Features / 7 August 2024 / Albert du Toit

New Toyota Starlet Cross vs Suzuki Fronx in South Africa – The winner is clear

South Africans prefer the already established Suzuki Fronx over its half-sibling, the recently launched Toyota Starlet Cross, a recent poll by TopAuto showed.

The poll in question asked readers: “With a budget of R300,000, would you rather buy the new Toyota Starlet Cross or the Suzuki Fronx?”

Of the 2,975 respondents, a considerable 35% (1,052) voted for the Fronx and 30% (889) for the Starlet Cruiser.

While it’s no landslide victory, this came as quite the surprise given South Africans’ love affair with anything and everything adorned by a Toyota badge.

Perhaps more shocking, the remaining 35% (1,034) of the poll voters said they would buy neither of these Japanese crossovers and instead spend their money elsewhere.

It’s safe to say we expected a completely different outcome, which indicates that Suzuki is reaping the benefits of its intimate relationship with the world’s number-one automaker.

Suzuki has always been a dependable car manufacturer but wasn’t exactly considered the first choice for many.

That is until 2020 when the Toyota Starlet was born, the first of many vehicles to come out of the Toyota-Suzuki alliance.

From the start, Toyota made it clear that its relationship with Suzuki would benefit both parties, the latter focusing on producing budget cars and the former on premium vehicles, and both sharing development insights with one another.

This got the average Joe thinking; “If Toyota has enough confidence in Suzuki to put its badges on Suzuki’s products, then they can’t be that bad, right?”

Almost immediately, Suzuki started reaping the rewards.

Suzuki first broke the 1,000-sales-a-month milestone in South Africa in August 2017. It took until October 2020 for it to eclipse the 2,000-sales-a-month mark.

Less than a year later in September 2021, it reached 3,000 sales in one month, and in May 2022 it hit 4,000 sales.

Suzuki also briefly became the country’s biggest passenger-car brand in May 2022 as well as in early 2024.

Now this increased demand can’t be solely attributed to Suzuki’s association with Toyota as Suzuki’s unwavering commitment to affordability probably also helped, but there’s no denying it has played a role.

Today, the maker of the famous Swift and Jimny is oftentimes among the top three best-selling manufacturers in South Africa, and it seems like the Toyota logo isn’t enough of an incentive anymore for car buyers to ditch other brands like Suzuki.

Starlet Cross vs Fronx

The Starlet Cross is for all intents and purposes the same vehicle as the Fronx bar a few cosmetic differences such as unique bumpers, lights, wheels, and badging.

Both crossovers are available in four flavours with the same features and amenities, and both are driven by the same engine and gearbox combinations.

In the base Starlet Cross XS and Fronx GL, standard kit comprises 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights with daytime running lights, a leather multifunction steering wheel, automatic aircon with rear vents, a 7-inch infotainment display with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reverse camera, rear parking sensors, ABS with brake assist, hill-assist control, and two airbags.

The pricier Starlet Cross XR and Fronx GLX additionally bring keyless entry and start, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a height-adjustable driver’s seat, a 4.2-inch multi-info driver’s display, a 9-inch central touchscreen, a heads-up display, 360-degree cameras, and six airbags.

One incomparable element is that the Toyota also offers Toyota Connect, which provides in-car WiFi, a GPS vehicle locator, a digital logbook, a battery health checker, a service booking function, roadside assistance, and licence renewal directly from the My Toyota app.

For now, this isn’t available in the Suzuki.

The step-siblings are propelled by a 1.5-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol motor with a maximum output of 77kW and 138Nm, and both are available with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission in each trim level.