I HAD my first drive in Suzuki's S-Cross back in 2015 and then again in 2017 just after it had been under the knife for a facelift to give it a tougher look.

That change gave the S-Cross a big and very bold chrome grille and a few other cosmetic changes to lights and bumpers.

The tweaks certainly made the S-Cross more striking and inside the interior was modernised with a new dash.

Since then things have remained pretty much the same. There is still room for four adults to travel in comfort and equipment levels throughout the range are generous.

In March the Japanese brand did shake things up by introducing a new 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrainfor the S-Cross which offers up to 20 per cent lower CO2 emissions, a greater level of torque and 15 per cent overall improvement in WLTP combined fuel consumption.

The 1.4-litre Boosterjetengine now works in combination with the newly developed 48-volt hybrid powertrain which is lightweight in design and the components add less than 15kg to the overall weight of the car.

Called the SHVS system it consists of a 48V lithium-ion battery, Integrated Starter Generator (known as ISG) and 48V-12V (DC/DC) converter to power components requiring lower voltage including lights, audio and air conditioning.

The ISG acts as both a generator and starter motor, is belt driven and assists the petrol engine during vehicle take off for a higher level of torque with 235Nm available from 2,000rpm.

The compact high-performance lithium-ion battery stores electrical energy recovered from deceleration and braking and incorporates an idle stop function operated via the Integrated Starter Generator.

This battery, along with the DC/DC convertor unit, are located under the front seats to assist overall weight distribution and so no boot room is wasted.

A further benefit of the new hybrid system is the introduction of electric motor idling when the clutch is disengaged and the engine speed is approximately 1,000rpm.

This feature essentially replaces fuel injection with power from the electric motor to then control and maintain engine idling at vehicle speeds below 10mph and when stationary.

The function also eliminates fuel consumption under these conditions as engine momentum is electrically controlled by the ISG unit and the car is ready to re-accelerate on request with no engine restart delay.

As a result of the electrification the good news is that performance and economy are improved.

The S-Cross is now good for 118mph and can reach 62mph in 9.5 seconds.The CO2 figure is now 127g/km and it is capable of up to 57.5mpg.

The 1.4 Boosterjet engine delivers its power smoothly via a six-speed manualtransmission and that will keep its buyers happy as will the level of kit.

At £23,749 this SZ-T Hybrid model comes with all the goodies you could want including alloy wheels, a navigation system, DAB radio, rear privacy glass, roof rails, dual zone air conditioning, Bluetooth integrated audio and much more.

This model also features lots of safety kit including Radar brake control, hill hold, front and rear parking sensors and a rear parking camera.

The rear seats fold 60:40 and the boot is large enough for 430 litres of luggage and 875 litres when the seats are collapsed.