Suzuki Fronx is anything but a run-of-the-mill compact SUV

While its usual name was questioned when Suzuki recently rolled out its new crossover compact SUV called the Fronx, it is actually a stroke of genius.

The old saying goes that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”. In other words, the Japanese carmaker is much better off for a debate around a strange name than it would have been for no debate around a mundane designation.

The method behind the madness is said to be a combination of “frontier” and “X”. Suzuki crossed a frontier to enter this segment, while the car is a crossover between an SUV and coupe with its sloping roofline.

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Sibling rivalry

The Suzuki Fronx made such an instant impact that it managed to outsell the model its shares a platform with, the Baleno, in only its second local month. While the very able new Baleno has performed much better than its predecessor in its first year or so, it has never been able to breach the 500-unit mark in a month.

All of 527 new Fronxes − even stranger when in plural − found new homes in September.

The Citizen Motoring recently had the Suzuki Fronx in top spec GLX automatic guise as a house guest for a week to see what all the fuss is about. And its actually quite easy to see.

The designers did a very good job of differentiating it from its Baleno sibling. The front grille design and silver skid plate garnishes fit in perfectly with the new Grand Vitara, while the three-lamp design in the foglight clusters gives the Fronx a unique look.

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Funky styling

You will be forgiven for thinking the lightbar at the rear which connects the taillights might have been inspired by a Range Rover Evoque.

Its ground clearance of 170mm is 20mm higher than the Baleno.

Inside, the layout is similar to the Baleno, but the dual tone black and burgundy finishing does give it some attitude. In GLX spec, the Fronx features a comprehensive spec sheet that includes the likes of class-leading features such as a 360-degree camera and head-display.

The same applies on the safety front, where electric stability control and hill-hold control come standard.
Boot space of 304 litres is 10 litres less than the Baleno.

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Suzuki Fronx for the win

Up front, the Fronx gets its power from the tried and trusted 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine, which sends 77kW and 132Nm to the front wheels four-speed automatic transmission. Similar to the Baleno, you will find joy in this box once you figure out its preferences.

We managed to record fuel consumption of 7.3 L/100km without making any effort to drive it economically.

Overall, the R335 900 Suzuki Fronx GLX automatic offers good value for money. And it is anything but mundane, from its name through to its funky – or rather fronxy – styling.