The Jimny may be Suzuki’s iconic off-roader, but it was the four generations of the Vitara over the last 27 years that parked thousands of small Suzuki crossovers inside people’s garages.
Which makes it a bit hard to believe that it’s been three years that Suzuki hasn’t had a subcompact crossover since the company discontinued the Vitara in 2022—a significant span of time that brand is now keen to make up for.
And they plan to make up for it in a big way. Enter the all-new and first-ever Suzuki Fronx. I got to drive the Fronx over a couple of days from Suzuki Caloocan all the way to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan (and back) and I can say that the Fronx is well poised to take over where the Vitara left off.
First of all, it’s got the looks. The Vitara wasn’t exactly a head-turner, yet it sold very well in its day. The new Fronx, on the other hand, has much more eye-catching styling.
The highly sculpted front end has the now-de riguer big black grille bracketed on either side by slim DRLs. The triple-lens headlights are mounted low on the bumper in their own distinctive pentagonal-shaped housing.
The side view is equally dynamic, with taut lines and large fender openings that are flattened at the top. The roofline tapers downwards towards the rear, continuing with the sharply raked tailgate, leaving a very sporty side silhouette you’d see in the Honda HR-V and Porsche Macan.
The rear view, often the least flattering for most vehicles, continues the youthful and sport vibe. It looks highly stylized, with lots of detailing on all surfaces, from the backlight to the tailgate to the bumper. The sharply angled backlight gives it a couple-like profile, while the full-width slim-line LED taillamps (that look good at night), roof spoiler, and prominent under-bumper diffuser in matte silver add sporty and upscale elements to the overall design.
Altogether, the Indonesia-made Fronx pulls off a style that should elicit a lot of positive reactions on the road.
Thankfully the interior does not disappoint. It looks great, has excellent build quality, offers good space, and boasts a decent array of comfort and convenience features. You won’t find a sunroof or power seats, but there’s not much else not to like inside the cabin. There’s good head and legroom up front and in the back seat. The gauges are easy to read. You’ll feel soft-touch materials on all touch points. The flagship SGX variant boasts a very upscale black-and-burgundy color theme with high-gloss silver accents.
There are audio and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. The floating infotainment touchscreen isn’t competing to be the largest in its class, but is faultless in its intuitiveness. There is a wireless charging pad on the forward part of the center console (for the SGX variant), USB charging ports for the front and back, and there are AC vents for the rear passengers as well. Plus points also for fitting analog buttons and switches for controls (i.e. side mirrors and AC) that too many new cars now are requiring you to fiddle with on the touchscreen. The old school handbrake lever is a nice analog touch that’ll never get old.
Powering the Suzuki Fronx is a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine or the same 1.5-liter engine paired to Suzuki’s Smart Hybrid system (a mild hybrid system) that makes use of an Integrated Starter Generator and a lithium-ion battery. Three transmission options are available: a 4-speed automatic for the GL variant and a 6-speed automatic (with paddle shifters) for the midrange GLX and top-of-the-line SGX hybrid variants.
On the road, the Fronx proved to be a willing and eager companion. The naturally aspirated engine doesn’t deliver overwhelming power, put it’s peppy enough—and the transmission responsive enough—to feel energetic in city driving. Overtaking on the expressways need only a deeper press on the throttle, although the paddle shifters proved especially useful during our spirited run up the mountain roads around Mt. Samat (to keep the engine in its torque sweet spot).
Riding comfort is top notch for a small vehicle, even over bumps and potholes; while handling proved nimble through the winding roads of Bataan. Steering feel is excellent while the brake pedal proved wonderfully easy to modulate. The stiffness of the chassis and the NVH suppression measures, evident in the low noise levels inside the cabin, likewise proved very impressive.
Best of all, Suzuki’s vaunted fuel economy was at the fore of the Fronx performance. We left Suzuki Caloocan with a full tank and arrived at the Caltex in Pilar Diwa, Bataan (a distance of about 160 kilometers) and needed just 9.3 liters to fill it up again—for a fuel consumption of 17 km/li with my spirited (read: heavy-footed) driving. An official AAP fuel economy run netted a highway figure of 27.98 km/li.
The Fronx SGX range-topper has its share of Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) features in its Suzuki Safety Support, as well as Adaptive Cruise Control, Head-up Display, 360-degree camera, six airbags (dual front, side and curtain) and more.
The Fronx comes in four colors: Magma Gray Metallic, Snow White Pearl (available also in two-tone with a Cool Black Pearl Metallic roof), and Savannah Ivory Metallic and Ice Grayish Blue Pearl Metallic (both in two-tone with Cool Black Pearl Metallic roof).
Prices are as follows: P1,059,000 for the Fronx GL 4AT; P1,219,000 for the Fronx GLX 6AT Hybrid (plus P10,000 for the 2-tone colorways); and P1,299,000 for the flagship Fronx SGX 6AT Hybrid 2-tone.
With top-notch styling, excellent build quality, a spacious interior, solid fuel economy, and polished driving performance, the Suzuki Fronx should very soon be a familiar sight on Philippine roads.
