Suzuki is successfully reducing their emissions across their whole range. And because of mild-hybrid technology, the new Swift, Ignis or...
Vitara is a seriously economical car. However, Suzuki doesn't have a plug-in hybrid in their range, even though that would be a very...
important weapon to reach that European guideline of an average of 95 grams of emitted CO2 per kilometer across all cars.
That's why Suzuki has presented this Across. And it's Across, not A-cross. I've asked. But let's not ignore the elephant in the room,
this is just a Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid. However, the RAV4 isn't available as a plug-in hybrid yet, so Suzuki gets the scoop.
The most important difference between a Toyota RAV4 and this Suzuki is the nose, which looks much more squished and more round.
Remarkably however, it's not Suzuki's nose either. Since 2019, Toyota has been building the Wildlander for China, which acts like the little...
brother of the RAV4. It's built on the same production line, and it actually has this very nose. You should Google it.
At the rear, the only difference between the Toyota and Suzuki is the logo. However, if we open up the boot, there's another difference.
The Suzuki has only 490 litres of luggage space, as opposed to the 580 litres of the RAV4. Remarkably enough, that's not the fault of the...
battery pack, because that's incorporated in the floor. Instead, it's because of the spare wheel that Suzuki equips this Across with as standard.
Very handy to have. Despite the spare wheel, the luggage space is more than enough and the rear seat is incredibly spacious as well.
This car really is at the top of its segment when it comes to interior space.
306 horsepower and a 0-100 km/h-time of six seconds. Not exactly numbers which would remind me of a Suzuki SUV, or a Suzuki in particular.
That means this is the fastest and most powerful Suzuki ever. It's also the most expensive Suzuki, but it's not as bad as we first...
thought, but I'll get back to that. I want to talk about the drivetrain first. If you're shopping for a plug-in hybrid, you can get much worse than a...
Toyota. Toyota has absolutely mastered the hybrid drivetrain despite the fact they don't have a lot of experience with plug-in hybrids.
Anyway. Basically, this drivetrain is very similar to the drivetrain found in the regular four-wheel drive RAV4 Hybrid.
That means it's powered by a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder, running on an Atkinson-cycle. Additionally, it has two electric motors. One on each axle.
However, there are differences. First of all, there's the power. A regular RAV4 Hybrid AWD only produces 222 horsepower, whilst this one...
produces 306 horsepower. The second difference is the battery capacity. In this Across, it measures 18,1 kWh, which is a lot for a plug-in hybrid.
The same goes for the promised electric range. Suzuki promises 75 kilometres on a single charge, which is more than the average...
50 kilometres. That means you can get much further, and the chance of you reaching your workplace on electricity only, is much bigger now.
That's a big advantage this car has compared to other manufacturers. Also, when the electricity does run out, it's still a Toyota-hybrid...
at the end of the day. And like I said, Toyota has a lot of experience with hybrid technology, so it's all working together nicely.
It's all very smooth and you barely notice the engine is running. Sure, you can hear it a little, but it's never shocky or anything.
If you suddenly accelerate, the car doesn't have to calculate its actions or anything. The only thing you might notice is when you're braking.
Sometimes, it noticeably switches between regenerative braking and mechanical braking.
Despite that, it still works incredibly smoothly. Smoother than most other hybrids we know today.
So you'd think it would have a favorable fuel consumption, but we haven't checked that yet. I'm certain that we'll find out in the near future.
All of the extra power is very welcome, especially considering it's heavier than the regular RAV4. We're talking about 1.915 kg here, which is a lot.
However, don't expect it to be a full-on race car because of it. It doesn't have the personality. You're very quick off the line though...
and that's always handy.
But it results in a car that revs a lot as well, and you don't really get the impression that it actually likes to rev.
What it does like to do, is offer driving comfort. Luckily, that's what this car was built for.
I already mentioned it, but the drivetrain works very smoothly. And it's not just the drivetrain, we've known that since the RAV4.
It's nicely balanced, the steering offers a lot of feeling, it's not too sturdy but not too weak either, and it's incredibly quiet.
You'll never hear any auxilliary noises. Even when you encounter imperfections. And that makes for a car which drives very well...
across a very wide range, and a car which feels very solid. You get the same solid feel from the interior.
It looks nice and the finishing is very tight. The quality impression is very good. Of course, that's amplified by the choices that Toyota has...
made when it comes to design. I mean, it's clearly Toyota. But take these big rubber buttons. They feel so sturdy, very decisive.
Almost like it's an off-roader, even though it isn't one. The seating position is pretty high as well, but in a good way.
That way, you've got a very clear view. The car just feels very robust and bold. If you want to learn more about the interior and the way...
you have to operate this car, you should look at our videos about the Toyota RAV4. The only difference with this Across being the badge on the...
steering wheel and the trim levels. Suzuki only offers one trim level for their Across. It's just the Across. No additional trim levels,
and you'll always get these seats which are half leather with red stitching. The same goes for the trim you get on this car. These wheels are...
standard, LED-lights are standard, heated steering wheel, electrically adjustable and heated seats, all as standard. And it's a lot.
What you don't get however, is a panoramic roof. You can select it as optional extra, because there aren't any optional extra's.
You can choose a color, and that's it. Also, you don't get satnav, and that's very remarkable. You do have a big infotainment system,
which works very well, but it doesn't come with satnav. That probably was a legal issue with Toyota which they couldn't settle.
Anyway, if you want to use satnav, you'll have to connect your phone. Luckily, the Across comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard.
But you should take it into consideration, because I could understand people who aren't waiting for that kind of stuff.
Despite all that, this car offers a total package which has impressed me quite a bit. The drivetrain is good, the ride is good,
the electric range is great actually. However, at first it seemed Suzuki was going to ask over €65.000 for this Across.
That really took us by surprise, because that's a huge amount of money for a Suzuki. No matter if it does everything right.
Luckily, that wasn't the case. Shortly after they introduced the Across, they changed the price to €55.900 for the same car with the same features.
If you've already ordered one of these, if there even are people who have, the difference will be paid back to you.
With this price, the Across has become quite the competitive car, so it's only a matter of time before we'll make a comparison with it.