Lotus Emira vs Suzuki S-Cross

What's the difference?

Lotus - it’s one of the most iconic names in the history of automobiles and was once Great Britain’s answer to Ferrari - on the road and the Formula One circuit. 

But that was a long time ago, in the 1960s and ‘70s. Since then Lotus has been on a rollercoaster ride through various owners who put in various levels of investment, resulting in various degrees of success.

But through it all, Lotus has stayed true to the ethos of company founder, Colin Chapman - ‘simplify, then add lightness.’ It’s obviously a playful saying, but it spoke to the core elements of Lotus cars, agility and driving purity.

Lotus rarely worried about big, powerful engines and instead focused on creating the best-handling cars.

That was the past, though, because Lotus Cars is now owned by Geely, the Chinese automotive giant that also counts Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and more under its control.

Geely’s vision for Lotus is very different to what has come before, with a future focused on building electric SUVs and sedans; such as the already released Eletre and Emeya.

All of which is a very long way to get us to the car we’re actually testing - the MY24 Lotus Emira.

This is the last petrol-powered sports car from Lotus, and while it has been available already with a V6 engine, it has recently arrived with a Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder turbo.

Given its place in the grand scheme of things, the Emira not only needs to live up to the legacy of the iconic models that came before it, but also needs to lay the foundations for the brand’s electric future. Which is a lot of pressure for one car to carry…

Would you consider a European-made small SUV with a terrific turbo engine from one of our all-time favourite hot hatches, a reliable torque-converter auto, ample room for five plus luggage, and all from under $40K?

You’d be at the very least a bit curious, right?

Behold the latest Suzuki S-Cross! Okay. It’s been around the sun nearly a dozen times. And you can clock its age in a couple of key areas.

But this crossover from the class of 2013 is not even close to being the oldest-in-show (stand up, Mitsubishi ASX). And, as our testing revealed, the S-Cross can still teach far newer rivals like the Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, Haval Jolion and Subaru Crosstrek a thing or two.

Because thoughtful design is timeless. Time, then, to crack open the S-Cross.