Suzuki S-Cross vs Kia Sportage

What's the difference?

There’s no way around it. The S-Cross might have a smart new face and a higher level of safety equipment compared to before, but it still looks like a crossover from the previous decade, lacking some features that fresher machinery now include for the money.

Speaking of which, Suzuki’s decision to import the AWD only versions from Europe further undermines the series, since its circa-$45,000 driveaway price tag puts the old stager in the company of some very impressive newer rivals.

However, with sound packaging, a user-friendly interior, strong turbo performance and composed dynamics, there’s still much to recommend if you’re a small SUV buyer unconcerned about driving the latest thing.

That said, there are more modern and compelling alternatives out there.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

Kia has upped its game with the new Sportage, especially in this circa-$50,000 part of the segment. It is absolutely packed with comfort, tech and safety features and it’s hard to beat when it comes to value. The fact that it offers such an engaging drive experience is a bonus, and a credit to the local team. Look out Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4, the new-gen Sportage may just be the new dynamic pick of the segment.

It’s been reported that Suzuki in Italy was responsible for the restyle. One of its aims was to more-emphatically position the latest S-Cross above the (slightly) smaller Vitara.

The Italian connection is not new to the series, as the preceding SX4 (you’ll still find that badge on the tailgate) was the deft work of renowned design firm Italdesign. It was an early small SUV pioneer back in 2006.

What’s immediately obvious is that the MY23 S-Cross version looks heaps better up front than its angry-faced immediate predecessor. Banishing the fussy toothy grille for a layered multi-LED headlight design and modish chrome-bar grille insert gives the Hungarian-made crossover a bolder and far more contemporary appearance.

What’s more surprising for a facelift is the reshaping of the C-pillar immediately behind the rear doors, swapping out the old triangular back light for a narrower rectangular unit. Along with the harder-edged tailgate, blocker bumpers and raised horizontal tail-light treatments, they reveal the sheer extent of design change that’s occurred. The Suzuki has now at last lost its original Nissan Dualis/Qashqai-esque profile.

However, despite the aid of much larger and now-squared-off wheel arch cladding and repositioned plastic strips along the sides, the carryover doors and roofline do betray the S-Cross’ 2013 vintage in profile.

Will buyers care? The Suzuki still looks good anyway.

There sure is. Kia has been known for strong design for some time now, thanks in large part to a brand transformation led by former Audi designer Peter Schreyer a little over a decade ago.

The third-generation Sportage from 2010 was a game-changer for Kia, with its modern design helping elevate the brand in Australia. The fourth-gen version from 2015 built on that with a much sharper take on Kia’s design language, but the latest model takes it to a whole new level.

Based on Kia’s new 'Opposites United' design language, the new Sportage is undeniably modern, almost radically so, and it makes many of its rivals look staid. To say the Sportage received a lot of attention during our week driving it would be an understatement.

The boldest design elements are up front. The gloss black grille graphic introduces a new take on Kia’s signature ‘tiger nose’ grille, which is surrounded by very cool boomerang-shaped LED daytime running lights that hug the LED headlights.

A darkened D-pillar treatment, bulging rear shoulder line, appealing LED tail-light design, rear tailgate spoiler and sexy 19-inch machined alloy wheels cap off the Sportage’s striking look.

Besides the inherent reliability of buying Suzuki, one of the previous S-Cross’s biggest advantages was its spacious and practical interior.

Of course, dimensionally almost everything carries over, so it remains easy to get in thanks to big doors that open wide. There’s ample space front and rear, with sufficient headroom, legroom and shoulder width for an SUV in this class front and back, while good all-round vision is afforded by a commanding driving position and plenty of glass.

Objectively, the S-Cross’ cabin is difficult to fault.

The front seats are broad but seem supportive enough. Most people should find the right driving position ahead of the (carryover) steering wheel, that adjusts for reach as well as height.

The instrument dials are clear and simple to decipher, aided by the addition of an auxiliary digital speedo (at last). There’s no missing the camera within the newly-elevated centre touchscreen. It’s an easy stretch to the climate control buttons and there are several places to store things in or on, especially in the large-ish glove box.

Front and rear centre armrests are also fitted, with the rears containing cupholders. Additionally, while there is lots of hardwearing plastic, it seems of decent quality and is well glued together.  

Nobody will be intimidated by the unfamiliar in this Suzuki. Timid and perhaps even older drivers in particular ought to feel at home.

However, repositioned centre console and updated multimedia screen apart, it’s much the same as when the first S-Cross surfaced in 2013, and that might be an issue for potential buyers seeking to buy a $45,000 to $50,000 SUV.

More annoyingly, the front passenger seat lacks a cushion height adjuster; there is no physical volume knob for the multimedia system, so users must tap or jab a screen or disturb the driver by using the steering wheel switch instead; the rear seat has no passenger-facing air vents; and the 7.0-inch touchscreen is laughably tiny in 2022.

Plus, the Prestige’s missing equipment as found in some similarly-priced up-spec rivals might put people off; no head-up display, heated seats, wireless charger or configurable instrumentation are just a few of them. It all feels old and not premium enough – something a quick visit to a Kia, Hyundai or Nissan dealer will immediately reveal.

Never mind. At least the rear backrest reclines (a tiny bit) for added comfort, while further back, boot capacity remains the same at 430 litres. The backrest has a 60:40 split and the floor can be positioned in different locations. With the seats folded down, capacity rises to 665L, while maximum volume is 1230L. The load area is flat and wide and a space saver spare wheel is located beneath the boot floor.

Overall, then, the S-Cross is a pleasant and accommodating package, but one that will seem dated compared to newer rivals.

Kia has been kicking serious goals lately when it comes to interior design, comfort and materials. The Sorento is a stellar example of thoughtful and appealing design. Thankfully, the Sportage follows suit.

As is often the case, particularly with Kia and sister brand Hyundai, the higher grades make the entry-level models look like stripped out, bargain basement offerings.

While the Sportage GT-Line has high-end fittings and a massive connected screen, the base Sportage S has none of the fancy tech, a budget screen and it’s missing armrests and more.

However, we are assessing the GT-Line so best to compare with similar rivals.

There’s a lot to like in the cabin, from the soft-touch materials on the dash, to the gloss black and lovely grey woodgrain inserts. There’s no mistaking this for anything but the top-spec model.

Thank goodness for the digital air con controls that sit between the screen and console. You don’t have to fumble through a menu on a screen like some models.

The nicely laid out centre console houses a drive mode selector, seat heating and cooling controls, gear dial (don’t love) two sizeable cup holders you can convert into one big space, and a gear shifter dial instead of the lever found in lower grades.

Kia’s well-designed three-spoke leather-appointed steering wheel houses clear controls and it feels nice to touch.

Cool retro-looking air vents sit on either side of the main screen, which is curved. Actually, it’s two 12.3-inch screens side by side, seamlessly integrated. It’s an interesting approach from Kia, and it works.

The instruments are clear and configurable to show different vehicle information, but it lacks a head-up display. Kia might think it doesn’t require one, but it wouldn’t go astray.

Kia’s multimedia system is a winner. It’s intuitive, simple to navigate and the graphics and icons are modern and visually appealing. Every single one of Kia’s Japanese rivals, except maybe Mazda, take note.

Connecting the phone to Bluetooth is quick and easy and there were no connection issues with the wired Apple CarPlay. Hopefully Kia and Hyundai add wireless CarPlay to higher grade models soon. Many entry grades have the wireless set-up.

Storage-wise a phone fits neatly in to the wireless charging slot that has a sliding cover, and the central bin has enough room but it’s not huge. Same goes for the glove box.

Door bottle storage is tight up front and we couldn’t get thicker bottles in there.

The perforated leather-appointed front seats with synthetic suede look lovely and offer great upper body support, but could to with more under-thigh bolstering. Regardless, they are very comfortable.

Kia has stretched the new Sportage by 175mm in length compared to the old one, which has added 80mm to the wheelbase, and it shows. The second row is so much more spacious than the model it replaced. There’s plenty of toe, knee and legroom and the panoramic sunroof has no impact on headroom back there, even for my six-foot (183cm) frame.

Conveniences back there include lower air vents, two USB-C ports on the rear of the front seats, map pockets on both sides, a storage nook under the vents, a coat hanger hook on the seat backs and a very handy slot for a phone or tablet in the back of the front headrests. Oddly, bottles slot in to the doors more easily in the rear.

Rear seats have some upper body bucketing and are quite comfortable. The centre armrest folds down with two cupholders and the backrests recline. The 60/40 seats can be lowered easily via levers in the boot and they fold close to flat.

It has a full-sized spare wheel under the boot floor and shopping back hooks. With the rear seats up it can swallow 543 litres – more than the old one – and 1829L with the second row stowed. That’s more than the new Mitsubishi Outlander and slightly more than the Toyota RAV4.

The GT-Line turbo-diesel all-wheel drive represents the flagship of the Sportage range. The diesel adds a $3000 premium over the turbo-petrol GT-Line and is priced at $52,370 before on-road costs.

Kia might have shed the cheap and cheerful brand image in recent years, but that doesn’t mean the company has dropped its focus on value-for-money.

As the highest model grade, the GT-Line features niceties like eight-way power front seats, leather-appointed seats with artificial suede, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, alloy sports pedals, an ambient lighting package, wireless phone charging, woodgrain trim, an eight-speaker Harmon Kardon premium sound system, and a curved digital display that combines two 12.3-inch screens – one for multimedia and one for instruments.

The GT-Line is so well equipped that the only available option is premium paint ($520) which was fitted to our test car in striking ‘Vesta Blue’, bringing the total cost to $52,890.

The Sportage competes for sales against a strong list of rivals, including a model that shares its platform and powertrain – the Hyundai Tucson Highlander AWD diesel ($52,000).

Other similarly positioned medium SUVs include the Ford Escape Vignale petrol AWD ($49,590), Honda CR-V VTi LX petrol AWD ($53,200), Mazda CX-5 Akera diesel AWD ($52,580), Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed Tourer petrol AWD ($49,990), Subaru Forester S hybrid AWD ($47,190), Toyota RAV4 Cruiser hybrid AWD ($46,415) and Volkswagen Tiguan 147TDI Elegance diesel AWD ($53,290).

The 2023 S-Cross uses Suzuki’s well-received Boosterjet engine tech.

As before, this means a 1373cc 1.4-litre twin-cam direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, mounted transversely and driving all four wheels via a six-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, with paddle shifters included.

No manual gearbox is available.

Power is rated at 103kW at 5500rpm and the 220Nm torque maximum kicks in from 1500-4000rpm. Kerb weight has jumped 90kg, from 1170kg to 1260kg (1290kg for Prestige), mainly due to the adoption of AWD.

Speaking of which, the AllGrip AWD transmission has four modes – Auto (front-drive only unless loss of traction is detected), Sport (with up to 50 per cent of torque goes to the rear wheels), Snow (offering up to 30 per cent rear-wheel drive) and Lock. Ground clearance is rated at 175mm.

Steering is via an electric rack and pinion set-up, the front suspension is a MacPherson strut-style design and the rear end uses a torsion beam arrangement. All wheels are 17-inch, and each contains a disc brake.

This Sportage GT-Line is powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine pumping out 137kW of power at 4000rpm and 416Nm of torque at 2000-2750rpm.

In terms of outputs, it matches its mechanical twin, the Tucson, and it’s roughly in line with the VW Tiguan (147kW/400Nm), but it’s slightly down on the Mazda CX-5 2.2-litre diesel’s 140kW/450Nm.

All diesel Sportage grades come with all-wheel drive as standard and the transmission is an eight-speed automatic.

The S-Cross averages 6.2 litres per 100km, with a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 145 grams per kilometre. Reflecting a 90kg-odd kerb weight hike, this is up from 5.9L/100km (for a 138g/km rating) in the previous model.

Driven quite hard at times on country roads, our trip computer showed an average of 10L/100km, which actually reflects the S-Cross’ sporty personality... as well as a non-run-in odometer starting mileage of just 180km.

On the flipside, the 1.4-litre turbo prefers the 95 RON premium unleaded brew.

According to Kia’s figures, the Sportage diesel consumes 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle.

We ended our week of testing with 8.9L/100km, which is considerably more than the official claim. Granted, it was a week of very mixed driving – freeway, heavy traffic, inner city and back road testing – so you’d likely get better results in a less erratic week.

The Sportage emits 163g/km of CO2 and has a 54-litre fuel tank.

Here’s the biggest surprise about the new S-Cross: it does not drive like a nine-year old design.

That’s mainly thanks to the energetic and effective performance offered by the 1.4-litre turbo Boosterjet petrol engine. But we can also credit Suzuki’s chassis engineers for creating a smooth and agile handling machine as well.

Let’s start with that powertrain.

Unlike many rivals, the S-Cross benefits from having a torque-converter auto rather than a CVT continuously variable transmission, which means it accelerates off the line seamlessly like the latter, yet changes up and down through each gear ratio with a prompt, discernible step. The gearbox responds instantly if you need to access a lower gear for extra power and does not drone if you floor the throttle for whatever reason.

While having six forward gears might sound a bit too few in 2022, the auto is tuned to work within the turbo engine’s torque band, and so there’s always a ready supply of muscle as required; if you need extra performance, it comes on quickly, strongly and very smoothly, providing the reassurance of fast overtaking power on the open road.

The 1.4T remains one of our favourite powertrains, period, and is by far the best thing about the S-Cross.

Most drivers will also appreciate the light steering, which makes for easy parking as well as effortless low-speed manoeuvrability, so it’s great around town.

However, the steering effort could certainly use a bit more weight at higher speeds, as it’s just too light, especially considering how balanced and predictable the handling and roadholding are. The S-Cross corners with agility and accuracy, and goes exactly where you point the front wheels. Even a little more resistance and feedback from the steering would benefit the driver as a result, especially in wet conditions.

We never had the chance to drive the Suzuki in the rain, so can’t say if the AWD system adds another layer of roadholding grip or confidence. But on gravel, the handling remains neutral and composed, so we hold out hope that the same would also apply over wet roads.

Fitted with quality Continental EcoContact6 tyres, the S-Cross also felt quiet and refined out on the highway roads we tested it on, while offering a decent level of suppleness over bumpier surfaces. Again, a more thorough drive in urban conditions is required to see if the ride quality matches our initial impressions.

Overall, then, the MY23 S-Cross drives and feels like a newer vehicle than its near-decade old design suggests. Much of that is due to the speed and sophistication of its Boosterjet powertrain, but the overall chassis dynamics have long been sound anyway.

We weren’t expecting such a positive driving outcome.

There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the previous Sportage, but it was middle of the pack when it came to dynamics and overall driver engagement.

While I can only speak for the flagship GT-Line diesel here, it’s safe to say the new model represents a big improvement over the outgoing car.

Quite conveniently, I spent the week prior to the Sportage with the Hyundai Tucson Highlander diesel – the direct equivalent to the Sportage tested here.

While I found very little wrong with the Tucson, it lacked a level of driver engagement that gives a car that fun factor.

Despite the two models sharing so much of their underpinnings, the Kia manages to offer that playful dynamism lacking in the Tucson.

To start, the turbo-diesel engine is more responsive in the Sportage, even though the two have identical outputs. There’s a hint of turbo lag, but the Kia delivers its power and torque in a more linear manner.

This responsiveness comes in handy during daily driving around town, but it’s also useful if you need to overtake on a highway.

Steering is heavy even at low speeds and it feels like it pulls back to centre when turning. It could be a little looser on that front, but it’s direct when required.

One of the reasons for the more engaging driving characteristics is Kia’s local ride and handling program. The Sportage has been tuned by locals for local conditions and the team generally does an exceptional job.

The Tucson didn’t get the usual rigorous local tune from Hyundai’s specialists and that’s given the Sportage the edge.

It feels more planted to the road and given its GT-Line badge, it’s been tuned for more enthusiastic driving.

The Sportage doesn't skip on loose edges, even when cornering, and it remains remarkably flat through the twisty stuff.

The eight-speed auto does a good job for the most part, shifting smoothly, but it occasionally hunts for gears when the engine is pushed hard.

The ride quality also impresses. The Sportage is not bothered by speed bumps in urban areas or potholes. The 235/55 R19 tyres have a decent sidewall and help soak up these bumps.

Despite some noticeable road and tyre noise on coarse chip roads, the cabin has a good level of insulation and is generally hushed. The diesel isn’t as agricultural as some, too, so that helps with noise levels. And there was no vibration detected through the steering wheel.

One gripe is that the auto wipers are all but useless. Even when they are on the highest auto setting, they just don’t seem to detect the rain and you have to engage it manually.

All Sportage variants come standard with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, blind spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, multi-collision braking, a safe exit warning, driver attention alert, speed sign recognition and a rear occupant alert.

The GT-Line adds a surround-view monitor, blind spot view monitor and reverse parking collision avoidance assist. 

It is yet to be tested by ANCAP.

Kia’s driver assistance features are well calibrated, with the lane keep assist centring the vehicle between line markings for the most part, and the latest adaptive cruise control proving that it is more intuitive, and, as a result, much smoother, than the system Kia uses in older models like the Cerato.

You have to opt out of the lane keeping aid every time you start the car, and the reverse parking collision avoidance assist can be a little over-zealous if it detects passing cars or even a bush during urban parking manoeuvres, but aside from that the whole set-up is top notch.

Suzuki offers an industry-average five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and roadside assistance.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km, while published basic capped-price servicing is available. In the previous model with exactly the same powertrain, prices started at $239 (years one and five) and reached as high as $429 (year four).

The Sportage comes with Kia’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre factory warranty, and free roadside assistance for one year.

It’s also covered by a seven-year capped-price servicing program that will cost approximately $3500 over the seven-year period. Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km.