Suzuki S-Cross Turbo Full Review

The Suzuki S-Cross joins the flurry of mini SUV’s joining the market as they swamp up sales figures nation wide. The S-Cross Turbo is a hitched up Baleno that provides a zippy ride for urban driving.

Engine

The S-Cross turbo is powered by a 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbocharged petrol engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Power is rated at 103kW and torque at 220Nm.

The engine is smooth and zippy, while the gearbox is seamless to allow effortless city driving. There are also paddle shifters that enable manual mode to push the gears even further.

Performance

The turbo engine allows for extra pull when hurrying away from lights, but please don’t expect supercar, or even hot hatch type performance from this little thing.

It does its job well enough and manual mode allows you to get to redline. All the torque helps pull the car even quicker with more kick.

Fuel Economy

Claimed fuel consumption sits at 5.9L/100km, but after testing the car for well over 500km, we returned roughly 7L/100km with a mix of city and highway driving. Full highway driving returned easily 5-6L/100km.

Interior & Technology

The non-Premium edition doesn’t get the nicer seats and little additions throughout the vehicle, however, it does come with Apple CarPlay as standard which is a major win!

There is 430 litres of boot space which is more than the Vitara that’s supposed to be a large vehicle. There is also dual-zone climate, however, there are no vents for the rear which can be concerning.

It can seem a bit dull, but I guess the best way to put it is.. consistent, just like Suzuki. Gets the job done. Only thing we hoped for was a digital speedo.

Safety

With seven airbags, traction control, stability control, reverse camera and parking sensors all coming in as standard, the S-Cross certainly makes a strong argument for itself as a great choice for families.

The S-Cross also receives a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

Ride & Comfort

The S-Cross is a simple, smooth, efficient car that gets the job done with no hassles. Manual mode provides even more feedback and makes the vehicle incredibly spicy and exciting, but not too exciting, just as much as you’d expect in a mini SUV, plus a tiny bit more.

With several people in the car, the S-Cross is quite comfortable and handles the weight well. Overall it is a decent ride for its size and pull.

Warranty & Servicing

Maintenance is required every six months or 10,000km.

This is troublesome as companies like Kia offer a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty and seven years of capped-price servicing with 15,000km/12 month intervals.

It’s still relatively affordable to keep your S-Cross on the road though, with minor services costing $175 while the major ones (40,000km, 60,000km, 80,000km) asking for $359-$399.

Over those first three years of ownership, the S-Cross will set you back $1438. For the life of the five-year servicing program, the Suzuki will require $2362 of scheduled maintenance.

Pricing

GL (4×2) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $25,490
GL (4×2) 1.6LULP5 SP MAN $21,990
GL NAVI (4×2) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $23,990
GLX (4×2) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $29,990
GLX (4×4) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $32,990
GLX NAVI (4×2) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $27,990
GLX Prestige (4×4) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $32,990
PRESTIGE (GLX SR AWD) 1.6LULPCVT AUTO $32,990
TURBO 1.4LPULP6 SP AUTO $27,990
TURBO PRESTIGE 1.4LPULP6 SP AUTO $29,990

Overall

The S-Cross Turbo is a zippy, reliable, efficient little machine that does the job quite well. The Prestige at almost $30k is quite steep to justify, but the Turbo is a great model to opt for with plenty of torque.

ALL our videos of the S-Cross Turbo:

Full Exterior Tour:

Full Interior Tour:

POV Test Drive:

Exhaust Video:

Engine Tour:

All Settings/Modes Head Unit/Dash: