Four paws and seven airbags ago… how to link Suzuki’s AWD hybrid with Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and why? Because Suzuki is fighting for the preservation of refined adventuring.
The S-Cross Hybrid lineup consists of two vehicles, the 2WD – as reviewed in the last edition for 2023, and this, the all-wheel-drive version, which incorporates Suzuki’s dial-up AllGrip terrain mode control system, something which deserves more recognition than hardcore 4WD people might expect.
“Yes, but I’m NOT a hardcore 4WD person, so why do I care?” I hear you ask, and that’s a good question.
The good answer is that AllGrip is designed to allow you – the owner of the re-fashioned S-Cross Hybrid – to travel anywhere you want to in this great nation (I am feeling SO patriotic today!) secure in the knowledge that Suzuki’s flagship SUV will get you there – stylishly.
The S-Cross has had an interesting history, a lot of which revolves around the consideration that it never seemed to fit within the Suzuki lineup properly, and that’s not being nasty, it happens to be true.
I didn’t have too much of a problem with the previous models, but they never seemed to resound as well as the stylish Swift, the adventurous Vitara or the sculpted (and lamented for its absence) Kizashi. But S-Cross? Yeah, it never really gelled.
Until now. Someone at Suzuki’s design studio worked out that if the Vitara design was pretty hot, why not re-Vitaralise the design of the S-Cross Hybrid to sort of… fit in?
Of course, there’s a little refinement to work out because the S-Cross is not intended to tackle the Vitara market/buyer head-on, but that can be dealt with.
Today, we have the fruits of that enterprising designer with a purposeful at the front, slippery at the side and stylish at the back, S-Cross Hybrid – with some appropriate classy bits inside too.
The S-Cross Hybrid (either 2WD or AWD, because the spec’ is about the same) now takes its place in the Suzuki family.
OK, so back to this AllGrip system, what’s that about?
The AllGrip system allows travel across varying terrains. Designed for everyday use, the AllGrip system found aboard the S-Cross Hybrid (and the Vitara Hybrid) works well on those occasionally encountered slicker surfaces such as gravel, sand, snow and to a degree, mud.
The modes are simply selected via dial-up controller, which gives the option of Auto (the S-Cross Hybrid determines where torque should be sent, Sport mode for more spirited driving, Snow mode for stability over slippery surfaces and Lock mode to give maximum traction for extrication – or getting you out of the sh..tuff you’ve wandered into.
And with the S-Cross Hybrid, this is all done in the best possible taste. Suzuki has taken the AllGrip-equipped S-Cross to the edge of the Premium Forest, where the humbly priced flagship is right at home.
And you can look at the trees through the massive panoramic roof while the Suzuki is looking around to make sure you are parked sensibly, affording a round-the-vehicle and bird’s eye view imaging system on the next-generation infotainment screen with its native satellite navigation among other features.
Is it then, something a fleet might consider? Short answer: yes. If the user/driver gets to take the S-Cross Hybrid home as something of a perk, the user/driver is not going to feel undervalued, and the CFO is – probably – not going to get their pencil bent out of shape, thanks to Suzuki’s value proposition.
The S-Cross ticks a lot of safety boxes too and being hybrid, it’s frugal and friendly for the environment – green cred’ ticked. Worth more than a casual glance then? For sure.
