JUST a couple of week’s to go now with our long term Suzuki Across, but before the final assessment it’s worth an mpg update.

Our first fill up was after 547 miles and the return was 71.9mpg, since then we have covered  further 1,200 miles before our second fill! A return of 148.5 miles to the gallon. Pretty impressive although most of those miles have been fairly short journeys and so the 50 mile electric range has been sufficient. Charging has not been on a daily basis, but probably four times a week on average.

We’ve already reported that the Suzuki Across ticks many of my boxes. Suzuki launched the Across PHEV in Autumn 2020 and last year gave it several technology and standard equipment updates including an on-board AC charger increase to 6kW from 3kW enabling a much faster charging time.

For example, if a 32A Rapid charge facility is used, battery charging time is reduced from 5.30 hours to around 2.45 hours. Charging Across via a lower rated 16A home or public point is now also reduced by 36 minutes to less than 5 hours.

The PHEV system in the Across provides CO₂ emissions of just 22g/km (WLTP regulation) and a very efficient EV range of 46.6 miles – we actually achieved an average of 51mpg during our test. Across also benefits from a company car BIK Tax banding of just 8%.

At the core is a powerful front electric motor that delivers pretty good torque torque at low speeds, combining with a powerful 2.5-litre petrol engine for rapid acceleration at higher speeds. With maximum output of 134kW and 270Nm of torque, the front electric motor draws its energy from an 18.1kWh (50.9 Ah) high-capacity lithium-ion battery mounted beneath the floor.

The Plug-in Hybrid system is equipped with four modes which are: Default EV mode, Auto EV/HV mode, HV mode, and battery charger mode which the driver can select depending on driving conditions and battery status. In EV Mode the vehicle is driven entirely by the power of the electric motor even under full acceleration.

When in Auto EV/HV mode and HV mode, the engine contributes to power delivery when required, such as when the accelerator is pressed strongly. To store electricity for EV mode when the charge is low, the battery charger mode runs the engine to fully re-charge the battery. The powerful lithium-ion battery has 96 cells with a voltage of 355V.

safety credentials include a pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, road sign assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, plenty of airbags and eCall, a system that will contact the emergency services if the vehicle is involved in an accident.

What you see is what you get with the Across which is exclusively sold in as a fully-loaded, one-spec plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. So far so good although a price tag of £45,599 is quite a lot for a Suzuki, but it is something of a halo car and gives the brand a presence in a popular market segment.