by Kelly Fisher
I climbed into the Suzuki Across expecting very little drama, and that’s exactly what I got, which, in this segment, is closer to a compliment than it sounds. Suzuki has quietly become one of the biggest sellers in the country, and the Across is its bid at something with a bit more presence than a Swift or an Ertiga: a proper flagship, positioned above the Grand Vitara it was clearly born alongside.
And it is clearly related. Same Global C platform, same 2 600 mm wheelbase, same 1 795 mm width, but the Across has been stretched and lifted (coming in at 4 360 mm long, 1 655 mm tall) and styled in a way that makes it stand out on its own. The front end trades Suzuki’s usual big-grille approach for something sharper and narrower, and the rear features a full-width LED strip that stretches the width of the boot lid, making it look a bit futuristic. Broad fenders, some tasteful cladding around the arches, 210 mm of ground clearance for the odd farm-stall detour. All of it adds up to what looks like a modern, kind of premium SUV.
Under the bonnet is a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder with Suzuki’s mild-hybrid assistance, 76 kW and 137 Nm, sent through either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic with paddles. Numbers that modest mean you’re not going to win any traffic-light arguments, and there’s a real gap between depressing the throttle and anything actually happening. It’s not a complaint – you simply learn to push harder, earlier, or just drop a gear yourself through the paddles if, like us, you were in the automatic. Suzuki claims a frugal fuel consumption number of 5.3 L/100, which doesn’t seem like a stretch if you’re driving with care.
The cabin is where the Across earns its flagship badge. A 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and CarPlay, paired with a crisp 10.25-inch digital cluster, wireless charging, and, on the GLX, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats and a genuinely good Infinity sound system. The GL gets you most of the sensible bits (cruise control, a reversing camera, climate control) without the frills, and it’s probably the one I’d have. The boot, at 347 litres, is on the modest side for the class, so pack accordingly.
On the road it’s composed rather than exciting. The steering is nicely weighted but wants a bit more input around a tight bend, the brakes are a touch sensitive until you calibrate to them, and the gearbox occasionally sits there thinking about which ratio it wants before committing.
None of that is a deal-breaker. What Suzuki has built is a well-resolved, properly economical family SUV that doesn’t need to shout to make its case. And with pricing from R349 900 and a 5-year/200 000km warranty behind it, it’s making that case rather well.