• Distinctly different interior and materials to other Suzukis
• High quality, but a lot of dark grey trim
• Loads of tech

How is the quality and layout?

Compared to Suzuki’s other cars, the Across feels like it’s from another planet inside. There are soft-touch stitched dashboard trims, electrically-adjustable and supportive front seats and high levels of sound deadening that makes the cabin eerily silent. That’ll be because it’s fundamentally a Toyota.

As such, it’s well-executed and well-made, but there’s very little glitz or glamour for a car at this price. The Mercedes GLB is far more premium, and even the Peugeot 3008 seems higher class.

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It’s tough and rugged, though. The heater controls are chunky and rubberised, for example, which means you can operate them while wearing gloves. The footwells are wide, which means its easy to jump in and out of the car while wearing bulky outdoorsy gear, such as wellies or walking boots. The footwells are square, too, so fitting carpet-saving aftermarket rubber floor mats shouldn’t be difficult.

Move towards the rear of the Across’s interior and you’ll find larger expanses of rugged black plastic. That’s not such a bad thing, though, because it’s easy to clean. This is an SUV you can actually use for garden centre, car boot sale and tip runs, instead of worrying that your cargo has destroyed half of your interior.

Infotainment and tech

The dashboard is dominated by the 9.0-inch infotainment system. We find this crude compared with the systems you’ll find in many rivals, including the Ford Kuga, Mercedes-Benz GLB or Volkswagen Tiguan. What’s more, the Across misses out on the factory-fitted satnav and connected services available in the Toyota RAV4, and you can’t get the Toyota’s JBL sound-system upgrade as an option, either.

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The Across does feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, though, which should cover all of your guidance and streaming needs as long as you have an appropriate smartphone. During his long-term test, former Parkers Deputy Editor Murray Scullion made a point of commentating how smoothly and fuss-free these third-party connectivity solutions worked in the Across.

Comfort

• Sports seats are wide, supportive, but still squashy
• Refinement is impressive
• Engine is rarely heard

The wide and supportive front seats work well on the motorway, offering up just the right level of squidge to keep you comfortable on long journeys.

The Suzuki Across rarely gets noisy on the move, using the ample battery capacity to keep revs down unless it’s being driven particularly hard. Around town we’ve found it near-silent, using electric power as much as possible. There’s also only a muted sound to signal the times when the battery is being charged by the engine.