The Suzuki S-Cross first went to market almost four years ago and has made a significant dent in the small SUV class.

Like most manufacturers it is doing well in terms of sales and last year sold close to the magic 40,000 mark in the UK up by more than 10 per cent on 2015 and is more double the number of five years ago.

Of course this figure is small beer when comparisons are made with say India when figures are more than 10 times than the UK.

But Suzuki currently has a 1.42 per cent market share and sits happily just outside the top 20 manufacturers in the UK.

While it can’t really compete with the posh end of the market with the likes of Audi and BMW it does well against Vauxhall, Skoda and Nissan where it is well costed.

It has bags of kit which makes it a steal on price and on top of it the S-Cross is great to drive and is reliable as well.

A major facelift was done a couple of months ago and it has become a hit with the motoring public with prices starting at just £16,000.

There are three engines to choose from: a turbocharged 1.0-litre, a larger turbocharged 1.4-litre and a 1.6-litre turbodiesel.

Both petrol engines are available with either a manual or an automatic gearbox, whereas the diesel is only available with the latter - all engines get the option of all-wheel drive. There are three trim levels: SZ4, SZ-T and the range-topping SZ5.

The 1.0-litre or 1.4-litre Boosterjet petrol engines or 1.6-litre DDiS engines offering class leading emissions and low fuel consumption - 1.6DDiS 2WD emits just 106g/km of CO2 with fuel consumption of 68.8mpg on the combined cycle.

The1.0-litre three cylinder Boosterjet engine offers nine per cent more torque than the outgoing 1.6-litre petrol with 11 per cent lower CO2 emissions and 10 per cent improved combined fuel consumption.

All models are equipped with seven airbags and ESP as standard and there is a double sliding panoramic sunroof on the SZ5 model.

The DAB Radio fitted as standard equipment on SZ-T and SZ5 models and one of the winning elements on the car is luggage capacity of 430 litres.

The facelifted model has more distinctive and upright front end styling offering a stronger and bolder road presence. Ground clearance is now slightly higher at 180mm versus 165mm and new design headlamps help provide both higher efficiency and a sharper look.

At the rear, newly designed LED rear combination lamps are used to provide a cleaner and more contemporary style.

A range of six exterior colours are available for the UK market; Superior White is available as a solid colour with Silky Silver Metallic, Mineral Grey Metallic, Cosmic Black Pearl Metallic, Sphere Blue Pearl Metallic and Energetic Red Pearl metallic available as a £500 option.

Suzuki originally created the S-Cross by combining its compact car knowledge with technologies honed for sport utility vehicles. As a result of focusing on giving the S-Cross distinctive crossover styling, class leading space for passengers and luggage, 4WD performance and one of the lowest CO2 emissions in the segment, it has achieved a remarkable combination of styling, utility, safety, performance and fuel economy.

Suzuki manufactures the S-Cross at the Magyar Suzuki plant in Hungary; Magyar Suzuki plays an important role as Suzuki’s European production centre and has long established itself as a key manufacturing base for Suzuki’s global strategy; Swift and Vitara are also manufactured there.

Equipment specification – Highlights (Full details in the final pages of this pack) All SZ4 models are equipped as standard with seven airbags, ESP, Bluetooth, air conditioning, Daytime Running Lights (DRL), 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control with speed limiter, air conditioning, heated door mirrors, black protective skid plates and black wheel arch extensions.

SZ-T adds LED Projector Headlamps, satellite navigation with DAB digital radio, polished 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking camera, front and rear parking proximity sensors, Dual Zone automatic air conditioning, front fog lamps, rear privacy glass, silver roof rails and silver skid plates.

CO2 emissions are low at just 113g/km for the 1.0-litre 2WD model and 119g/km with optional automatic transmission.

As an additional safety feature on the SZ5 model, Dual Camera Brake Support (DCBS) is fitted which utilises stereo cameras located on each side of the drivers interior rear view mirror. These function in a similar way to the human eye and detect lane markings as well as objects ahead (including pedestrians) and also their distance away. This new feature has enabled the IGNIS SZ5 to be awarded Five Stars in the latest NCAP tests.