Similar to the relationship between the Toyota Glanza and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, where Maruti Suzuki was manufacturing the cars for Toyota, the Suzuki Across will be made by Toyota for Suzuki. It does share more than a passing resemblance to the Toyota RAV4 it’s based on, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, although the ACross has been tweaked slightly to differentiate it from the RAV4. Under the hood is a plug-in hybrid powertrain shared with the RAV4 PHEV.
What’s new?
For starters, the front end gets slightly slimmer headlights, a larger single-piece grille and wider foglamp surrounds. Down the side, the two are almost exactly the same, down to the plastic cladding and the horizontal line connecting the rear passenger window and the spoiler. The rear is largely unchanged too, save for the Suzuki badging. The ACross will be the brand’s biggest SUV when it goes on sale internationally, measuring 4635mm in length, 1855mm wide, 1690mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2690mm.
Under the hood
The Across gets a 2.5-litre petrol engine, paired with two electric motors. The ICE generates 172bhp, while the electric motor on the front puts out 179bhp and 270Nm of torque, and the one on the rear is good for 53bhp and 121Nm of torque. Combined output figures have not been revealed yet, but the RAV4 makes 297bhp with this powertrain so expect the ACross to do the same.
The ACross is currently only for the European market, where it will be launched in the coming months. We don’t expect the ACross to come to India, though it will surely fortify Maruti Suzuki’s SUV lineup if it does. However, since in India Maruti Suzuki is the one supplying cars, don’t hold your breath on it.