SUZUKI has made a name for itself by specialising in small, affordable family cars and capable 4x4s.

But now the range has a dramatic new leader of the pack with a £45,599 price tag.

And with its stunning macho grille, narrow swept back headlights, deeply contoured doors and side panels the new Suzuki Across looks worth every penny.

Add bold 19-inch alloys and twin exhausts and you have a car designed to make a statement.

And when you factor in that this is an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid which packs a performance punch to power it from 0-62 miles per hour in just six seconds that hefty price begins to become far more understandable.

Its dramatic performance comes from the fact that it's powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine combined with electric motors on both axles to give a total of just over 300bhp.

This is one quick hybrid.

But if you thought you had seen something similar on the road with a different badge on the bonnet you would be right.

For the Across is the first new Suzuki launched under an agreement with Toyota and is based on the Toyota RAV4.

But there are two main differences between the cars. Firstly the dramatic black grille gives the Across its own Suzuki identity and secondly you will save yourself around £2,000 by opting for the Across rather than the RAV4.

The potential downside is the Suzuki warranty, which is three years while the Toyota one is five.

The Across is a one size fits all model with no optional extras to select from, although it's so well equipped there is very little you could want to add. Even the choice of metallic or mica paint comes in with the price.

The interior is upmarket and spacious, with leather upholstery, heated seats back and front, a heated steering wheel, heated windscreen, electrically adjustable driver's seat, dual zone air conditioning and a powered tailgate.

It's all extremely well put together with a nice robust feeling to all the switchgear and intuitive controls.

A dashboard-top nine-inch touch screen gives access to most onboard features while at the same time acting as the monitor for the rear view camera and showing - when you want it - whether power is coming from the engine, the electric motor or both.

Below it a high centre console means easy access to the gearshift as well as the buttons which control the driving and power modes.

A dial allows you to skip between eco, normal and sport mode while push button switches allow you to drive in pure electric, a combination of both or opt to let the engine charge the battery to capacity of you can't reach a charging point.

There's also a trail mode for when you want to take your Across off-road.

The Across has a pure electric range of just over 40 miles but using the battery in tandem with the engine extends that dramatically while at the same time offering sportscar-like motoring.

And if that's the sort of motoring that appeals there are also paddles behind the steering wheel for manual gear shifting.

On the road the Across is not only an exhilarating car to drive it's also a very refined one with an exceptionally quiet cabin irrespective of whether you are running on the engine or battery.

The high driving position and resulting good all round vision gives a feeling of safety and reassurance while making manoeuvring easy despite the car's large proportions.

And despite its height there is barely any roll on fast bends so you can power on with confidence.

The automatic and constant switch from electric power to engine power and back again is seamless with noise levels only rising when you hit the accelerator really hard.

Safety features on board are too numerous to mention in full but include rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, lane assist and radar and camera checking of the road ahead with automatic braking if a collision is likely.