SUZUKI SWIFT HYBRID GLX

Wow. Considering that Toyota launched its first hybrid in 2001. It beggars belief that it took Suzuki until 2024 — 23 years later — to release its first hybrid offering. Talk about dragging the chain. Not only that, but it has been added to a small fuel efficient hatchback that arguably doesn’t really need it — the Swift. The Hamamatsu-based company has however taken a slightly different approach, because the hybrid does not directly power the wheels. So let’s take a closer look at this latecomer to a party that… Read more

SUZUKI S-CROSS ALLGRIP PRESTIGE

Originally known as the SX4, the current model dates back to 2021 and shares its chassis with the Vitara. S-Cross brought a major makeover in styling, with a new front and rear-end design. Inside, the dashboard was updated, with an instrument cluster and 4.2-inch LCD multi-info display from Vitara, A floating 7.0-inch touchscreen became the focus of the infotainment system. Driver assistance was also upgraded with a 360 degree camera, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Interior space remains exactly the same as the previous generation. The SX4 S-Cross… Read more

SUZUKI IGNIS – A LITTLE BIG CAR

  Suzuki Ignis first went on sale in Australia as a three- or five-door tall hatchback. It was discontinued in 2005 before returning in 2016 with a similar shape than before but now with the very popular SUV acronym. At just 3.7 metres long and just under 1.7 metres wide Ignis is the smallest SUV on the Australian market where it competes against larger compact SUVs like Kia Stonic and Hyundai Venue. If we accept that Ignis is really a tall hatchback there’s also the Kia Picanto which is marginally… Read more

TOYOTA CROSSES OVER WITH ITS LATEST SUV

After a long period when Toyota’s smallest SUV, the RAV4, grew into a mid-sized model leaving the compact field open to numerous competitors from other brands, it now has three vehicles in contention, Yaris Cross, C-HR and now, the subject of this week’s review, the Corolla Cross. Although it sits on the same platform as the Corolla hatch, the Cross has a totally different body as befitting an SUV. The styling is quite conservative but that’s unlikely to deter the typical Toyota buyer who prefers function over fashion. There are… Read more

JIMNY CRICKET! SUZUKI STAR STOOD DOWN

Picking up the new Jimny press car, I asked the Suzuki man when a prospective buyer would be able to take delivery of the test car variant, a GLX three-door automatic. “Try next year,” he replied. It gets worse. Suzuki Australia says unprecedented demand and the global computer chip issue, have stalled the MY23 Jimny three-door automatic until production catches up. Customers with an order already inked, can keep waiting or switch to the bigger five-door, due Down Under later this year. The three-door Lite manual is still available to… Read more