THERE was something more than a little sad about the Basset Hound countenance of the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross when it arrived with us in October 2013, writes William Scholes.
If you started at the back of the S-Cross and wandered round the side, you would be greeted with a pretty much standard interpretation of the middle-of-the-road crossover, in the mould of something like the Nissan Qashqai.
There was nothing here to offend the modest or frighten the horses, just neat and tidy five-door hatchback-meets-SUV styling.
But once you looked at the front of the car, with its sad, droopy headlamps and big bottom lip of a grille, it was difficult to shake off the idea that it had suffered some sort of tragedy or was afflicted with a terrible burden.
Maybe it was the fact that it had a particularly clunky name, but the SX4 S-Cross looked like it had a bad case of melancholia, as if it had its head down, shoulders stooped and wanted to shuffle past unnoticed.
I was clearly not the only one to think that the S-Cross needed a bit of a gee up in the cosmetic stakes; rarely has the term 'facelift' been more apt than when applied to the mid-life overhaul that the S-Cross underwent late last year.
The biggest change is at the front of the car. A glitzy chrome-tipped grille now stands proud, flanked by LED headlamps and atop a chunky bumper; gone is the Droopy dog visage, now the S-Cross looks like it is baring its teeth. Or receiving some particularly aggressive orthodontic treatment.
Either way, it's a big improvement on the apologetic appearance of the original car. And, even if not everyone is likely to approve of the boldness of the new front end, at least it no longer melts into the background.
Other exterior changes include a higher bonnet, to give the S-Cross a more conventional SUV-lite silhouette, spangly LED lights front and rear, and beefed up body cladding. The car also sits a little higher than before, with ground clearance increased by 15mm to 180mm.
The cumulative effect of all these changes is to give the S-Cross stronger presence and, in the eye-catching 'energetic red' paintwork of the test car at least, it has now attained a certain level of desirability.
This is all good news, but there is better to come if you are a 'beauty is more than skin deep' sort of punter.
Suzuki has pensioned off the gutless old 1.6-litre that used to fulfil petrol engine duties and replaced it with two of its excellent Boosterjet units. We have already tried these in the Vitara and Baleno, and greatly approve of them.
These are high-tech turbocharged petrol engines in the modern 'downsized' vein.
In the S-Cross, the 1.0-litre three-cylinder Boosterjet makes 110bhp - around 10bhp less than the defunct 1.6-litre petrol - but is around 10 per cent better when it comes to torque, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
It is also smoother and quieter and feels a whole lot quicker than its modest 0-62mph time of 11.0 seconds and 112mph top speed might suggest.
The other Boosterjet choice is a 1.4-litre four-cylinder with 138bhp and 162lb.ft.
The petrol engines are so good that it is easy to overlook the diesel alternative. Arguably, even if the petrols were not quite as sparky and appealing as they are, the S-Cross's 1.6-litre diesel, which pairs 118bhp with a stocky 236lb.ft of torque, might be best overlooked. It's a Fiat engine and really, unless high mileages make diesel a must for you, it is probably best avoided. Progress is best described as leisurely.
Go for the 1.0-litre or diesel and you can have your S-Cross with front- or four-wheel-drive; the 1.4-litre car is all-wheel-drive only.
The 1.0-litre gets a five-speed manual gearbox as standard, with the 1.4-litre and diesel getting six-speed units. Either petrol engine can be specified with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Four-wheel-drive is something of a Suzuki hallmark. Suzuki calls its set-up Allgrip, and prefers to spell its name in capital letters to shout about how good it is.
It has reason to be proud of it, too, for the system found in the S-Cross is excellent. It differs from most offered in this class of vehicle by allowing the driver to control it via a rotary dial.
It can be left in 'auto', which channels torque to the front wheels unless the car detects wheel spin and brings the rear axle into play, or switched into a 'sport' mode. This noticeably sharpens the car's handling and agility, as if it is standing on its tip-toes, and brings the four-wheel-drive system into play "in accordance with accelerator inputs".
'Snow' mode is selected for super-slippery conditions and uses all-wheel-drive by default, and a 'lock' function works with the limited slip differential to help extract the car from tricky conditions.
Elsewhere under the skin, Suzuki has also retuned the S-Cross's suspension for more comfort.
Cars in this category are rarely particularly exciting to drive, but the Suzuki is a heap of fun.
It helps, a lot, that the car is a so light to begin with. The leanest model has a kerb weight of 1,160kg - there are heavier superminis - which is very impressive for a full five-seater crossover.
Allied to the zippy Boosterjet engine, it means that even the 1.0-litre test car feels agile and responsive in a way that the approximately closest variety of Nissan Qashqai simply doesn't. This is partly explained by any Qashqai using Nissan's 1.2-litre petrol engine being around 100kg heavier - and that in a car without the Suzuki's four-wheel-drive system.
Only lifeless steering lets the side down, but the S-Cross's chassis and controls have a nicely resolved feel to them and the suspension feels very much in tune with the lumps and bumps of Northern Ireland's roads.
It is also a highly effective family car. There is space for five, a big boot and while the plastics tend to the robust rather than the plush, that feels entirely appropriate for the sort of school run/family hold-all/commute to work/weekend shopping kind of life that cars like the S-Cross are destined to lead.
Three trim levels are available, climbing from SZ4 to SZ-T and SZ5. The S-Cross is well kitted out even in SZ4 form, with a DAB radio, seven airbags, Bluetooth, air conditioning, alloy wheels, cruise control with speed limiter and heated door mirrors on the specification sheet.
SZ-T models gets LED headlamps, satnav, a rear parking camera, front and rear parking sensors and roof rails.
SZ5 adds leather seats, which are heated in the front, and a very large sliding panoramic sunroof.
All are really good value for money; the cheapest model would allow you to buy a copy of the Irish News and still give you change from £15,000.
It means the S-Cross is a lot of car for the money, though that's not the only reason it should be on your shopping list.
The Suzuki has a broad range of abilities, is good to drive and makes for sensible, robust family transport. It is also a likeable wagon - and despite years of looking down in the dumps, it really does have something to be happy about after all.
:: AT A GLANCE
Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 1.0 SZ-T
Price: £19,499. As tested: £19,929, with metallic paint £430
Engine and transmission: 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol turbo, five-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel-drive; 109bhp, 125lb.ft
Performance: Top speed 112mph, 0-62mph in 11.0 seconds
Fuel consumption: 56.4mpg (EU combined); 44.8mpg (real world)
CO2, car tax, benefit in kind: 113g/km - £160 in first year, then £140 annually - 21 per cent
Euro Ncap safety rating: Five stars (92/80/72/81), 2013
