Today, we went to the launch of the all-new Fronx, a small SUV based on the now-departed Suzuki Baleno hatchback.
According to Suzuki New Zealand, the Fronx is “Significant to the success of Suzuki in New Zealand”. They just don’t have enough models to sell, so adding one more can only mean good news for its dealers.
Initial impressions of the Fronx are that it is a well-equipped and well-priced small SUV; but can it take on more established players such as the MG ZS, Mitsubishi ASX, and Kia Stonic? We got the low-down on the new model and took it for a bit of a drive.
2025 Suzuki Fronx: Overview
The new model has features that are a first for a Suzuki in New Zealand, and perhaps that -along with the sharp pricing – led to 750 enquires for the car before it was launched.
To clear the air, what on earth does ‘Fronx’ mean? It’s a mix of two words; Frontier, since Suzuki considers this model to be crossing frontiers, and X, due to its crossover nature. So now you know.
The model was launched in 2023 in India, and managed 100,000 sales in its first ten months there. In 17 months, it surpassed 200,000 sales in India. The Fronx was recently launched in Japan, and sold 15,000 in the first three months, apparently 3 times the target set.
2025 Suzuki Fronx: Design & Features
While the model does seem to have a lot of lights up the front, the top three are a combination of daytime running lights and indicators. The lower 3 lights on each side are the headlights. Around the back, there is a full-width light bar for the LED taillights. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels are standard.
On the inside, a dual-tone interior is standard, and much like the Toyota Yaris Cross Limited, you can only have a two-tone interior.
The boot capacity is a relatively low 308 litres (605 seats down), although there is storage below the floor that isn’t included in that figure. Suzuki claims a low loading height for the boot. The boot is also double-height (as well as the storage area under the floor).
The steering wheel is leather wrapped and has tilt and telescoping adjustment. Other standard feature include push-button start, a Qi wireless phone charger, single-stage heated front seats, front and rear parking sensors, a 9” centre display, a 360-degree camera, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is also a heads-up display, but it is the type where a piece of plastic pops up from the dashboard and so is not quite as good. Still, for its sub-$30K launch price that’s a good amount of equipment, with Suzuki claiming it wipes the floor with the competition in the standard features department.
There’s a host of safety aids too, like Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Weave Alert, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Traffic Sign Recognition, and Autonomous Emergency Braking. We’ll cover all these off when we review the car.
Unfortunately, Australia has yet to get the Fronx, so it has not been ANCAP tested to date – so Suzuki New Zealand does not have a safety rating for the car. It’s not for sale in Europe at all, so they can’t even advise of a comparable European rating.
2025 Suzuki Fronx: Powertrain
The Fronx is fitted with a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that can run on 91-octane fuel. It also has Suzuki’s mild hybrid system, with an integrated starter motor-generator (ISG). The company claims fuel consumption at 5.4L/100km, and say this is far less than their competition.
That engine outputs 76kW of power and 137Nm of torque. Adding in the hybrid system adds another 55Nm of torque to the total. So not hugely powerful, but the combined torque amount should make up for it.
Technically speaking, the new engine utilises things like dual injectors, oil jet cooling for pistons, roller rockers, an offset crank, and a new cylinder head. The automatic transmission is Suzuki’s standard 6-speed that is used in many models.
There is an electric park brake, 4-wheel discs brakes, Hill Hold, and Brake Auto Hold.
2025 Suzuki Fronx: Models
Currently Suzuki New Zealand will offer just the one model; a top-spec JLX. There is a two-tone option and this is a $1,000 premium over the single-tone Fronx.
Pricing is $31,990 for the single-tone car, and $32,990 for the two-tone. However, there is a launch special on the first 300 cars, starting at $29,990 and $30,990 for the two-tone.
All 150 cars initially imported have been sold, with the next shipment due this month. The company claims dealers are getting many enquires for the new model, so expect those 300 at the launch price to be sold quickly. In a normal month, they are expecting sales of around 150 per month.
2025 Suzuki Fronx: Drive impressions
In the flesh, the Indian-built Fronx is a good-looking car, if smaller than it looks in the photos. Size-wise, it sits below the S-Cross and is less than 4-metres in length.
Our drive car was finished in Lucent Orange and looked excellent. For me, the rear looks a little heavy straight on, but it’s still got an edge to it, from any angle. The front design with the extra headlights works well and helps to make the Fronx look bigger than it is.
Inside, there’s good legroom and headroom is above average for the class. While the interior is standard Suzuki fare that we are used to, the two-tone burgundy adds a nice touch.
Heading off in Auckland city, our Fronx had only driven 45km, and the engine still felt tight. We noticed that the display showing the hybrid system working wasn’t hybriding at all. It wasn’t until lunchtime that we found out that these cars still had to have their 12-volt batteries charged fully yet, and the hybrid system would not work until that point. This also affects the engine auto-stop operation when you bring the car to a stop.
That did mean that we weren’t able to gauge how well the car really performed, as we were 100% relying on the 1.5-litre petrol engine to do all the work. Once we review a car fully, we can report on how well it goes. Apparently, this charging of the 12-volt battery is quite a normal thing to have to do, but it only must be done once. Today’s drive did take us on some windy, hilly roads, where that petrol engine was quite loud. We’ll reserve judgement until we test a Fronx fully.
A nice touch is the standard gear-shifter; with so many manufacturers moving to a button gear selector, or one mounted on the steering column, Suzuki gives us an old-school selector that just works.
The infotainment screen is crisp and clear, and also pretty speedy between screens. No complaints there. It may be an all-new model, but nice to see that along with the normal gear shifter, Suzuki has retained physical AC controls – so nothing to adjust the AC is done through the infotainment screen. Thank you, Suzuki. Another thing that just works as it should.
I did notice the seats are particularly soft and felt good after the 45-minute drive to the lunch venue.
Regardless of the lack of hybrid assist, the Fronx seems to drive fine. It won’t carve up the corners, but it feels competent. Fronx buyers aren’t going to want to go hard-out around the bends, so that works out well. At just 1,055Kg in weight, this is not a heavy car, and with the hybrid assist working properly, should perform well under Daily Driver duties.
2025 Suzuki Fronx: Summary
The small SUV segment is now the biggest in volume in New Zealand, and that means a lot of competition, all vying for sales. So, the Fronx needs to stand out to grab sales buyers who might otherwise go to the Stonic, or ASX, or ZS.
Will it do it? On paper, it has a good chance. It has an appealing design, is very well equipped for its price, and drives okay. But this was just one day, and probably around 2 hours actually driving the new Suzuki Fronx, so we’ll reserve final judgement until we have spent a week in one, and seeing how good it really is.
On the face of it, Suzuki is on to a winner; the 2025 Suzuki Fronx could well cross frontiers into other brands and draw buyers to the funky-looking small SUV.
