Overview

SUZUKI is locked in a fight for survival with burgeoning Chinese brands resulting in a readiness to employ new “weapons” including a change of manufacturing base to reduce costs without needing to rely on short-term government subsidies to remain afloat.

It means Suzuki’s current Jimny XL (four-door) 4WD and new mini SUV, the Fronx, are made in India making both sufficiently cheap enough to face up against new Chinese models, even at the lower end of the market where Suzuki plays its best game.

Country of origin becomes a tactical move, and thanks to mirroring production techniques and equipment – specifically assembly-line robots – customers get essentially the same product as one made in Suzuki’s home country of Japan, while getting it at a Chinese price.

The Fronx is one of Suzuki’s new hopes for Australia and enters the market following the discontinuation of S-Cross and Ignis for reasons of cost, competition and faltering sales.

It's a small car like the Swift and is termed an SUV so sits in a separate category but I’m pretty sure both are hatchbacks… but what do I know?

Despite the less-expensive manufacturing origin, it’s more expensive than the Swift coming in at $28,990 plus on-road costs, a $3000 premium to the less-equipped entry-level Swift automatic.

Suzuki offers a five-year warranty and roadside assistance program with a five-year capped price service program which averages $400 a year with service intervals at 12-months or 15,000km.

Driving impressions

Fronx targets the budget sector and may attract price-conscious people who need mobility, likely live urban and who may not have high expectations in the way a car rides, handles and sounds.

The model is a recent arrival into the Australian market and success may likely be because it ticks those boxes and, at $28,990 (plus costs) is affordable and even comes in nice colours.

Smirk all you want, but Suzuki is not new to the party. Fronx looks neat, attractive even, and is the right size for the couple or single owner.

It’s a smidge under 4000mm long and is 1600mm high and 1765mm wide, so, will fit pretty much anywhere and is a breeze to drive up multi-story carpark ramps.

Surprisingly roomy and well finished the cabin features a bright and generously-sized touchscreen, some storage spaces for the necessities, comfy seats, wireless phone charging and an audio system that tells you it has Android Auto (wired) and Apple CarPlay (wireless).

The 304-litre boot is perfect for placing shopping items out of sight and there’s 605 litres with the seatback down and up to 1009 litres measured to the window sill.

What’s not to like? It’s comfortable in a functional way without having any over-the-top traits.

The seating position is pretty close to perfect and the front pews are heated. There’s tilt and telescopic adjustment in the steering, manual seat movement and all giving good visibility to the surroundings and the instruments.

Safety specs are also up to the mark, with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, warnings for weaving and lane departure. There are baby seat anchors for three seats in the back as an alternative to using the two Isofix fittings.

Suzuki tells us it’s a hybrid and, in a way, it is. Just not the type of hybrid you’ve heard about.

The Fronx hybrid (it’s the only powertrain available in Australia) is like the Swift hybrid by using a starter motor/alternator to give a bit more assistance to the engine – in the Fronx’s case, a 1.5-litre petrol unit driving the front wheels through a six-speed torque converter automatic.

A more accurate description of the way the starter motor helps the petrol engine comes from early 2000s Honda-speak and is called ‘motor assist’.

The Fronx is rated at 76kW/137Nm and claims 4.9 litres per 100km. The test, mainly urban with freeways and CBD work, resulted in a 5.3 L/100km average which is right amongst the best of the “real” hybrids…

The power output is stronger than the 1.2-litre hybrid Swift (60kW/109Nm) but on the road it’s academic.

To be fair, the Fronx gets off the mark smoothly and with a purposeful push as the auto ‘box comes up through the six cogs – certainly a better delivery than the elastic feel of the Swift’s continuously-variable transmission (CVT) box.

For most tasks, the Fronx drives well. It’s smooth and quiet and has enough forward motion to satisfy the exact people who have their hands up for this car.

But don’t expect that docile, peaceful attitude to remain when the hills get steeper or there’s an increase in the traffic tempo. Here, the engine becomes loud and the right pedal that held so much promise in the suburbs just feels disconnected.

The engine strains and the gearbox hunts and all the joy of the car flakes away.

The steering is vague and uncommunicative but it has a light feel which may be the most important item under the ‘road holding’ column for many buyers.

The Fronxis, clearly, not for those who once enjoyed sporty motoring. As I said, it’s made for its target market.

It’s also not particularly made for the rural buyer, given there’s no spare wheel. You may feel better knowing there’s a tyre inflation kit – until you get a sidewall puncture.