Suzuki Across Plug-in Hybrid Review 2024

Introduction

Are you looking to lease a family-sized, but not too big, SUV?

If so – and if Suzuki isn't on your radar, but Toyota is – stop before you scroll past all this: don't overlook the Suzuki Across.

You see, underneath, it's a Toyota RAV4– the first such car to be developed under a partnership between the two Japanese manufacturers.

The same collaboration has more recently seen the emergence of the Swace – a Suzuki-badged version of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports estate car.

Toyota’s reputation is generally superior, so this united front is no bad thing at all, although Suzuki will be returning the favour by making some smaller cars for Toyota at some point.

Nevertheless, it’s the Across that we’re interested in here.

It’s aiming to take on other large-ish five-seater crossover SUVs such as the Ford Kuga and the Skoda Karoq – and, of course, it’ll naturally compete with the RAV4, too.

Suzuki has yet to really embrace electrification of its vehicles, so piggybacking on to Toyota, which is much further down the road with its hybrid programme, is a good idea.

Unlike the RAV4, which is also available as a self-charging hybrid (HEV), the Across is available purely in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) form.

At a Glance

Although the Suzuki Across and the Toyota RAV4 are basically the same car, there are some notable differences.

In particular, Suzuki has restyled the front end, creating a more prominent grille which arguably looks more impressive than the Toyota's, with a more open-mouthed appearance, compared with the RAV4's 'moustache'.

The headlights are marginally thinner, too, while the air intake-styled gaps at the sides are larger.

It means the Suzuki’s front looks more imposing than the Toyota’s.

The two cars are identical when viewed side-on, with the bodywork shaping itself around a cladded skirt sandwiched by somewhat unusually angular wheel arches.

The alloys look nice, especially up close, while the rear is shapely and chiselled, with angled lines.

Neither the RAV4 nor the Across are likely to win accolades for cosmetic beauty but, on balance, we prefer the Suzuki to the Toyota.

On the other hand, most people would be hard-pressed to notice the difference if you passed by in either, unless you pulled over and pointed it out to them.

Key Features

The Across range is pleasingly simple.

In fact, you can't really call it a range, as there's only one version available, so, as a result, the single trim is unnamed.

But, if your expectations of Suzuki are more bargain basement than lavish luxury, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how much kit you get.

The Across comes with 19-inch alloys, a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, leather upholstery, heated steering wheel, and heated front and rear seats. You also get electric front seat adjustment with memory function, LED projector headlamps, electronic parking brake and an electric tailgate – all offered as standard.

It also comes with an impressively large 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and two electric motors, outputting a total of 302PS.

Unlike the Toyota RAV4, which is available in several trims with a choice of self-charging and plug-in hybrids, the Across is only available with the latter.

Unfortunately, when you delve deeper into the RAV4's equipment list, you'll notice that SatNav and a head-up display are two of the Toyota’s functions notably missing from the Across.

Indeed, the broader selection of trims means that Alcantara seats, a premium sound system and a 360-degree panoramic view monitor are available on the RAV4 but unavailable to Suzuki customers.

As lovely as these features are, the lack of them isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, though.

So, with that in mind, we took the Across out on the road to see what it was like to drive.

Range & Batteries

The Suzuki Across comes with an 18.1kWh lithium-ion battery.

That's good enough for a claimed range of 46 miles on electric power alone – an impressive range that outperforms many of its immediate rivals.

Of course, real-world results will vary depending on weather conditions, road conditions and driving style.

Nevertheless, that figure’s a good sequel following on from the generous equipment list.

In all-electric mode, it can also hit 85mph before the engine kicks in, which is notable, too.

Performance & Drive

If you've read the previous sections, you're probably quite intrigued now, as are we.

You possibly imagined the Across would have a 1.0 to 1.6-litre engine and have a rather pathetic amount of power. So did we if the truth be told.

So, how does 302PS sound?

The answer: it’s quick.

Zero to 62mph is dealt with in 6.0 seconds flat – much quicker than most of the Suzuki’s competitors – indeed, that's over three seconds quicker than a Ford Kuga PHEV.

There’s a burst of torque when you floor the throttle, too, and a standing start to a reasonable pace appears to be a case of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’.

Honestly, we weren't expecting this, although despite the excessive amount of grunt, it only has a top speed of 112mph.

Still, that means overtaking on motorways is a doddle, and the Suzuki will win a drag race against most SUVs, including a Land Rover Discovery Sport PHEV.

Theoretically, light taps of the throttle should be sufficient to dodge in and out of traffic on the nearest city ring road. But do this in practice and you’ll find that this is where things begin to unravel a bit.

Zipping around traffic might be frustrating if you're going too quickly, as the handling could be better.

The steering is very light, which makes it easy to drive, but it doesn't weight up in the bends, meaning you'll lack the confidence to push on.

However, the amount of body lean in the bends will likely have you easing off long before the steering even becomes a thought.

Granted, no SUV handles exceptionally well, but we'd expected the relatively firm suspension setup would have generated keener handling.

If your journey is a straight 50mph+ cruise without interruption or mainly involves driving at low speed around town, then you'll be fine.

On the other hand, there seems to be little point in having all that clout – not to mention all-wheel drive – if you don't get the chance to use it.

As a result, the Suzuki is less fun to drive than its horsepower figure would have you believe, while the lack of cornering ability nullifies the benefits of all-wheel drive.

There are various driving modes to choose from depending on how economically you wish to travel.

EV mode uses electric power only, Auto EV/HV mode means the car chooses when to call the engine into action, and Battery Charger setting uses the petrol engine. This mode puts some charge into the batteries through energy recovery where possible.

Charging

You may have seen charging speeds in the hundreds of kilowatts for all-electric vehicles, but plug-in hybrids tend to have much slower top-up speeds.

Indeed, the Across can’t manage a charging speed greater than 3.3kW.

That means plugging it into a 7kW home wallbox charger will top up the batteries from empty to full in around five-and-a-half hours.

Plugging it into anything faster won't mean it'll charge more quickly.

Running Costs & Emissions

The main benefit of leasing a plug-in hybrid is ridiculously high miles-per-gallon figures and very low carbon emissions.

The Across is happy to oblige, achieving a claimed 282.4mpg, emitting just 22g/km of CO2.

You'll get nowhere near 282mpg in the real world, though, unless you're making a relatively short journey using the electric motor for almost all of it.

Nevertheless, the official figures are what the Government takes into account.

That’ll please would-be company car users, who will be happy with the savings offered through Benefit In Kind (BIK) tax for driving a car that’s kind to the environment.

And that is the Across’s best hope of selling in more significant numbers, as it's costly to buy outright, meaning outside of the company car market, it doesn't make a lot of sense compared with its rivals. However, it can make sense to lease it – as it’s generally more affordable this way.

Reliability-wise, Suzuki doesn't have a fantastic record, but, of course, this is really a Toyota with a Suzuki badge on it – and Toyota tends to be one of the most dependable brands out there.

Interior & Technology

The Across impresses with its interior, which is very well-presented, upmarket and well-built.

The edges of various parts are covered in brushed aluminium décor, including part of the steering wheel, which breaks up the otherwise single-coloured dark upholstery very nicely.

There's a real air of quality to the cabin design, including plenty of soft-to-the-touch materials and reassuringly sturdy dials and switches, which give you confidence in terms of the overall build quality.

Sadly, this confidence is undermined by the infotainment system.

While the screen looks impressive perched on the dashboard, the high quality doesn't extend to the system.

The screen resolution isn't particularly sharp; it's slow and laggy, lacking the responsiveness of modern-day infotainment systems, and the layout isn't the easiest to find your way around.

At least you can switch to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but we’ll be hoping this is top of the list to upgrade when Toyota/Suzuki launches an updated version of the car.

Nevertheless, we've seen a lot worse – the cabin is undoubtedly a nice place to sit, though some rivals can match or even beat it for sophistication.

Space & Practicality

The seats in the Across are very comfortable, offering a good view out of the front windscreen, thanks to relatively thin pillars and a high driving position.

Inevitably, the view out of the rear isn’t as good, but the parking sensors and a rear-view camera, both included as standard, help get around the issue.

You also get adjustable lumbar support and electric seat adjustment, adding convenience.

The interior is spacious in the front and back, with lots of headroom and legroom.

The rear legroom is aided by the shape of the front seats, the backs of which curve inwards away from the rear passenger’s legs.

There's sufficient width to sit three adults in the back, too, although if all of them happen to be broad-shouldered, then they might find it uncomfortable for a longer journey.

You can recline, but not slide, the rear bench, too.

You’ll find plenty of storage spaces dotted around the interior, with generously sized door bins, cupholders and cubbies.

The Across’s boot capacity measures 490 litres, although that's a 90-litre reduction compared with the self-charging hybrid Toyota RAV4.

Nevertheless, it should be big enough for most people's needs, and if you fold the rear seats down in the Across, it expands to a princely 1,168 litres.

There’s also some underfloor storage.

Safety

There's little point in crash-testing an Across, given the Toyota RAV4 had already been put through its paces by Euro NCAP.

It earned a five-star rating, scoring 93% for adult occupants, 87% for children, and 77% for safety assists.

There’s an amazing list of safety technology as standard on the Across, including automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-tracing assist, blind-spot monitor, dynamic radar cruise control, rear-cross traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.

Options

There's a choice of several body colours for your Suzuki Across, and, refreshingly, they don't cost any extra, unlike most manufacturers who have one (or maybe two, if you're lucky) 'default' hues and then charge extra for anything else.

There’s platinum white pearl, silver metallic, grey metallic, attitude black mica, sensual red mica and dark blue mica.

The interior is only available in one colour scheme called ‘satin chrome’.

A brushed aluminium door sill trim set can be added as an optional extra, along with cargo nets, partitions, various protectors for bumpers, door handles and rubber floor mats.

One slightly frustrating thing is that charging cables are not included as standard and, at the time of writing, cost nearly £350.

Other than that, there isn't much else you can opt for on top of the standard car, though that's a testament to how well-equipped it is.

Rival Cars

There’s no shortage of rivals to the Suzuki Across.

Of course, much as they may be close friends, Toyota's RAV4 is the blindingly obvious one.

However, the Skoda Karoq and Kodiaq give it a good run for their money – albeit neither is available in hybrid form.

If you're looking at the more premium end of the car leasing market, the Mercedes-Benz GLB will soon be available in plug-in hybrid form.

The obvious alternative, though, is the Ford Kuga which, despite lacking the power and all-wheel drive, is a better all-rounder than the Suzuki.

Meanwhile, Honda has recently launched a striking brand-new version of its CR-V, which may be enough to tempt you.

If you're not set on a plug-in model, then the Mazda CX-5 is excellent to drive – and the Peugeot 5008 (below) is worth a look, too.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Suzuki Across appears to have much going in its favour.

It's well-equipped and surprisingly powerful, offering what appears to be a superb level of performance that exceeds expectations. 

Yet the clout isn't matched by its handling. 

The infotainment system is not great, too, by today's standards. Plus, the RAV4 on which the Across is based, offers far more choice in terms of trim levels.

Nevertheless, the Across is very economical, cheap to run, has an excellent all-electric range and comes in a low tax band, which will appeal to company car drivers.

But the above gets us nicely to the real crux of the matter. The Across is cheaper to lease than the equivalent RAV4, yet the Suzuki is only available as a plug-in hybrid.

And you could also lease a Ford Kuga PHEV for a similar monthly outlay, and the Kuga beats the Across in most departments.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Suzuki Across.

**Correct as of 08/04/2024. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 36 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £3,232.53 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.