Although some people manage it naturally, as do certain animal or reptilian species (think Chameleon), blending in (be it in Art, business or social circumstances, or even way back at school) mostly takes skill and often a fair amount of forethought. Design, colour schemes, dress, approach and of course; a big dollop of attitude are all required for seamless integration. With the new S-Cross, Suzuki has a vehicle that has the ability to flawlessly merge itself into both urban and many semi-rural settings – Well almost.
From a form and function perspective, the S-Cross ticks many of the boxes. Boasting European design, it has a large SUV silhouette of 4.3m x 1.785m (despite being in the medium category) and sits up well enough on 17” polished alloys (180mm ground clearance). Visually the S-Cross has a nice flow. LED projector headlamps, the roof rails blend into the roofline as if they were meant to be there (which coincidentally they were), as are the body coloured door mirrors which are perfectly shaped to reduce wind noise and drag. but then there’s the new grille, it is quite the attraction. Shining brightly in the neon lights of the city, the ‘chromed slat’ mouth draws plenty of attention and features well but it may be a little too much bling for the country?
The interior is spacious and is a comfortable 5-seater (well maybe 4.5). With its class leading 440 Litres boot space capability (875Litres with rear seats down), there was more than ample room for my family to go about our weekly tasks and everything was fine and dandy for a day trip to the Wenderholm regional park – accommodating football gear and picnics (plus the extra paraphernalia that my wife pack for EVERY eventuality). Seats are supportive, communication (infotainment) is modern and easy to use, keyless entry and start, and it even came with paddles (the gear shifting kind).
I had the 2WD/FWD Prestige version in Canyon Bronze. Sporting a 1.4L Boosterjet engine that produces 103kW/220Nm at 1,500+ revs and reports of 5.9L/100k’s, it offered up about enough zip to get in and out of trouble and heaps of time between petrol station visits.
The auto gearbox is great, it’s a 6 stage that has no problem with gear choice however, I found myself selecting Manual almost every time I began driving, and not because I wanted to. Pull the gear stick back to drive and it seems that the default position for the S-Cross is Manual – selection of Normal/Auto takes a little less rigorous approach – I’m sure you’d get used to it.
The ride is confident and quite grippy. It handled the hills and bends of my neighbourhood without flinching and joined daily the commute with aplomb – the reversing camera is clean and clear too. It’s not a race car but that Boosterjet engine takes its role seriously while the front wheel driving ensured I stayed pointed in the right direction when taking corners above the recommended. The tech information is aplenty and the likes of Carplay is at your fingertips.
The S-Cross is a great crossover SUV, good looks for the city and safe and secure for the country. The 2WD is fine for most general driving situations but would warrant a 4WD undercarriage if venturing where the road conditions get too rough or white (in which case check out the LTD’s ALLGRIP 4WD system). Summing it all up, the Suzuki S-Cross merges well as a daily driver and weekend pursuit combo, and in short, in my opinion, it’s S-Blended.
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