2025 Suzuki Fronx review: More than just an unusual name?

Suzuki’s Australia’s line-up is in a bit of a frump at the moment.

There’s a new Swift and the ever-popular Jimny off-roader, but aside from those two products, there hasn’t been much recent action for the brand in Australia. However, that’s set to change with its latest offering: the Fronx small SUV, which is the first in a slew of new product arriving on Aussie shores, including its first electric car. Can the Suzuki Fronx reignite interest in the brand’s local showrooms?

There’s just one Fronx spec available in Australia, dubbed ‘Hybrid’ and priced from $28,990 plus on-road costs. The Fronx is based on the Indian market Baleno hatchback, which exited from Australian showrooms in 2022, meaning the Fronx is certainly not a new product. There’s no cheaper Fronx on offer, but considering how price sensitive this end of the market is, there should be.

How well equipped is the Fronx?

Equipment highlights include 16-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing automatic LED exterior lighting, keyless entry with push button start, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, paddle shifters, synthetic leather and cloth trim, heated front seats, a 9.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ digital radio, a wireless phone charger, three USB charging ports and a head-up display. 

Six airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, auto high beam, speed sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera complete the safety features list. A full features list can be seen at the bottom of this page.

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It’s relatively well equipped, though misses out on some big ticket items we’d expect for the price, including sat-nav, a digital driver’s display, a sunroof, automatic wipers and rear air vents. Both the Mahindra XUV 3XO and Chery Tiggo 4, the Fronx’s main competitors, are both better equipped and cheaper. 

What’s the engine like?

There’s only one drivetrain available in the Australian Fronx: a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 12V mild-hybrid system. Outputs are a modest 76kW of power and 137Nm of torque, and a six-speed automatic is the only available transmission. At less than half throttle, it’s a fine drivetrain with a smooth nature, as well as an intuitive transmission that thankfully isn’t a CVT. 

Introduce more throttle however, and its performance and refinement shortcomings are instantly noticeable: this is a gutless and at times unrefined engine. It needs to work hard with most driving, which enhances the lack of refinement further.

Frustratingly for us, the Fronx available in the Indian market can be paired with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine from Suzuki’s excellent ‘Boosterjet’ family, making similar power but around 40Nm more torque than the 1.5 litre-engine sold locally. We think that torque-rich drivetrain should be offered in Australia, at least in a higher-spec model, as it would enhance both efficiency and refinement.

The Fronx’s hybrid branding should also be taken with a grain of salt as it’s even more mild than most other mild hybrid systems on the market. Really, it’s a slightly extended stop-start system that will kill the engine just before coming to a stop, but in our experience, won’t coast when braking. 

Its mildness is not so much of an issue though, as the Fronx is quite efficient in everyday use – Suzuki claims 4.9L/100km and we achieved 5.4L/100km in mostly urban driving. A Yaris Cross hybrid is definitely more miserly with fuel, but that car costs just under $4000 more to buy. The Fronx will also happily accept 91RON regular unleaded fuel, lowering running costs even further. 

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What’s it like to drive?

On the road, the Fronx is fun to chuck around. It’s got a nimble chassis, feelsome steering for the segment and can put a smile on your face much more than the Tiggo 4. But there is a trade off to that fun factor because its ride is far too firm around town and the initial sharpness of its low speed bump absorption makes it feel like it’s been gifted far larger wheels than just 16s.

Little bumps and imperfections are exacerbated by the Fronx, which is odd considering its urban focus. Thankfully, the ride at higher speeds is more composed and more mature – once you eventually get there, that is. Its active safety features are well tuned, however.

The Fronx’s head-up display is fantastic. While it is a cheaper flip-up glass unit and not a newer, projected version, it displays a wealth of useful information such as the drivetrain energy flow, navigation directions from CarPlay or Android Auto, the speed limit and even when the cabin temperature is changed.

What’s the interior like?

The cabin of the Fronx is a bit dated to look at but it’s made of reasonable quality materials and it’s also both comfortable and functional. The burgundy and black synthetic leather and cloth trim is the only interior choice available – make sure you pick a colour that suits it in your eyes – and the front seats are supportive, but are missing lumbar adjustment. 

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The 9.0-inch touchscreen is the same unit that features in the latest Swift, and while its quality is sharp, it’s quite basic and it only features wireless smartphone mirroring and digital radio but with no sat-nav or live services – both features are again available in India. Sound quality is average too, with the Harman Kardon unit in the Mahindra XUV 3XO AX7L producing far punchier sound.

The rear seat in the Fronx is more commodious than you might expect and two six-footers will be fine for both leg- and headroom, though fitting three across might be difficult. Rear seat amenities include two USB charging ports, map pockets and bottle holders in the doors, though no cup holders or air vents – the latter is odd considering they’re available in some India-spec Fronx models. 

A healthy 304 litres of space lies behind the Fronx’s rear seat, which opens up to 1004 litres with the rear seats folded. There’s also a dual-level boot floor and a few hooks to hang bags off but frustratingly, there is no spare tyre. We could understand if the battery was located under the boot floor, like the recently updated Kia Stonic, but it’s not – so why is there no spare?

Service and warranty

Suzuki covers the Fronx with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance, which is two years’ less than main rivals like Kia, Mahindra and Chery. Five years/75,000km of capped price servicing costs $2005 or $401 per year.

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Ultimately, the Fronx is an interesting addition to local Suzuki showrooms, and not just because of its name. It’s characterfully styled, spacious for its small size and relatively practical. But in some places, it’s also dated thanks to its age and it’s also not great value for money either. It’s also too firm around town and its drivetrain is nothing special, even despite its low fuel consumption.

Lowering its entry price, introducing a torque-rich and characterful turbo three-cylinder engine available in India and adding more features such as rear air vents would go a long way in adding appeal to the Fronx. But for right now, there are more practical, better value and more characterful small SUV options to choose from.

Suzuki Fronx specifications:

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Suzuki Fronx standard features:

• 16-inch alloy wheels with a tyre repair kit
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED exterior lighting
• Intermittent wipers
• Heated/auto-folding mirrors
• Synthetic burgundy leather and black cloth upholstery
• Heated front seats
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters
• Single-zone automatic climate control
• Head-up display
• 9.0-inch touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Six-speaker sound system
• Wireless phone charger
• 3x USB charging ports (including one USB-C in the rear seat), 1x 12V socket

Fronx safety features:

• 6x airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane keeping assistance with lane departure warning
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Speed sign recognition
• Auto high beam
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera
• Security alarm

UPDATE 22/12/25: ANCAP released a statement in which it said “independent testing of the Suzuki Fronx had resulted in the vehicle narrowly reaching the threshold for a one-star ANCAP safety rating, following poor performance in key crash tests and low levels of occupant protection for both adults and children.

“In addition to its poor overall crash performance, ANCAP testing identified a serious and separate safety concern, with a rear seatbelt failure occurring during the full width frontal crash test. This component failure has been reported to Australian and New Zealand vehicle safety regulators.”

Suzuki Australia released a statement in response: “Suzuki Australia acknowledges the recent ANCAP assessment of the 2025 FRONX Hybrid and is taking decisive action, including a thorough investigation, as customer safety is non-negotiable and remains Suzuki’s highest priority across Australia and New Zealand.

“Suzuki Australia has elevated the review of this assessment to a matter of immediate focus and is working directly with Suzuki Motor Corporation in Hamamatsu, Japan, and Suzuki New Zealand to fully understand the ANCAP testing outcomes. This review is being progressed with urgency and at the highest levels of the organisation.

“A thorough and disciplined investigation is underway, and Suzuki will take any actions required to uphold our safety standards and the trust our customers place in our brand.”