displays everything clearly, and the menus are easy to navigate. The SatNav system is very good too – destination input is commonly straight forward and the navigation screen itself is quite smooth, not laggy like we’ve observed in other systems. Connecting your phone in a few cars could be a real headache sometimes, however in the S-Cross I’d done it within 30 seconds.

Before the tyre you’ll look for a fairly dated-looking instrument cluster. I thought even for a whole new car, it does stand out. It doesn’t feature any kind of depth or nice lighting styles unfortunately, which left me a bit disappointed. I forgave easily, because of all of those other interior.

You won’t be short on space in the S-Cross ever, I will imagine. (If you don’t pick the panoramic sunroof option – in which particular case you’ll be robbed of headroom in the trunk). At one point our SZ5 was carrying 4 fully grown adults plus a host of camera gear, yet it coped well. For the common family, it’ll be an extremely capable car.

THE KNOWLEDGE

When the S-Cross attained Motor Verso, I was expecting a reasonably standard crossover. In the end, it had been a Suzuki! However, after driving it for weekly, my mind was changed completely. It really is seriously practical, way more than anything else due to that 4WD system, and in the corners it’s a great car to maintain, because of that new suspension.

Verdict

As yet, nobody had really noticed Suzuki. But with the 2017 S-Cross that may begin to change. I’ve been really impressed with the brand new crossover, and as a family group car it’ll be perfect – ready for whatever you may throw at it. Within an extremely saturated crossover market, it could be overlooked sometimes, nonetheless it certainly shouldn’t be.

Motor Verso

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
New Hits
Leave a Reply

;-) :| :x :twisted: :smile: :shock: :sad: :roll: :razz: :oops: :o :mrgreen: :lol: :idea: :grin: :evil: :cry: :cool: :arrow: :???: :?: :!: