Suzuki Across 2020 UK review

Rebadged Toyota PHEV plunges Suzuki into several new segments, and convincingly so, despite its somewhat ambitious price With the exception of the Jimny, whose presence in the UK range became as embarrassing for emissions-conscious executives as it was endearing to the man or woman on the street, Suzuki’s passenger car line-up is now exclusively electrified. Quite some achievement, and it all happened in the blink of an eye, with mild-hybrid powertrains rolled out to the Ignis, Swift, Vitara and S-Cross in the space of just a few months. The most ‘electrified’ of all the Japanese marque’s models, however - if you’ll permit such a clumsy superlative - is this: the Across, and it may not have escaped your notice that it’s not really a Suzuki at all. The first badge-engineered car to be born from a new agreement between Suzuki and Toyota, the Across is all but identical to the RAV4 on which it is based, save for the addition of a less aggressive front end, bespoke wheel designs and a smattering of Suzuki badges.More interesting, though, is that the Across takes its power from a new four-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid powertrain that has yet to be rolled out to European RAV4 models and that makes its debut Autocar appearance here. Comprising a 173bhp 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder mated to a pair of electric motors - one with 180bhp on the front axle and another with 54bhp at the rear - the system endows the Across with 302bhp, making it Suzuki’s most powerful production car by nearly 200bhp and giving a 0-62mph sprint time of just 6.0sec.The economy statistics are equally eyebrow-raising: the Across can manage 46 miles of electric-only travel from a charge, achieves a combined 282mpg, emits just 22g/km of CO2 and - crucially - attracts a benefit-in-kind rating of just 6%, undercutting the Ford Kuga PHEV, Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. One final headline figure, then: £45,999. That’s what you’ll pay for this one-trim-only SUV, which slots it straight in at the higher end of the segment, making it a far cry from the brand’s other, more value-oriented models.Elsewhere, things are somewhat more familiar. The cabin is lifted directly from the RAV4, meaning there’s a 9.0in infotainment touchscreen with hybrid-specific displays, a nice chunky Tonka-toy-style gear selector and just the right amount of buttons, knobs and switches.