Used tow car test Suzuki SX4 S-cross (2013-present)
This award-winning SUV is a superbly efficient tow car, says Euan Doig
THE SUZUKI SX4 S-cross is basically the four-wheeled equivalent of the SAS. Honest.
Now, we’re not saying that the Suzuki SUV is a stone-cold killer with ice in its veins. No: the SX4 S-cross simply gets on with any towing task you assign it to, and does so quietly and efficiently, without making the slightest bit of fuss.
Think of the last time that you spotted an SX4 S-cross towing. You can’t, can you? See? Stealthy. But the really good news is, there are excellent bargains out there.
What’s it like inside?
Given the SX4 S-cross’s small(ish) exterior dimensions, you could perhaps be forgiven for thinking only a family of Smurfs would fit inside – but you’d be wrong.
A couple of average-sized adults will have more than enough space, and there’s loads of adjustment in the driving position for people of all sizes to get comfortable. Better still, generous door widths make getting into and out of the car reasonably easy, even if your mobility isn’t what it was.
If you have a couple of gangly teenagers in tow, we’d advise against a model with the panoramic sunroof, because this does steal rather a lot of headroom. However, legroom is acceptable in the back.
The boot, meanwhile, is at least a match for those in big-name rivals, such as the Nissan Qashqai, and comes with the benefit of an adjustable-height floor. This allows you to set it at its lowest for ultimate space, or higher for ease of loading and the ability to hide valuables out of sight beneath it.
The car’s interior plastics are of the ‘built to last’ variety, rather than the ‘built to feel nice’ sort, but that means they’ll fend off all that you can throw at them. In addition, the interior controls are easy to operate.
How does it drive?
There are petrol and diesel options available for the SX4 S-cross, and both are perfectly respectable. The 1.6-litre diesel provides 236lb ft of torque, which means it’s pretty strong. The downside is that it’s noisy when accelerating, although it does settle down once up to speed. The four-wheel drive also gives it plenty of traction.
The 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol is pretty sweet, too, and doesn’t feel overwhelmed when towing. Bear in mind, however, that you will only be able to tow a caravan with a maximum weight of 1370kg (for the diesel 1.6 DDIS SZ5 model), and less if you’re to stick to the advised 85% rule, or choose a petrol.
Still, the vehicle is pretty stable when towing, so long as you get used to some slight movements. It can struggle a little during lane-change manoeuvres, though, so you do need to be aware of this.
It has no problem with hill starts, and stopping is accomplished quickly and safely.
Verdict
Suzuki’s SX4 S-cross is actually a far more capable towing machine than you might think, and won its category at the Tow Car Awards in 2017. We would go for the 1.6-litre diesel version, which is strong and pretty stable, and shouldn’t cost that much to run.
‘The SX4 S-cross has no problem with hill starts, and stopping is accomplished quickly and safely’