Suzuki S-Cross vs Suzuki Jimny

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.

The Suzuki Jimny XL is still very much a Jimny, just stretched.

It’s pretty ordinary on-road, it’s on the wrong side of small – especially in terms of its cargo-carrying ability – and it’s still an exercise in driver-adaptability because it’s so basic, bouncy and requires so much effort to keep it driving in a straight line. 

But if you’re willing to fully embrace the fun and cop a few of those compromises along the way, you won’t be disappointed. 

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.

The standard Suzuki Jimny is 3965mm long, 1645mm wide, 1725mm high and has a kerb weight of 1185kg.

The Jimny XL is 340mm longer than the three-door Jimny (so it’s 3985mm from end to end if you need help with your maths) and its wheelbase is 2590mm (up from 2250mm), but it remains the same width and height, 1645mm and 1720mm, respectively, as the three-door Jimny.

In terms of appearance, it looks like what it is: a stretched and heavier Jimny with a couple of extra doors. It retains that distinctive retro-cool boxy shape of its smaller stablemate.

The interior is seemingly a homage to the basic but functional cabins of 4WDs of yesteryear.

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.

The Jimny interior is basic but comfortable, erring on the side of practical rather than anything that could ever be accused of being posh. And that spartan approach gels with the Jimny’s off-road orientation.

The cabin of the XL is the same as the smaller Jimny’s – cloth seats, hard, durable plastics – and it all feels as if you could hose it out if you got the urge, although I wouldn’t recommend that, of course.

Everything, including the controls, is really practical. The buttons and dials are big so you can find them and operate them even during particularly bouncy 4WDing.

The cabin is simply a very usable and user-friendly space. 

One of the more important things to note in the XL is the fact that it is longer. There is a bit more room inside the cabin, in general, with plenty of head, shoulder and legroom in the two-seater rear pew.

In other good news, you get a tiny bit more space in the rear cargo area than you would in the three-door Jimny. Not a whole lot, but enough to give you some more flexibility in terms of what, and how much, you can pack back there.

With the second-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 211L. With the second row stowed away, there’s a claimed 332L of cargo space.

The Suzuki Jimny is a four-seater wagon with a price-tag of $34,990, excluding on-road costs.

It’s available with a five-speed manual gearbox or four-speed auto transmission. We have the manual.

Standard equipment includes a 9.0-inch (up from 7.0 inch) touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto), AEB, adaptive cruise control (on auto variants), rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, LED headlights and 15-inch alloys.

Exterior paint options include 'Arctic White Pearl', 'Chiffon Ivory Metallic' (plus optional Black Pearl roof), 'Bluish Black Pearl', 'Granite Grey Metallic', 'Sizzling Red Metallic' (plus optional Black Pearl roof), and 'Jungle Green'.

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.

The five-door Jimny has the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the three-door – and that produces 75kW at 6000rpm and 130Nm at 4000rpm.

The Jimny punts along simply because it is so small and light, even in XL form, but the engine is a little bit wheezy for this bigger Jimny.

It has a part-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range and off-road traction control.

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.

The Suzuki Jimny has an official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 6.4L/100km.

I recorded 11.6L/100km on this test which seems a bit steep but, as always, I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing and, as mentioned earlier, I did have to sink the right boot in quite often to maintain momentum to get through the more challenging sections of terrain.

The five-door Jimny has a 40L fuel tank, so, going by my fuel figures, a full tank should give you a driving range of about 345km.

However, if you use the official fuel figures in your calculation, a full tank should give you a driving range of about 625km.

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.

The Jimny XL, though longer, and heavier than the three-door Jimny, is still so small, light and nimble that those characteristics are a help and a hindrance.

A help because the XL is easy to steer anywhere – city streets, shopping centre car parks and suburbia. And more importantly, it’s one of the easiest 4WDs to manoeuvre into a parking spot.

A hindrance because it is so small and light that it takes countless minor steering corrections while driving to keep the XL steering in a straight line. And that can be very tiring. 

It’s also easily unsettled by irregular surfaces, strong wind and large passing trucks.

You’d think because the XL is 90kg heavier than the three-door Jimny it wouldn’t exhibit those characteristics quite so much, but while it’s marginally better at managing all of those challenges than the standard Jimny, it’s by small increments.

The Jimny XL feels underpowered and vulnerable, especially on highways. Hit 100km/h or so and it feels like the Zook shouldn’t be pushed any harder.

Ride is firm and jittery via a light narrow body on a ladder-frame chassis and coil springs.

However, the Jimny is fun and highly manoeuvrable off-road. Not because of any mechanical or off-road traction control systems, but because it's so small and light.

The Jimny has part-time 4WD (with high- and low-range 4WD) and an 'AllGrip Pro' system of driver-assist tech that includes hill descent control, hill hold assist and more – all adequate in terms of performance.

This is a real 4WD with a full ladder-frame chassis and rigid axles front and rear. It exists in a vehicular realm occupied by other purpose-built 4WDs such as the Ford Ranger Raptor, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series and Land Rover Defender.

And because of its size, offering up plenty of visibility and with a wheel at each corner, the Jimny is, as mentioned, very easy to steer through rough terrain, because the driver knows exactly where the tyres are at any time.

The Jimny XL has decent off-road angles. Approach is listed as 36 degrees, departure is 47, ramp-over is 24, but this 4WD is not as naturally suited to off-roading as the three-door.

Ground clearance is 211mm and wading depth is unlisted but likely around 300mm.

In 4WD 'High' or 'Low', the Jimny simply keeps on trucking through rough terrain. It doesn't have a diff lock, but because it's so small and light it still manages quite nicely without one.

You have to use plenty of throttle, keeping the revs up and wheels spinning in order to get the most out of that traction control, but that's part of the fun.

However, for the exact reasons it is such a lively drive on-road and such an engaging drive off-road, the Jimny faces a few substantial challenges on tough terrain.

This 4WD demands its driver be fully dialled-into the experience, fully committed, and, while that’s a characteristic I really like, it will exhaust some people.

The Jimny requires constant micromanagement of the steering, transmission and the vehicle itself simply to keep it on track. And that can quickly become tiring, especially if you're not used to it. 

Because it's so small and light, the Jimny can be unsettled by corrugations, shallow and deep, skipping around lightly as it attempts to maintain traction and momentum.

Also, while low-range 4WDing, any dramatic changes in the terrain or driving conditions – an abrupt wheel drop into a deep rut, or a shift in onboard load, or a wind gust while driving up a rocky hill – can create instantly tricky, even serious, issues for the Jimny to overcome.

As always, standard tyres (Bridgestone Dueler H/L 195/80 R15) are fine for sealed surfaces and some light-duty off-roading but if you’re planning to drive on anything more than well-maintained formed trails then invest in a set of decent all-terrains.

It has a full-sized spare wheel mounted on the rear door.

On a minor niggling note, there's a lot of in-cabin noise on any track surface, and a noticeable transmission whine.

In terms of weights and practicality for packing, gross vehicle mass (GVM) is listed as 1545kg, 110kg more than the three-door Jimny . But the vehicle weighs 90kg more than the three-door, so there’s that…

Payload is listed as 360kg. Towing capacity is 350kg (unbraked) and 1300kg (braked).

The Suzuki Jimny XL does not have an ANCAP safety rating, because it has not been assessed yet.

As standard it has six airbags (dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting curtain), AEB, lane departure warning, a rear-view camera, hill descent control and more.

It has two ISOFIX child-seat attachment points in the back seat as well as two top tethers.

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 Suzuki Jimny has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Servicing is scheduled for every 12 months/15,000km.

Over five years you'll be in for a high of $589 and a low of $349 for an annual service, the average being $453 per service over that period. Not outrageous, but not exactly cheap.