USED BUYER'S GUIDE Suzuki Across

FROM £22,000 Brand's first PHEV makes a lot of sense as a used buy - thanks to help from Toyota

- Richard Dredge

WHEN is a Toyota RAV4 not a Toyota RAV4? Answer: when it's a Suzuki Across (pronounced A-Cross). As soon as Toyota bought a 4.9 per cent stake in Suzuki in 2019, it was inevitable that the two companies would share resources. But Suzuki went way beyond that with the Across: it simply stuck its own badges onto Toyota's popular mid-size SUV, and it's none the worse for that.

The RAV4 is a great car, but many Suzuki owners are very loyal to their local dealer, so by offering a rebadged RAV4 it opened up a new market for Suzuki. But not a very big one...

HISTORY

THE Suzuki Across arrived in the UK in November 2020. There was just one model available: a 302bhp plug-in hybrid with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and two electric motors. An 18.1kWh battery was fitted, while every Across came with four-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission.

Just one high-spec trim level was offered, priced at £45,599. From summer 2022 the on-board AC charger was increased from 3kW to 6kW, to bring charging times down (at home and when using public chargers), while much of the interior lighting was upgraded to LED, and some of the minor switchgear gained illumination. You can tell the updated cars by their USB-C charging ports inside; earlier cars had type A ports.

WHICH SHOULD I BUY?

ALL you have to decide is what colour you want and what mileage suits you best. Having said that, there are very few high-mileage Acrosses, with most examples yet to go beyond the 30,000-mile mark.