SUZUKI ACROSS

What is it?

It’s a rebadged Toyota RAV4, which in all honesty isn’t a bad thing.

The Across is the first new model to launch under a collaborative agreement with Toyota, which makes a lot of sense as the cost of developing an all-new car grows ever higher. It isn’t the first collaboration between manufacturers, at it certainly won’t be the last.

On the road

In issue 9, which feels like a very long time ago now, I borrowed a RAV4 and came away with a very high opinion of it.

The ride is comfortable and quite supple with light steering, I always felt cosseted and a little bit smug as it barely ventured under 40mpg, even on short commutes to school and back.

I recently drove the Across around the Hill Route circuit at the Millbrook testing facility down in Bedfordshire, and I was genuinely taken aback by the way it handled itself, it was poised, grippy and quite nippy.

Once you’ve pressed the Sport mode button there’s plenty of performance available, especially when the 2.5 litre engine and electric motor work together, but as is always the case with CVT gearboxes, high engine revs when pressing on does rather spoil the car’s otherwise excellent refinement.

As you drive off the Across selects electric mode, and I found I had to be quite careful in car parks because shoppers and pedestrians can’t hear you, and they never look.

For the majority of time I selected 'normal' driving mode which allows the car decide for itself when’s best to deploy either the electric motor or petrol engine. Also, easing on the brakes as you reach a set of lights or a junction automatically increases the amount of electric power gained from the cars regenerative braking system, so it’s win-win.

Off Road

The weather was glorious during our week together, so I didn’t have the opportunity to really test its off-road ability to the max.

That said, once in Trail mode performing my usual balancing act on two or three wheels went without drama as the intelligent all-wheel drive technology efficiently generates drive torque using power from the hybrid system and an additional motor on the rear axle. This design reduces energy losses, saves weight and optimises AWD operation in different driving conditions.

On a slightly damp, yet steep green lane, the Across performed admirably, despite being on summer tyres, I even pushed my luck by stopping to take photos and driving off again, up hill I might add, and the Across wasn’t troubled at all.

Ground clearance and the departure angles aren’t bad, though you do need to be careful as its approach angle isn’t the best, you just need to be careful of deep ruts.

Interior

Everything about the interior is a delight to use, from the chunky steering wheel, internal door handles and large rubberised temperature dials that are easy to use and grip, especially when wearing thick gloves.

The wide and comfortable seats are heated and offer oodles of support, and the rest of the interior is spacious with room aplenty front and back. The boot offers a massive 490-litres of usable space - not the biggest in its quite class, but close enough, and there’s lots of oddment space around the cabin.

Like all Suzukis, you get a generous amount of safety equipment, from E-call, blind spot monitoring and lane departure alert, to speed limiter and adaptive cruise, amongst many others. Then there are the luxury items, from heated front and rear seats, dual zone automatic air conditioning, auto function opening tailgate and 9” multimedia touchscreen. The list goes on.

Engine ‘n’ gearbox

There’s only one option I’m afraid, but it’s a good set up. The 2.5-litre petrol hybrid engine offers 185bhp with official figures quoting 42.9mpg (combined), which wasn’t that far away from the average 40mpg I was getting. It also has CO2 emissions of just 22g/km, depending on tyre size and options, of course.

With maximum output of 134kW and 270Nm of torque, the front electric motor draws its energy from an 18.1kWh (50.9 Ah) high capacity lithiumion battery mounted beneath the floor. This provides a class leading EV range of 46.6miles.

Conclusion

I really like the Across, and just like its identical twin, the RAV4, I genuinely had difficulty coming up with any glaring dislikes. Okay, it has one of those annoying iPad sticky up things, I don’t like them in any car if I’m honest, I think they’re an afterthought of lazy designers! However, it works well.

Of course, the Across wouldn’t be my first choice if I wanted a green-laner, even though its AWD worked an absolute treat, but as a family barge it’s much more appealing. It’s roomy, comfortable and nice to be in, and with excellent all-weather capability, it's an easy car to live with.

price £45,599 (as tested) more at » https://cars.suzuki.co.uk