Now and then, a vehicle comes along that ruffles the feathers and has the public rethinking what they know about mobility. While not revolutionary, the Suzuki Fronx has shown that quality motoring can be affordable. Attractive styling combined with the right equipment and, more importantly, at the right price makes the Suzuki Fronx a sales success. We couldn't agree more! The Fronx is a wonderful value proposition.
Related: Top 3 things you need to know about the Toyota Starlet Cross
Toyota, not to be outdone, capitalised on their partnership with Suzuki and offer a version of the Fronx that they call their own: the Starlet Cross. While essentially the exact same car, the long-term value proposition differs slightly. These two find strong competition in the likes of the Renault Kiger; similarly priced and not too dissimilar in specification, it's easy to see why customers would have a tough time selecting the right vehicle for their next purchase.
To help make that decision a little easier for you, we're comparing three similarly priced examples to see which one comes out on top.
Toyota Starlet Cross 1.5 XR Manual
Price - R339 300
Powertrain
The Toyota Starlet Cross is powered by a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine that is devoid of turbochargers or superchargers. This naturally aspirated unit produces 77kW and 138Nm torque, sending power to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Toyota claims a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 5.6 L/100 km, which is easily attainable. This, in theory, would yield a range of 661 km from the 37-litre fuel tank.
Standard Equipment
The XR trim Toyota Starlet comes with a host of convenience features. It has cloth upholstery and leather-bound seats, a multifunction steering wheel, climate control, and a heads-up display. The XR trims also get a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which plays audio through a 6-speaker audio system.
The Starlet Cross comes with cruise control as standard and has automatic headlights.
Safety
The Toyota Starlet Cross offers many safety systems, including 6 airbags, rear park distance control, and a reverse camera with surround view. These complement the ABS, EBD, and VSC stability control. ISOFIX child seat anchors are in the outer rear seats.
Practicality
The Toyota Starlet Cross has a 304-litre boot with a 60/40 folding rear seat that allows for the cargo area to be expanded to 1009-litres when you fold the seats flat. It also offers a ground clearance of 170 mm.
Price and Value
At the time of writing, the Toyota Starlet Cross 1.5 XR manual retails for R339 300 and is sold with a 3-year/100 000 km warranty and a 4 service/60 000 km service plan.
Suzuki Fronx 1.5 GLX Manual
Price - R334 900
Powertrain
The Fronx has the exact same engine as the Starlet Cross: the Suzuki K15B engine, renowned for its reliability and fuel efficiency. This unit makes 77kW and 138Nm torque and sends power to the front wheels through a slick-shifting 5-speed manual gearbox.
Suzuki claims that you can achieve a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 5.5 L/100 km in the Fronx in this configuration, which equates to a range of 673 km from the 37-litre fuel tank.
Standard Equipment
You will get cloth upholstery in the Fronx as well, along with a leather-bound multifunction steering wheel that houses the audio and cruise control functions. Digital climate control with rear seat ventilation complements the electric windows in both the front and rear. Automatic headlights and a heads-up display further enhance the driving experience and the GLX trim gets a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, along with wireless charging. Audio is played through a 6-speaker audio system.
Safety
The Suzuki Fronx has a comprehensive array of safety systems, starting with 6 airbags to augment the standard ABS, EBD, ESP, and Hill Start Assist. ISOFIX mounts are found in the outer rears while a 360-degree surround view camera complements the rear park distance control.
Practicality
You get the same 304-litre boot in the Fronx, also with a 60/40 split folding rear seat to allow for up to 1009-litres of space when you fold them flat. The ground clearance of the Fronx is also a matching 170 mm, lending credence to its crossover status.
Price and Value
The Suzuki Fronx is comparatively priced at R334 900 for the 1.5 GLX manual. It comes with a 5-year/200 000 km warranty and has a 4-year/60 000 km service plan as standard.
Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Intens Manual
Price - R339 999
Powertrain
The Kiger changes things up a little by using a 1.0-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder engine. The power is similar at 74kW, but the torque, thanks to the turbocharger, is slightly higher at 160Nm. It sends this power to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Renault claims a combined cycle fuel consumption of 5.0 L/100km for a theoretical range of 800 km from the 40-litre fuel tank.
Standard Equipment
In the Renault Kiger you can expect to find a rather high set of standard equipment. It features digital climate control and an artificial leather-bound multifunction steering wheel with audio controls, but you don't get cruise control in the Kiger. You will get a digital driver display but no heads-up display. Automatic headlights are another omission from the Kiger equipment.
An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with an 8-speaker ARKAMYS 3D audio system reproduces your music in high fidelity. This unit supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Safety
The Renault Kiger is equipped with 4 airbags as standard in this trim, complementing the ABS with EBD, ESP and pretensioner seatbelts. For the child seats, there's ISOFIX mountings in the outer rears. The Kiger has a 3-star NCAP rating.
Practicality
The Kiger comes out on top in the practicality stakes with a larger 405-litre boot and a 60/40 split folding rear seat that allows for expansion up to 879-litres. Overall space is less, but daily space is more significant.
The Kiger has an improved ground clearance of 205 mm as well.
Price and Value
The Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Intens manual is competitively priced at R339 999 and is sold with a 5-year/150 000 km warranty and an included 2-year/30 000 km service plan.
Verdict
The Renault Kiger presents a compelling argument against the other two. It offers some additional equipment and a better range thanks to it's lower fuel consumption. Where it falls short is in the omission of cruise control and automatic headlights, and we would like to have seen a little more in the way of safety and airbags.
It's for this reason that we're inclined to go with the Suzuki Fronx in this comparison, purely as a result of the more extensive warranty, and standard equipment level.
