Is the Suzuki Fronx 2025 worth buying in the UAE?

Abu Dhabi : If your daily commute consists mostly of driving in the city, tackling rush-hour traffic and quick grocery runs, you don’t need a big 4x4. What you need is a compact and efficient car that’s easy to drive and reliable – being affordable is a big plus too. This is where the Suzuki Fronx 2025 tries making a good case for itself.

In a market that’s vastly ruled by large and expensive SUVs, car buyers in the UAE tend to gloss over subcompact crossovers. Occupying the same segment as the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, and Nissan Magnite, the new Fronx was launched in the UAE in July 2023. It uses the Suzuki Heartect B platform, which also underpins the Swift and Baleno hatchbacks.

Variants and Price

In the UAE, which has its fair share of affordable cars from various brands, price becomes a deciding factor for most buyers. This just so happens to be one of the trump cards of the Suzuki Fronx 2025. The base GL variant of the new Fronx starts at around AED 60,000, representing decent value for price-conscious buyers.

For those who are seeking even more from their purchase, there’s the Fronx GLX. This is the most feature-loaded variant of the Suzuki crossover, and it’s priced at around AED 68,000 in the UAE. Its value quotient hinges on offering buyers a more wholesome ownership experience by way of additional standard equipment.

Retailed exclusively by Al Rostamani in the UAE, the Suzuki Fronx 2025 can be had with a 3-year/100,000 km manufacturer warranty. Suzuki UAE has its showrooms located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. If you’re good at haggling, there are good deals to be had on the Fronx (or any new Suzuki car).

Exterior

You need to walk into the showroom fully understanding that the Suzuki Fronx is a small crossover SUV, where the ‘SUV’ bit is forthcoming mostly in the brochure. It’s just 3,995 mm long, 1,765 mm wide, and 1,550 mm tall. Suzuki’s designers have leaned heavily into this whole coupe SUV styling, and that becomes apparent the moment you look at the Fronx in profile.

It begins with the steeply sloped roofline, which culminates at the back where it meets the equally raked D pillars. Since the Fronx is available with contrasting two-tone colours, the roof (and the pillars) can be finished in black or have the same colour as the rest of the car. Enhancing the styling here are faux roof bars finished in silver, a shark-fin antenna, and a rear spoiler.

The rear of the Fronx looks trendy and sporty. It gets a full-width LED bar that immediately grabs your attention, plus compact LED taillights with a blacked-out housing. The back bumper is large and looks bulky, but a fake air diffuser finished in silver limits any visual awkwardness. There’s chrome garnish under the side windows, square wheel arches, 16-inch two-tone alloy wheels, and flared fenders.

The Fronx’s face is striking, communicating boldness mixed with equal doses of sportiness and modernity. A large Suzuki logo with chrome wings takes centre stage alongside sleek LED DRLs and a silver-finish lower lip. The bulbous protrusions on the otherwise chiselled front bumper house the Fronx’s triple-LED headlamps. It’s clear that the Fronx relies a lot on its extroverted exterior to be noticed, which is A-OK.

Interior

Going by the exterior dimensions of the Suzuki Fronx 2025, you’d expect a fairly small boot. Such a metred expectation is justified, because that’s precisely what you get – the Fronx’s boot is a semi-decent 308 litres. You can fit two medium-size travel bags plus a couple of soft bags in it, not much else. Step inside the Fronx and you’ll be greeted with a striking-looking dashboard.

The busy-looking dashboard has a multitude of colours and textures, all vying for your attention. There are three interesting features in this interior, starting with a premium-feeling leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel. Then there’s the compact but user-friendly HVAC controls that are housed in a panel finished in piano black. Finally, placed above the centre AC vents is a chunky infotainment screen.

The Fronx gets automatic climate control and a 9-inch touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay & Android Auto. There’s a 6-speaker sound system, Suzuki voice assistant, wireless phone charging, USB A & C ports, paddle shifters, cruise control, and push-button start. Finding a convenient driving position is easy thanks to the tilt-adjustable steering and height-adjustable driver’s seat. Also, the fabric seats are well-padded and comfortable enough.

If you’re on the taller side, the rear seats of the Suzuki Fronx 2025 will be tight. That sloping roofline looks good on the outside, but it eats into the headroom on the inside. The small rear windows and dark cabin theme look sporty at first, but this space can feel dingy at times.

There’s decent kneeroom in the back, along with a seatback storage, two USB charging ports, and rear AC vents for added practicality. However, the protruding tunnel on the floor means that the rear seats of the Fronx are best suited for two people. The front occupants get more space, though the narrow cabin doesn’t leave much wriggle room. And while there’s some soft trim, the Fronx’s cabin is dominated by hard plastic.

Engine and Performance

When considering any affordable city car, one of the most important factors that buyers prioritise is fuel economy. The Suzuki Fronx 2025 doesn’t disappoint on this front. Its 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine is assisted by a 12V mild-hybrid system for extra efficiency. Suzuki claims a fuel economy of 21.1 kmpl or 4.7 L/100 km – excellent numbers for a city car.

There’s automatic engine stop-start, too. Overall, you also get nearly 102 hp and 137 Nm of torque, which will be adequate for most city dwellers. A 6-speed automatic transmission handles the power coming from the engine, sending it only to the front wheels. The Suzuki Fronx might look sporty, but it is definitely not a fast car as 0-100 kmph takes between 12-12.5 seconds.

Since this powertrain is primarily designed for maximum efficiency, pushing it hard will not reward you as you might expect. Instead, it’s better to drive the Fronx at a leisurely pace and reap the benefits of its innate frugal nature. It handles quite well and also deals with road imperfections surprisingly maturely given its size. The top speed of the Suzuki Fronx is around 165 kmph.

Safety

Despite its thrifty price tag, the Suzuki Fronx 2025 comes with a decent list of modern safety features in the UAE. The most noteworthy mentions include a head-up display, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, 360-degree cameras, electronic stability program, and 6 airbags.

The Fronx also has a rear window defogger, ISOFIX anchor points, hill-hold assist, rear parking sensors. However, it misses out on front parking sensors and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The latter should be a mandatory requirement for all new cars sold in the UAE, regardless of their price.

Conclusion

So, is the Suzuki Fronx 2025 worth buying in the UAE? If you’re looking for an efficient and affordable city runabout that looks good and isn’t bereft of modern features, you should consider the Suzuki Fronx. It may not be thrilling to drive or boast a premium cabin with loads of space, but the Fronx combines value for money with appreciable Japanese reliability quite effortlessly.