Suzuki Across PHEV road test review

Suzuki Across PHEV road test review: DAVID HOOPER finds the combination of petrol and electric motors a great pairing in this big SUV.

SOME cars just “work” better than others, and this is one of those cars! I really like this Suzuki Across – it has presence, looks great and is agreeable to drive and to live with. If you’re looking for practical, economical and reasonably “green” family transport, it ticks most of the boxes!
The Suzuki Across was the first model to be launched under a collaborative deal with Toyota, followed some time later by the Corolla-based Suzuki Swace.
The Across is a one-model range, but it’s a high spec model which features an E-Four electronic 4×4 system, leather seats which are heated front and rear, a heated steering wheel, dual zone air conditioning and a boot you can open and close from the driving seat, which can be more useful than you might expect! It also comes in a choice of colours, our test car boasting the Sensual Red Mica finish! Yes really!
It’s a Plug-In Hybrid, which has a 2.5-litre petrol engine and a battery which once fully charged provides an electric range of up to 46 miles, which for many people, will get you through your day without having to use any petrol at all, and if you’re on a cheap electricity tariff, the car could be very cheap to run. With a low BIK banding of 7%, it’s also an attractive company car choice for business drivers.
The E-Four system offers 4×4 performance with the front electric motor with an output of 134kW combining with a second 40kW electric motor at the back of the car to provide better stability on and traction on slippery surfaces, and sharper handling.
Inside, the Suzuki across is quite luxurious with half leather seats soft moulded plastics for the dashboard and door cappings and panels complimented with red stitching which features throughout the interior.
The seat squabs in our test car and half of the backrest is covered in a black and red striped material which looks smart and it was good to find that the seats are comfortable on a long journey.
It comes fully equipped with heated steering wheel and heated front windscreen and an electric boot, which opens and closes at the touch of a button, reversing cameras to help with parking and sensors all round.
Inside, the plush interior has an upmarket quality feel to it as does the whole driving experience.
Technophobes will not struggle with the technology in the Across. Despite being a plug-in hybrid. It is no more difficult to drive than any other vehicle
When I plugged the car into my Pod Point charger, which makes living with an electric vehicle so much easier, in the morning I was pleased to see a total range of 46 miles available on electric power alone. The engine and electric motors work together, depending on what the car is doing, so if it’s slowing down it charges the battery, if you accelerate hard both the petrol engine and the battery work together to give maximum performance, or you can choose to save the remaining battery energy if you were on a high speed section of your trip, or actually use the car’s engine to charge the battery to be sure you some electric energy if you are heading into busy city traffic. This is a very useful facility, although it does increase the petrol consumption slightly.
There are many pros and cons with electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids like this one, because ultimately you are still paying for two fuel sources, however, with a range of 46 miles, were you to own this particular vehicle it is quite conceivable that you could go for a period of several days without having to use any petrol at all, so running costs very much depend on your domestic tariffs.
The car has Eco, Sport and Normal driving modes which can be selected by a rotary dial next to the gear lever.
I liked the displays on the dashboard when you turn the car off which tells you what percentage of your driving was electric and how much was petrol, and there is also a little screen which I quite liked which shows how economically you have driven with little bar charts highlighting your braking, acceleration, etc.
The car is laden with other technology, including lane keeping assist, which steers the car back on course should you stray out of the lane you are in, radar cruise control, traction control, and you even get flappy paddles behind the steering wheel to control the gear changes should you feel the need.
The 2.5-litre petrol engine combined with the electric motor gives the car an impressive turn of speed when required while combining the two power sources also resulted in a good average mpg figure over my 450-mile week of driving with a figure of just over 46 miles to the gallon, not too shabby for a big SUV.
While it may not be cheap, the Suzuki Across is an excellent all-rounder and one of those cars I could happily live with. I’d say it’s definitely worth a look if you’re think of buying a plug-in hybrid as a company car or private purchase.

Rating:

If you like this, read our review on the Suzuki Swace hybrid

THE VITAL STATISTICS
MODEL: Suzuki Across PHEV
ENGINE: 2,487cc, four-cylinder petrol engine, driving the front wheels through a CVT gearbox, combined with electric motors.
Power: Total 302bhp. Electric Power 53bhp.
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 112 mph. 0-62mph in 6.0 secs.
ECONOMY: City: 36.6mpg.
Country: 53.1mpg.
Combined: 42.9mpg.
Wheel World test average: 46.2 mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS: 22g/km.
FUEL TANK: 55 litres.
PRICE: £45,599
WARRANTY: 5 years/100,000 miles
WEBSITE: www.cars.suzuki.co.uk
• All data correct at time of publication.