page_title: Suzuki Fronte
section_title: Fronte 7-S
hierarchical_section_title: Suzuki Fronte / Fronte 550 / Fronte 7-S
caption_attribution_description: English: 1977 Suzuki SS10 Custom two-door glassback. Chilean market car with left-hand drive, photo by the then-owner who also restored it.
context_page_description: The Suzuki Fronte is an automobile that was first introduced in March 1962 as a sedan version of the Suzulight Van. The nameplate remained in use for Suzuki's Kei car sedans as well as some other commercial-use vehicles until it was replaced by the Alto name in September 1988.
context_section_description: Government plans had been made to gradually increase the Kei car engine size limit to 550 cc, to make room for cleaner four-stroke engines and to reverse the slowing Kei car sales curve. Many manufacturers responded with interim, 500 cc models in 1976, Suzuki among them. In June 1976 the Fronte 7-S was presented, model code SS10. As per the new regulations, it was 100 mm (3.9 in) wider than the LC20 series and had a larger engine of 443 cc. Wheelbase remained at 2,030 mm (79.9 in), while overall length grew to 3,190 mm (125.6 in) thanks to new bigger bumpers and a somewhat bulkier rear end. The more squared-off front end also allowed for a larger front luggage area.
  The T4A engine was still a three-cylinder two-stroke (simply a bored out version of the LC10), as Suzuki considered themselves experts at this configuration. The new Suzuki TC ("Two Catalyst") emissions system meant that it could meet the new 1975 (50年) emissions standards. The downside was that the new engine produced a mere 26 PS (19 kW) at 4500 rpm rather than the 32 PS (24 kW) of the 360 cc engine it replaced. The layout remained RR, with a four-speed manual transmission. "7-S" was meant to stand for Space, Safety, Sense, Save money, Silent, Stamina, and Suzuki TC, not necessarily always in the same order. In January 1977, the Fronte received some light alterations including new seats, a rectangular Suzuki badge in the front grille, taillights of a new construction, and a slightly remodelled engine lid with a somewhat wider recess for the license plate. This model is sometimes referred to as the SS10-2, to tell it apart from the pre-facelift model.
  Suzuki's inability to fully meet the 1978 emissions regulations with the two-stroke engine compelled them to write a contract with Toyota to purchase engines from their subsidiary Daihatsu, Suzuki's main competitor. Beginning in May 1977 Daihatsu's catalysed 28 PS (21 kW) four-stroke AB10 engine was installed in the SS11, selling in parallel with the two-stroke at a slightly higher (by ¥18,000) price. Four-strokes had a "4" logo in the grille. These were very weak sellers, offering much less torque and drivability than their two-cycle brethren. Torque was 3.9 kgm at 3500 rpm, versus 4.6 kgm in the smaller two-stroke engine. At about the same time, in an attempt at meeting the tighter 1978 (53年) emissions standards with a two-stroke, the new SS12 Fronte 7-S was presented. It had a now even cleaner T4A engine called the TC53. "TC53" stood for Twin Catalyst, year 53 of the Showa era (1978 in the common era). This new, cleaner engine lost further power and torque though, now down to 25 PS (18 kW), and still barely met the official emissions standards. A mere 6421 SS12s were built, compared to 66,540 SS10 Frontes.
  The interim SS12 was replaced by the "full scale" 550 cc SS20 version presented on 27 October 1977, with a slight facelift consisting of a new grille, redesigned cladding around the C-pillars, and a new dashboard. The SS20 is equipped with the T5A engine (first seen in the Jimny), with 539 cc it offered 28 PS (21 kW) at 5000 rpm and 5.3 kgm at 3000 rpm, which helped bring top speed up from 105 to 110 km/h (65 to 68 mph). To use up leftover four-stroke engines, the SS11 received the same facelift, becoming the SS11-2. The SS11-2 was fairly short-lived, though, as the T5A engine met emissions regulations on its own and Suzuki was now able to terminate their contract with Toyota. The torque gap between the four- and the two-stroke models was widened further: while the SS11 could climb a slope of 0.34 tanα (18.8˚) the SS20 could manage 0.52 tanα (27.5˚). The production run of the SS20 was not very long either, coming to an end after just over a year and a half.
  The Fronte 7-S was never a big seller, as it was an old design and two-stroke engines were beginning to lose favor with Japanese car buyers. The SS10 and SS20 Frontes were both clearly based on the old LC20, making do with a widened LC20 chassis and using its doors and many interior parts. For the SS20 Suzuki resorted to increasingly awkward efforts to 
caption: Export version "Suzuki SS10 Custom" two-door (Chile)
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