Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
When Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPH) mounted their 50th Anniversary celebration with the Suzuki Matsuri at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium last June 14-15, 2025, one of most noticeable vehicles in the display pavilion was the all-new Suzuki Fronx Hybrid 5-door compact crossover SUV. SPH officers were gushing about the features of the new model and Product Planning & Development Manager Kennedy Adia proudly informed us that the Fronx Hybrid is the first Suzuki automobile with ADAS (advanced driving assistance system), which we later learned was dubbed as Suzuki Safety Support.
Suzuki Safety Support is Suzuki’s version of ADAS advanced driving assistance system.
For those not in the know, ADAS, err… Suzuki Safety Support incorporates electronic technologies that use multiple sensors, cameras, and radar to improve vehicle safety and driving comfort by assisting drivers with tasks like parking, detecting hazards, and preventing accidents by using adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind-spot detection, automatic emergency braking, and the like. As motoring journalists, we have driven ADAS-equipped vehicles before but we’re excited to experience Suzuki’s version in a mild-hybrid compact SUV, especially with the now-legendary Suzuki reliability.
There’s a sensor on the front grille of the Suzuki Fronx Hybrid for the radar-guided adaptive cruise control and front collision mitigation.
What is a Fronx?
Curiously, the model names used by Suzuki for its Automobile Division are usually unusual. Names such as Alto, Celerio, Ciaz, Dzire, Ertiga, Jimny, Kizashi and S-Presso all defy immediate definition while some model names can easily be assumed because of the vehicle itself, like the Swift (a fast hatchback), APV (an all-purpose van), and XL7 (an extra-large 7-seater). Thus, we needed to do some research and found that “FRONX” is an ingenious combination of “FRONtier” and the letter “X”, which is often used to connote “crossover“. However, we wondered if it should be pronounced separately as “Fron-X” or muttered the same way as “Bronx”, the tough suburb of New York, USA.
The all-new Suzuki Fronx is available in 4 variants: GL 4AT; GLX 6AT Hybrid; GLX 6AT Hybrid Two-tone; and SGX 6AT Hybrid Two-tone with Suzuki Safety Support.
Well, the Fronx is pronounced as it is spelled (fronks) and it has a lot of things going for it. With its chiseled good looks and “Vibe Different” model tag line, the Fronx Hybrid is being marketed globally as a “new-genre city SUV like no other” that is designed to “leave a mark like never before”. With its 1.5-liter inline 4-cylinder K15C engine, ISG (integrated starter generator) and 12-volt lithium-ion battery, it’s an SHVS (* – Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) mild hybrid that can crank up excitement on the road. And with 170mm of ground clearance to clear most road obstacles, Suzuki is indeed set to establish a new frontier with this new crossover SUV.
A 1.5-liter inline-4 K15C engine paired with SHVS mild hybrid system powers the Fronx Hybrid.
Going on a Vibrant Experience
SPH invited members of the motoring press, including me and my wife Shawie, for a long drive from Metro Manila to Bataan to experience the all-new Suzuki Fronx Hybrid. On the morning of September 4, 2025, we gathered at the Suzuki Auto Kalookan dealership along EDSA in Caloocan City, where a fleet of brand-new, fully-gassed-up all-new Suzuki Fronx Hybrid SGX models were waiting. After a sumptuous breakfast, some customary speeches, the announcement of car assignments, some safety precautions, and the revelation of prizes for the Top 3 Fuel Efficiency winners, we were herded to our respective vehicles.
A fleet of brand-new gassed-up all-new Suzuki Fronx Hybrid SGX units waited for us at Suzuki Auto Kalookan. Our assigned Car #10 is the rightmost Savannah Beige/Black top two-tone unit.
SPH Director and Automobile Division General Manager Norihide Takei encouraged the participants to experience a Vibrant Ride-and-Drive with the All-New Suzuki Fronx Hybrid…
… and then joined the media participants for a group photo in front of the dealership.
Shawie and I were assigned to Car #10, a Savannah Beige Fronx Hybrid SGX with a black top. After we loaded our overnight bag into the car, I set the 9-inch HD touchscreen display to show the semi-circular Instantaneous Fuel Economy (IFE) graph that I will use to monitor my driving habit, hoping to recapture the same fun yet efficient drive that Shawie and I had when we won the Fuel Mileage contests during the All-New Suzuki Dzire Hybrid Media Drive last May. Upon take-off, Shawie monitored the display closely and employed W.I.F.E. (Warning: Inefficient Fuel Economy), where she slaps my nape when the graph shows my driving consumes too much fuel. (Heh-heh-heh – Shawie)
The semi-circle graph of the Instantaneous Fuel Economy is very helpful when you’re trying to maximize the Fronx Hybrid’s fuel mileage.
ACC and HUD Appreciation
From Suzuki Auto Kalookan, we made a U-turn on EDSA and then took the Balintawak Cloverleaf to enter NLEX (North Luzon Expressway). I activated the Fronx Hybrid’s ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and set the speed initially at 69 km/h, which is where the IFE graph showed a fuel mileage of around 30 kms/L. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ACC slows the vehicle down when it detects the vehicle in front has slowed down, making it safe for inattentive or distracted drivers. ACC also accelerates the Fronx Hybrid to the preset speed when the road in front clears, which we observed would drag the IFE graph to just above 10 kms/L under initial acceleration.
The Fronx Hybrid’s Adaptive Cruise Control has a “following” function that works at any speed…
… and keeps a safe distance by slowing down or accelerating to maintain the same speed as the vehicle in front.
I started to play with the ACC controls, toggling the speed between 67 and 70 km/h in an effort to make the IFE graph turn mostly blue (for improved fuel efficiency) before Shawie slaps me on the nape again. (Heh-heh-heh, again! – Shawie) However, the different driving habits of the other drivers on NLEX prompted the ACC to slow our Fronx Hybrid down and/or speed up several times, which has an effect on its overall fuel consumption. Thankfully, the HUD (Heads Up Display) informed me of the vehicle speed when the ACC comes into play, without taking my eyes off the road. Suzuki has really taken driving safety a notch above with the Fronx Hybrid.
HUD (heads up display) shows vehicle speed, engine rpm, gear selected, and time without taking your eyes off the road.
The Fronx Hybrid’s cockpit is a technopile’s dream and provides lots of information.
Excitement vs Efficiency
We stopped at Petron Lakeshore along NLEX to get some snacks and refreshments provided by SPH. We then drove all the way to SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway), exited at Dinalupihan, took the Bataan Provincial Highway, and then turned left at Enrique Garcia, Sr. Avenue to get to Mesa Feliz restaurant, where we had our lunch. After a quick but hearty lunch, we retraced our drive back to the provincial highway, turned left on Gov. J.J. Linao National Road, and stopped at the Caltex Diwa Pilar service station, where we had the fuel tanks of our vehicles refilled.
Heavy rains allowed us to experience the Fronx Hybrid’s wet weather driving capabilities and safety systems on the highways.
Fortunately, it wasn’t raining when we got to the Caltex Diwa Pilar service station, where the fuel consumption of our cars were measured.
After driving for around 160 kilometers, our Fronx Hybrid SGX needed 8.01 liters of fuel before the gas pump nozzle clicked to an automatic stop. I mentally calculated our fuel mileage and it was disappointingly a bit below 20 km/L. At the time, I’m sure that someone else got a better mileage than ours because the Suzuki Fronx averaged around 27.43 km/L, according to fuel efficiency tests conducted by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP). In hindsight, I should have set the speed lower and minded the ACC more closely, but I must admit that I was overwhelmed with excitement driving the Fronx Hybrid and fiddling with its advanced technologies than minding its fuel efficiency during the drive.
After refueling at Caltex, we drove through the zigzagging mountain roads from Pilar to Morong.
The Suzuki Safety Support advanced driving assistance system proved its mettle along the wet zigzags.
Suzuki Philippines’ CSR and our R&R
With the fuel efficiency drive finished, we drove our Fronx Hybrid fast through the zigzags and mountain roads from Pilar to Morong and headed to the Pawikan Conservation Center, where SPH donated a Suzuki Jimny 3-door for the use of the Center. SPH also adopted a large hatchery for turtle eggs and named sections of the hatchery after the different media outfits that joined the drive. Two sections were named after Power Wheels Magazine and we hoped that we can come back to Morong when the turtle hatchlings are released to the sea in about 90 days.
SPH adopted a large hatchery of turtle eggs. SPH Director & Automobile Division GM Norihide Takei and Senior Marketing Manager Odessa Gan were the first to mark their sections.
Shawie and I are now proud foster parents of future Ninja Mutant Turtles…
… along with our colleagues from the participating motoring media outlets.
Takei-san handed the ceremonial key of the Suzuki Jimny 3-door donated by SPH to the Pawikan Conservation Center. Note the guy in the giant turtle costume at the back. Where’s Pong Pagong when you need him?
After becoming foster parents of future Ninja Mutant Turtles (especially since the newly-hatched turtles will soon be swimming and thriving near the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant), we all drove from Morong to Bagac for an overnight stay at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, where antique houses and buildings from various places around the Philippines were carefully dismantled brick-by-brick, transported and reconstructed at Bagac to make a heritage museum that doubles as a beach resort. We arrived at dusk with drizzling rain that threatened to thwart any outdoor entertainment or party planned for that evening.
We had to stop at the entrance of the mothballed Bataan Nuclean Power Plant and take a photo of our Fronx Hybrid. When this nuclear facility is finally activated, our adopted turtle hatchlings might turn into the Ninja Mutant Turtles.
It was drizzling when we arrived at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac and drove through the ornate covered bridge that serves as the entrance to the resort/heritage museum.
It was like we travelled through time as we drove on the cobblestone streets lined with antqiue and historic houses and buildings.
We marveled at the dedication of the Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar management to preserve these historical structures.
The Drive After
Because of the heavy rains, the dinner, evening activities, games and awarding ceremonies were moved indoors to the second floor of La Bella Teodora, the resort’s Italian restaurant. I was feeling a bit feverish after getting rained upon but I was still able to congratulate the grand winners of the Fuel Efficiency contest – Monch Henares and Arabelle Jimenez of Monchter Chronicles and Motourismo, whose Fronx Hybrid needed only 6.99 liters to travel from Caloocan City to Pilar, Batangas for an average fuel mileage of 22.9 km/L. We missed the fun after the awards because we headed back to our room to rest, recharge and nurse my impending fever before it gets worse.
All-New Suzuki Fronx Hybrid Fuel Efficiency Winners Monch Henares and Arabelle Jimenez pose with Takei-san and Product Planning & Development Manager Kennedy Adia.
It was still raining the next morning (September 25), so Shawie and I just walked around Las Casas while she was showing it to her US-based sister and brother-in-law via video call. After a late breakfast, all the participants gathered at the bridge near the church for a group photo and then drove off for lunch at Rustica restaurant in San Fernando, Pampanga. All-in-all, it was a great drive to experience the performance, comfort and advanced safety features of the all-new Suzuki Fronx Hybrid, but the story does not end here.
The Savannah Beige finish of the our Suzuki Fronx Hybrid seems to blend in with the vintage vibe of the resort. “Vibe Different”, indeed!
Car #10 is ready and raring to go for the drive from the past and back to 2025.
SPH will officially launch the all-new Suzuki Fronx Hybrid on September 12 (Friday) at Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, where they will also reveal the prices of each variant. Stay tuned!
