Across PHEV is the RAV4 with Suzuki badges

Suzuki Across PHEV is the badge-engineered twin of the RAV4

This year, the Philippine market is getting its first taste of the ToyoZuki collaboration. Suzuki will be launching the eVitara, while Toyota will bring out what’s essentially the T-badged version of the same car with the Urban Cruiser EV.

In case you don’t know, that’s how the dynamics of the ToyoZuki collaboration works since they started it a few years ago. Suzuki usually badge engineers larger vehicles from Toyota, while Toyota, on the other hand, leverages Suzuki’s expertise by sticking its badge on the smaller vehicles.

Speaking of which, the latest ToyoZuki creation has come out, and it’s called the Suzuki Across. It’s essentially the Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid, but comes with Suzuki’s badges.

There’s very little difference between the Across and the RAV4, just like the previous generation. The design elements are identical to the RAV4 with the distinct grille, the rugged fender cladding, and the generally sharper styling compared to its predecessor.

Inside, Suzuki simply stuck the S badge to the steering wheel of the Across and called it a day. The dashboard layout, the instrument screens, the infotainment unit, and even the heads-up display were taken from the RAV4.

For the powertrain, Suzuki chose the most powerful in the Toyota RAV4 lineup for the Across – a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with two electric motors complementing it, forming the plug-in hybrid system and making a combined 324 PS. The E-Four AWD system electronically manages torque distribution between all four wheels, while different drive modes such as Normal, Eco, Sport, and Trail are available to suit various driving conditions.

Standard ADAS features such as adaptive cruise control, pre-collision systems, and lane change assists are also present in the Across. Those are basically some of the Toyota Safety Sense features seen in the RAV4, but obviously marketed in different terms for the Suzuki crossover.

As much as it could be a nice addition to Suzuki Philippines’ lineup, the Japanese brand only intends to offer it in the European market. So, spoiler alert, we might not see the Across anytime soon in the country.