Review: 2007 Suzuki SX4 Hatchback
09-23-06, 05:42 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Review: 2007 Suzuki SX4 Hatchback
http://www.suzukiauto.com/sr_07/sx4/
In a Nutshell: An astounding value for the money.....
Ladies and gentleman, meet the new King of the affordable,
entry-level All-Wheel-Drive bargains.
When I recently read about the upcoming Suzuki SX4 in CAR and DRIVER ( I also did a CL non-review thread on it ), I was quite impressed just from what I saw and read in the magazine even without seeing and driving the car in person. It was obvious, even on paper, that the long dominance of the Subaru Impreza ( and even Suzuki's own AWD Aerio, for that matter ) as the 2 reigning U.S. market AWD bargain best-values was going to get a serious challenge. I made immediate
plans to review this car as quickly as possible.....and fortunately, I did not have to wait for a month like I did with the hard-to-get FWD Honda Fit.
Fortunately, SX4's ( mostly base models ) are arrving at dealerships regularly now, and finding one is no problem at all, except for the relative scarcity of Suzuki dealerships...you don't find one on every street corner. With the recent folding of the nearest Buick-Suzuki dealer just a few miles from my house, I had to drive a bit out into VA...some 25 miles....to find the next-closest Suzuki shop ( this one dealing in Suzukis only ), and was it worth the trip ? You bet it was. It was a real pleasure not just to see this car, review it, and write it up, but a niceside perk was that regular gas was only $2.13 at most of the stations there, even for major-brands, so I naturally filled up there and had lunch.
However, no car is perfect, and there were some things I didn't care for on it...as always, I have objectively listed them below in my PLUS/ MINUS column.
The car, as a daily driver, was also a little too small for my tastes ( I like a little larger, heavier feel to a car myself ), and I suspect that some others besides me will find it too small for them in spite of its incredible value as a new car, particularly for an AWD machine, but it was no tinbox, being well-designed and constructed with durable materials.
But.....for you Moms and Dads who want to send Junior off to college with an affordable, well-equipped AWD car for rough climates and slippery roads, or just want good, cheap, well-equipped, new-car snow transportation, HERE is your car, hands-down. No other vehicle that I know of currently in the American market offers so much at so low a price.
Of course, that is not to say that you should not seriously consider a Subaru Impreza. The Impreza still has a lot going for it...a well-proved, simple, durable AWD system, good reliability overall with a proven track record, a more extensive dealer network, a low price for an AWD car ( not as low as the SX4's, of course ), and good resale value...... ( the SX4's resale value, at this point is of course only a guess ). And the SX4 is new to the American market, although the engine's design is similiar, though smaller, to the 2.3L one in its brother Suzuki Aerio, and the AWD system is also similiar, though more versatile, to the one that has been in production in the Aerio for several years. So it's not like the major components are completely new and untested either. I at first had some concerns about quality when I heard it was built in Europe, but those concerns seem to be unfounded...a quick check of the price stickers and VIN's of the three SX4's the dealership today showed all three to be Japanese-built with 100% Japanese parts content....and Suzuki's warranty is quite generous....even better than the excellent Hyundai / Kia warranty in some ways. Suzuki gives you 3/36 on the whole car and 7/100 on the drivetrain ( important on a complex AWD system ) while Hyundai and Kia give you 5/60 on the whole car and 10/100 on the drivetrain. But the Hyundai / Kia waranty is not transferable to another person outside of an immediate family member, while the Suzuki waranty is...and the Suzuki warranty carries no deductable either. So if the AWD system turns out to be not quite as reliable as Subaru's, you've got peace of mind with it for quite some time. ( Subaru, BTW, gives you 3/36 on the whole car and 5/60 on the drivetrain ). The AWD Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe ( a twin design that used to compete with Subaru and Suzuki in the entry-level AWD market, although with a slightly higher price ) has been dropped for 2007 and will no longer be a factor.
So....WHY am I so impressed with the value of this car even though it is a little small for my tastes and has, for me, too much of a light-car feel on the road? Simple.....though I won't go down the whole laundry list ( I provided the Suzuki web site for that ), look at all the major standard features this car DOES give you for the $16,554 sticker price......
......3-mode 2WD/AWD/AWD Lock, which no other car-based AWD system has, ( not even Subaru ), power windows and door locks, body-colored power mirrors, cargo cover, roof rack, manual air conditioning, 5-spoke aluminum alloy wheels, multi-reflector headlights, rear wiper / defroster, 4-wheel disc brakes with Anti-Lock with Electronic Brake force Distribution, Remote Keyless Entry, tilt steering, AM/FM/CD stereo with MP3/WMA and XM capability, 60/40 fold-down rear seats, front side-impact AND side-curtain airbags both, and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
And If you are willing to row your own gears the price comes down another $1000...to $15,554. Spend a little more and get the SX4 Sport....again starting out just a little more, between $16,000 and $17,000...and Suzuki tosses in traction control, a vehicle stability system, auto A/C, cruise control, an 8-speaker stereo with all of the features of the base model plus a 6-disc CD changer and subwoofer, leather-covered steering wheel, fog lights, and heated outside mirrors.
Pretty damn impressive for less than $17,000, I'd say....and I have been looking at and reviewing new cars for years....I'm used to seeing bargains. Even with tax and tags you probably would go out the door for less than $18,000, except maybe in a few high-tax states.
OK.....I won't drag on and on about the car's value...that pretty much speaks for itself. So....now, as always, let's take a look at the car in detail:
Model Reviewed: 2007 Suzuki SX4 4-Door Hatchback Base Model
Base Price: $15,554 ( including freight )
Major Options: 4-Speed Automatic transmission, $1000
Price as Reviewed: $16,554 ( and that is without incentives ).
Drivetrain: 2.0L Transverse-mount in-line, DOHC 16-valve 4,
143 HP @ 5800 RPM, 136 ft.-lbs. of torque @ 3500 RPM, 4-speed
automatic transmission, 3-mode AWD system with 2WD / AWD / AWD Lock.
Exterior Color: Black Onyx Pearl
Interior: Black Fabric with metallic trim.
PLUSSES:
Enormous value for the money.
Versatile choice of 2WD economy or AWD traction with a flick of the switch.
Well-done paint job.
Relatively smooth ride ( by small-car AWD standards ) combined with good handling.
Seamless AWD system.
LONG list of standard convienence and safety features, even in base model.
Nice paint colors, including Sunlight Copper Pearl and Techno Blue Metallic.
Room inside for tall people.
Well-done inside and outside trim.
Clear, extremely well-designed, PRECISE gauges.
Nice stereo with a lot of standard features.
SOLID-feeling doors and handles.
Engine easy to service.
4-wheel disc brakes with ABS / EFD give good stopping power.
Godzilla-strength seat hardware.
Black-painted lower rocker panels and wheel arches keep dirt and road grime off body.
Low levels of road noise.
Outstanding, fully transferrable drivetrain warranty with no deductible.
MINUSES:
Slow acceleration with automatic transmission, AWD mode, and A/C on.
Brake pedal placement for big feet/shoes not the best.
Small cargo area behind rear seat.
Front fenders, for parking, impossible to see from inside the car.
Turn-signal-lever return spring not strong enough for simple lane-change signals.
Relatively low ground clearance, by AWD standards, may impede progress in deep snow.
Interior a little too much all-black and dark gray, but with nice metallic trim.
Flimsy plastic gas-flap and snaps.
The car, at first glance, as you walk up to it, at first somewhat reminds you of other very small 4-door hatchbacks such as the Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, and the former Daewoo Lanos. ( SX4's are available now only as hatchbacks but a sedan version is coming later ).
The general body shape is not the most appealing that I've seen...like many other small cars today, it has a somewhat tall roofline, and sloped-down hood, swept-back headlights, rounded-off D-pillars, and small, triangular windows built into the front A-pillars. Not the kind of general body shape you would expect to see in the classic Big-Sur, CA sports-car promo ads, but not what I would call ugly either. This car won't turn heads, but of course turning heads is not this car's forte....its chief role is keeping your wallet as thick as possible.
The exterior is well-constructed of high-quality sheet metal and painted quite nicely, especially given the car's price. Several paint colors of the Pearl variety are standard, and the Bright Red, Sunlight Copper, and Techno Blue are the ones I'd consider first. The paint is well-done, though not quite up to Lexus / Acura / Audi standards.....even, smooth, and with a noticeable lack of orange peel. All of the panel gaps are quite close except for the gap between the front door and front fender. The exterior hardware is well-done, durable, and attractive......all except for the way-too-flimsy thin plastic gas cap and the PLASTIC lock for it. On the white SX4 in the showroom the plastic snap lock wouldn't work at all and you couldn't shut the cap all the way...it kept popping open. ( on the blue and black SX4's on the lot they worked properly ). The front and rear bumpers both have attractive black and silver rub-strips / protectors on them, and the lower body / fender and wheel arch moldings have shiny black paint so that even without the accessory spash guards ( no, believe it or not, they are NOT standard ) the body-colored paint will be protected. Body-color mirrors, as stated before, are standard. The SOLID door handles, even though they are plastic instead of metal, have a heavy-duty feeling to them.....and the doors shut with a solid thunk.
The hood is generally short and slanted, like on many small cars today, but the 2.0L four fits in nicely in a transverse-mount configuration. There is room to access some engine components despite the engine cover, and the cover smartly has a round cutout in it right in the middle of the front valve cover ( it is DOHC design with two covers ) out of which pops the oil dipstick right in front of you where it is easy to see and reach. Right next to it is the equally easy-to-access oil filler cap. Over on the right, on the other side of the battery between the battery and the right wall of the hood compartment, is the tall, thin engine computer. This is a smart attempt by Suzuki engineers to shield the computer from engine heat by placing the battery between it and the hot engine block.
Press the button, open the doors ( a key fob is standard ) and get in. The car has rather low ground clearance for an AWD vehicle, but the seats are comfortably high, and the tall roofline gives plenty of headroom for tall people.....only very slightly less in the back. Legroom, while not vast, is adequate front and rear. Overhead, the sun visors both have nice fold-out mirrors built into them.
The interior, for my tastes, has a little too much expanse of black and dark-gray starkness ( the only interior available on the base model ), but the silver metallic trim on the sides of the console and on the door handles is very well-done....better than on some much more expensive cars I have seen. I myself prefer wood or imitation wood trim, but the metallic silver trim is about as tastefully well-done as you could expect from a car like this. The seats are a little on the flat side ( no Recaros here ) but constructed of quite durable-feeling materials, fabric, and hardware. ( the 60/40 fold-down rear seats have hold-down locks on them that feel like something out of an Army tank ). The front seats also have durable-feeling manual hardware and adjusters.
The circular primary gauges are not only clear and well-designed, but have something very few speedometers do today have but was popular on some cars in the 1960's....1-MPH tick markers between the numbers so you can see your speed to the exact MPH...no excuses for any speeding tickets. The steering wheel is the now-common three-spoke design with the spokes at three, six, and nine o'clock.
A weak point of the interior, due mostly to the car's short length and roomy seating space, is a rather small cargo area behind the rear seats. Fold the rear seats down and, of course, you can take a little more, but don't expect to load this car up like you would a Suburban. The rear seat has three rather large built-in headrests, but do NOT expect to carry three adults back there.....three small kids or two medium-to-large size adults is the practical max. The low power level would further limit the load you could carry ( more on this in a moment ). And speaking of the rear headrests, if you are tall, they tilt forward and dig into the back of your neck unless you keep them in the full-up position.
On the road, the car has a little bit too much of the lightweight small-car feeling for my tastes, despite the well-done construction with durable parts. It felt basically like an AWD Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, or Kia Rio would...those are all good small cars but they have a similiar lightweight feeling on the road. ( The SX4, BTW, thanks to AWD and its high level of equipment, is not particularly light for its size, at around 2800 lbs., but actually feels lighter than that ). The car has just adequate power at best, even with a heavy foot.....the 136 ft.-lbs. of torque is borderline underpowered with the 2800 lbs., automatic transmission, and AWD mode. Fortunately, a rocker switch on the console allows you to switch to 2WD mode when you don't need or want the extra traction, and that helps acceleration a little....just a little....by of course eliminating the extra AWD drag on the engine. 2WD mode, of course, will also help save gas as well, although the EPA mileage figures of 23/28 manual and 24/30 automatic are not bad to start with for an AWD vehicle. ( Strange that the automatic does better than the manual...must be in the gearing ). Suzuki does not say in its specs whether the mileage ratings are for 2WD or AWD mode.....my guess is AWD, because that is what the cars are primarily designed for.
Although this car is not a Jeep or an off-roader by any means, if the going gets rough or if you are in very mild off-road conditions, the same switch for 2WD / AWD will also allow you to select AWD/Lock.This locks the two axles together for maximum pull in soft-surface conditions, but like all such lockup systems, should NOT be used on dry pavement because it overstresses the tires and drivetrain on a dry surface with traction. A green dash light comes on and indicates which of the three modes you are in....2WD, AutoAWD, or AWD Lock. As I mentioned before, no other car-based AWD system in the American market has that 3-mode feature, and is a big selling point for this car.
The transmission is quite smooth, though it lacks the manual sport-shift common on a lot of today's cars. It is almost impossible to actually feel the shift.....just a drop in RPM on the tach and a reduction in engine noise.
Former Suzuki-designed vehicles, especially their small SUV's, were anything BUT sophisticated in their overall suspension designs.....( those of you who have driven Sidekick/Trackers, Samurais, X-90's, and Vitaras know exactly what I mean )......but the SX4 has a pretty good ride-handling combination. This is helped by the 60-series 16-inch tires, standard alloy wheels, and having the wheels at the corners of the car for a relatively long wheelbase for its short length, though having the wheels at the corners does reduce the stabilizing effect of long body overhangs a little. The handling is quite carlike, with very little body roll especially for a tall-roofed vehicle like that with a relatively high center of gravity. Steering response was good, as was steering feel with the well-designed power steering. No, it's not BMW-feel and precision, but again for a small AWD vehicle, quite good.
Ride was relatively smooth.....MUCH better than with previous Suzuki AWD vehicles....and even smoother than its brother, the car-like AWD Aerio. Braking from the all-disc setup with ABS/EFD was fine except for the brake pedal placement that causes big size 15 clown-shoes like mine to hang up under the brake pedal a moment unless you are careful. Tire and road noise, despite the car's small size and lack of room for a lot of sound insulation, was again much better with than previous Suzuki attempts at small AWD products. About the only other complaint I had on the road was a small but annoying one...the turn-signal lever's return spring was weak and constantly locked on when I just wanted to press it down for a lane change and have it spring back......that would be a very easy fix at the factory with just a slightly different spring.
The verdict? I've already talked enough about the car's value.....no need re-hashing it any more here. Suzuki traditionally has a hard time getting people into its showrooms...it is not one of the more successful nameplates in the American market, and to be honest, I have not been impressed all with most of their former U.S.-market Suzuki-designed products and their lousy engineering. The Samurai, especially, was a total and complete piece of junk....its followers a little better but not much. Lately Suzuki has turned to Korean automaker Daewoo for most of its U.S-market passenger cars.....and those cars are, in some ways, also better than past Suzuki regular passenger-car designs. But with this car, Suzuki clearly has something, though it could use a little more power and a couple of minor redesigns on the hardware. Suzuki, in my opinion, should consider using the slightly larger 2.3L four from the Aerio on this car..its slightly higher HP and torque would take a little of the sluggishness out of the automatic version of the SX4, particularly with the A/C and AWD on, and it would no doubt fit the SX4's drivetrain.
Other than that, with the SX4, Suzuki has given Subaru its first real credible AWD competition in the under-$20,000 range that I have seen in a long time ( though the Suzuki AWD system is more complex than Subaru's due to the transverse-mount engine ). Suzuki's biggest problem is going to be just getting the public to come in and look at and drive this car.....hey, I myself didn't really know much about it till just last week. Those who DO drop by a Suzuki shop and want a good entry-level AWD car for chump change will probably not be disappointed.
In a Nutshell: An astounding value for the money.....
Ladies and gentleman, meet the new King of the affordable,
entry-level All-Wheel-Drive bargains.
When I recently read about the upcoming Suzuki SX4 in CAR and DRIVER ( I also did a CL non-review thread on it ), I was quite impressed just from what I saw and read in the magazine even without seeing and driving the car in person. It was obvious, even on paper, that the long dominance of the Subaru Impreza ( and even Suzuki's own AWD Aerio, for that matter ) as the 2 reigning U.S. market AWD bargain best-values was going to get a serious challenge. I made immediate
plans to review this car as quickly as possible.....and fortunately, I did not have to wait for a month like I did with the hard-to-get FWD Honda Fit.
Fortunately, SX4's ( mostly base models ) are arrving at dealerships regularly now, and finding one is no problem at all, except for the relative scarcity of Suzuki dealerships...you don't find one on every street corner. With the recent folding of the nearest Buick-Suzuki dealer just a few miles from my house, I had to drive a bit out into VA...some 25 miles....to find the next-closest Suzuki shop ( this one dealing in Suzukis only ), and was it worth the trip ? You bet it was. It was a real pleasure not just to see this car, review it, and write it up, but a niceside perk was that regular gas was only $2.13 at most of the stations there, even for major-brands, so I naturally filled up there and had lunch.
However, no car is perfect, and there were some things I didn't care for on it...as always, I have objectively listed them below in my PLUS/ MINUS column.
The car, as a daily driver, was also a little too small for my tastes ( I like a little larger, heavier feel to a car myself ), and I suspect that some others besides me will find it too small for them in spite of its incredible value as a new car, particularly for an AWD machine, but it was no tinbox, being well-designed and constructed with durable materials.
But.....for you Moms and Dads who want to send Junior off to college with an affordable, well-equipped AWD car for rough climates and slippery roads, or just want good, cheap, well-equipped, new-car snow transportation, HERE is your car, hands-down. No other vehicle that I know of currently in the American market offers so much at so low a price.
Of course, that is not to say that you should not seriously consider a Subaru Impreza. The Impreza still has a lot going for it...a well-proved, simple, durable AWD system, good reliability overall with a proven track record, a more extensive dealer network, a low price for an AWD car ( not as low as the SX4's, of course ), and good resale value...... ( the SX4's resale value, at this point is of course only a guess ). And the SX4 is new to the American market, although the engine's design is similiar, though smaller, to the 2.3L one in its brother Suzuki Aerio, and the AWD system is also similiar, though more versatile, to the one that has been in production in the Aerio for several years. So it's not like the major components are completely new and untested either. I at first had some concerns about quality when I heard it was built in Europe, but those concerns seem to be unfounded...a quick check of the price stickers and VIN's of the three SX4's the dealership today showed all three to be Japanese-built with 100% Japanese parts content....and Suzuki's warranty is quite generous....even better than the excellent Hyundai / Kia warranty in some ways. Suzuki gives you 3/36 on the whole car and 7/100 on the drivetrain ( important on a complex AWD system ) while Hyundai and Kia give you 5/60 on the whole car and 10/100 on the drivetrain. But the Hyundai / Kia waranty is not transferable to another person outside of an immediate family member, while the Suzuki waranty is...and the Suzuki warranty carries no deductable either. So if the AWD system turns out to be not quite as reliable as Subaru's, you've got peace of mind with it for quite some time. ( Subaru, BTW, gives you 3/36 on the whole car and 5/60 on the drivetrain ). The AWD Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe ( a twin design that used to compete with Subaru and Suzuki in the entry-level AWD market, although with a slightly higher price ) has been dropped for 2007 and will no longer be a factor.
So....WHY am I so impressed with the value of this car even though it is a little small for my tastes and has, for me, too much of a light-car feel on the road? Simple.....though I won't go down the whole laundry list ( I provided the Suzuki web site for that ), look at all the major standard features this car DOES give you for the $16,554 sticker price......
......3-mode 2WD/AWD/AWD Lock, which no other car-based AWD system has, ( not even Subaru ), power windows and door locks, body-colored power mirrors, cargo cover, roof rack, manual air conditioning, 5-spoke aluminum alloy wheels, multi-reflector headlights, rear wiper / defroster, 4-wheel disc brakes with Anti-Lock with Electronic Brake force Distribution, Remote Keyless Entry, tilt steering, AM/FM/CD stereo with MP3/WMA and XM capability, 60/40 fold-down rear seats, front side-impact AND side-curtain airbags both, and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
And If you are willing to row your own gears the price comes down another $1000...to $15,554. Spend a little more and get the SX4 Sport....again starting out just a little more, between $16,000 and $17,000...and Suzuki tosses in traction control, a vehicle stability system, auto A/C, cruise control, an 8-speaker stereo with all of the features of the base model plus a 6-disc CD changer and subwoofer, leather-covered steering wheel, fog lights, and heated outside mirrors.
Pretty damn impressive for less than $17,000, I'd say....and I have been looking at and reviewing new cars for years....I'm used to seeing bargains. Even with tax and tags you probably would go out the door for less than $18,000, except maybe in a few high-tax states.
OK.....I won't drag on and on about the car's value...that pretty much speaks for itself. So....now, as always, let's take a look at the car in detail:
Model Reviewed: 2007 Suzuki SX4 4-Door Hatchback Base Model
Base Price: $15,554 ( including freight )
Major Options: 4-Speed Automatic transmission, $1000
Price as Reviewed: $16,554 ( and that is without incentives ).
Drivetrain: 2.0L Transverse-mount in-line, DOHC 16-valve 4,
143 HP @ 5800 RPM, 136 ft.-lbs. of torque @ 3500 RPM, 4-speed
automatic transmission, 3-mode AWD system with 2WD / AWD / AWD Lock.
Exterior Color: Black Onyx Pearl
Interior: Black Fabric with metallic trim.
PLUSSES:
Enormous value for the money.
Versatile choice of 2WD economy or AWD traction with a flick of the switch.
Well-done paint job.
Relatively smooth ride ( by small-car AWD standards ) combined with good handling.
Seamless AWD system.
LONG list of standard convienence and safety features, even in base model.
Nice paint colors, including Sunlight Copper Pearl and Techno Blue Metallic.
Room inside for tall people.
Well-done inside and outside trim.
Clear, extremely well-designed, PRECISE gauges.
Nice stereo with a lot of standard features.
SOLID-feeling doors and handles.
Engine easy to service.
4-wheel disc brakes with ABS / EFD give good stopping power.
Godzilla-strength seat hardware.
Black-painted lower rocker panels and wheel arches keep dirt and road grime off body.
Low levels of road noise.
Outstanding, fully transferrable drivetrain warranty with no deductible.
MINUSES:
Slow acceleration with automatic transmission, AWD mode, and A/C on.
Brake pedal placement for big feet/shoes not the best.
Small cargo area behind rear seat.
Front fenders, for parking, impossible to see from inside the car.
Turn-signal-lever return spring not strong enough for simple lane-change signals.
Relatively low ground clearance, by AWD standards, may impede progress in deep snow.
Interior a little too much all-black and dark gray, but with nice metallic trim.
Flimsy plastic gas-flap and snaps.
The car, at first glance, as you walk up to it, at first somewhat reminds you of other very small 4-door hatchbacks such as the Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, and the former Daewoo Lanos. ( SX4's are available now only as hatchbacks but a sedan version is coming later ).
The general body shape is not the most appealing that I've seen...like many other small cars today, it has a somewhat tall roofline, and sloped-down hood, swept-back headlights, rounded-off D-pillars, and small, triangular windows built into the front A-pillars. Not the kind of general body shape you would expect to see in the classic Big-Sur, CA sports-car promo ads, but not what I would call ugly either. This car won't turn heads, but of course turning heads is not this car's forte....its chief role is keeping your wallet as thick as possible.
The exterior is well-constructed of high-quality sheet metal and painted quite nicely, especially given the car's price. Several paint colors of the Pearl variety are standard, and the Bright Red, Sunlight Copper, and Techno Blue are the ones I'd consider first. The paint is well-done, though not quite up to Lexus / Acura / Audi standards.....even, smooth, and with a noticeable lack of orange peel. All of the panel gaps are quite close except for the gap between the front door and front fender. The exterior hardware is well-done, durable, and attractive......all except for the way-too-flimsy thin plastic gas cap and the PLASTIC lock for it. On the white SX4 in the showroom the plastic snap lock wouldn't work at all and you couldn't shut the cap all the way...it kept popping open. ( on the blue and black SX4's on the lot they worked properly ). The front and rear bumpers both have attractive black and silver rub-strips / protectors on them, and the lower body / fender and wheel arch moldings have shiny black paint so that even without the accessory spash guards ( no, believe it or not, they are NOT standard ) the body-colored paint will be protected. Body-color mirrors, as stated before, are standard. The SOLID door handles, even though they are plastic instead of metal, have a heavy-duty feeling to them.....and the doors shut with a solid thunk.
The hood is generally short and slanted, like on many small cars today, but the 2.0L four fits in nicely in a transverse-mount configuration. There is room to access some engine components despite the engine cover, and the cover smartly has a round cutout in it right in the middle of the front valve cover ( it is DOHC design with two covers ) out of which pops the oil dipstick right in front of you where it is easy to see and reach. Right next to it is the equally easy-to-access oil filler cap. Over on the right, on the other side of the battery between the battery and the right wall of the hood compartment, is the tall, thin engine computer. This is a smart attempt by Suzuki engineers to shield the computer from engine heat by placing the battery between it and the hot engine block.
Press the button, open the doors ( a key fob is standard ) and get in. The car has rather low ground clearance for an AWD vehicle, but the seats are comfortably high, and the tall roofline gives plenty of headroom for tall people.....only very slightly less in the back. Legroom, while not vast, is adequate front and rear. Overhead, the sun visors both have nice fold-out mirrors built into them.
The interior, for my tastes, has a little too much expanse of black and dark-gray starkness ( the only interior available on the base model ), but the silver metallic trim on the sides of the console and on the door handles is very well-done....better than on some much more expensive cars I have seen. I myself prefer wood or imitation wood trim, but the metallic silver trim is about as tastefully well-done as you could expect from a car like this. The seats are a little on the flat side ( no Recaros here ) but constructed of quite durable-feeling materials, fabric, and hardware. ( the 60/40 fold-down rear seats have hold-down locks on them that feel like something out of an Army tank ). The front seats also have durable-feeling manual hardware and adjusters.
The circular primary gauges are not only clear and well-designed, but have something very few speedometers do today have but was popular on some cars in the 1960's....1-MPH tick markers between the numbers so you can see your speed to the exact MPH...no excuses for any speeding tickets. The steering wheel is the now-common three-spoke design with the spokes at three, six, and nine o'clock.
A weak point of the interior, due mostly to the car's short length and roomy seating space, is a rather small cargo area behind the rear seats. Fold the rear seats down and, of course, you can take a little more, but don't expect to load this car up like you would a Suburban. The rear seat has three rather large built-in headrests, but do NOT expect to carry three adults back there.....three small kids or two medium-to-large size adults is the practical max. The low power level would further limit the load you could carry ( more on this in a moment ). And speaking of the rear headrests, if you are tall, they tilt forward and dig into the back of your neck unless you keep them in the full-up position.
On the road, the car has a little bit too much of the lightweight small-car feeling for my tastes, despite the well-done construction with durable parts. It felt basically like an AWD Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, or Kia Rio would...those are all good small cars but they have a similiar lightweight feeling on the road. ( The SX4, BTW, thanks to AWD and its high level of equipment, is not particularly light for its size, at around 2800 lbs., but actually feels lighter than that ). The car has just adequate power at best, even with a heavy foot.....the 136 ft.-lbs. of torque is borderline underpowered with the 2800 lbs., automatic transmission, and AWD mode. Fortunately, a rocker switch on the console allows you to switch to 2WD mode when you don't need or want the extra traction, and that helps acceleration a little....just a little....by of course eliminating the extra AWD drag on the engine. 2WD mode, of course, will also help save gas as well, although the EPA mileage figures of 23/28 manual and 24/30 automatic are not bad to start with for an AWD vehicle. ( Strange that the automatic does better than the manual...must be in the gearing ). Suzuki does not say in its specs whether the mileage ratings are for 2WD or AWD mode.....my guess is AWD, because that is what the cars are primarily designed for.
Although this car is not a Jeep or an off-roader by any means, if the going gets rough or if you are in very mild off-road conditions, the same switch for 2WD / AWD will also allow you to select AWD/Lock.This locks the two axles together for maximum pull in soft-surface conditions, but like all such lockup systems, should NOT be used on dry pavement because it overstresses the tires and drivetrain on a dry surface with traction. A green dash light comes on and indicates which of the three modes you are in....2WD, AutoAWD, or AWD Lock. As I mentioned before, no other car-based AWD system in the American market has that 3-mode feature, and is a big selling point for this car.
The transmission is quite smooth, though it lacks the manual sport-shift common on a lot of today's cars. It is almost impossible to actually feel the shift.....just a drop in RPM on the tach and a reduction in engine noise.
Former Suzuki-designed vehicles, especially their small SUV's, were anything BUT sophisticated in their overall suspension designs.....( those of you who have driven Sidekick/Trackers, Samurais, X-90's, and Vitaras know exactly what I mean )......but the SX4 has a pretty good ride-handling combination. This is helped by the 60-series 16-inch tires, standard alloy wheels, and having the wheels at the corners of the car for a relatively long wheelbase for its short length, though having the wheels at the corners does reduce the stabilizing effect of long body overhangs a little. The handling is quite carlike, with very little body roll especially for a tall-roofed vehicle like that with a relatively high center of gravity. Steering response was good, as was steering feel with the well-designed power steering. No, it's not BMW-feel and precision, but again for a small AWD vehicle, quite good.
Ride was relatively smooth.....MUCH better than with previous Suzuki AWD vehicles....and even smoother than its brother, the car-like AWD Aerio. Braking from the all-disc setup with ABS/EFD was fine except for the brake pedal placement that causes big size 15 clown-shoes like mine to hang up under the brake pedal a moment unless you are careful. Tire and road noise, despite the car's small size and lack of room for a lot of sound insulation, was again much better with than previous Suzuki attempts at small AWD products. About the only other complaint I had on the road was a small but annoying one...the turn-signal lever's return spring was weak and constantly locked on when I just wanted to press it down for a lane change and have it spring back......that would be a very easy fix at the factory with just a slightly different spring.
The verdict? I've already talked enough about the car's value.....no need re-hashing it any more here. Suzuki traditionally has a hard time getting people into its showrooms...it is not one of the more successful nameplates in the American market, and to be honest, I have not been impressed all with most of their former U.S.-market Suzuki-designed products and their lousy engineering. The Samurai, especially, was a total and complete piece of junk....its followers a little better but not much. Lately Suzuki has turned to Korean automaker Daewoo for most of its U.S-market passenger cars.....and those cars are, in some ways, also better than past Suzuki regular passenger-car designs. But with this car, Suzuki clearly has something, though it could use a little more power and a couple of minor redesigns on the hardware. Suzuki, in my opinion, should consider using the slightly larger 2.3L four from the Aerio on this car..its slightly higher HP and torque would take a little of the sluggishness out of the automatic version of the SX4, particularly with the A/C and AWD on, and it would no doubt fit the SX4's drivetrain.
Other than that, with the SX4, Suzuki has given Subaru its first real credible AWD competition in the under-$20,000 range that I have seen in a long time ( though the Suzuki AWD system is more complex than Subaru's due to the transverse-mount engine ). Suzuki's biggest problem is going to be just getting the public to come in and look at and drive this car.....hey, I myself didn't really know much about it till just last week. Those who DO drop by a Suzuki shop and want a good entry-level AWD car for chump change will probably not be disappointed.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-25-06 at 04:09 AM.
09-23-06, 07:01 PM
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Excellent write up mmmarshall!!! I will definitely check this car out. I know a lot of people who are looking at sub-compact vehicles!
How would you compare the Fit and Sx4? In terms of quality of materials, interior room, and power?
I'm looking forward in seeing the crash test results of both the Fit and SX4. I have a feeling the SX4 will fair better due to its higher weight.
How would you compare the Fit and Sx4? In terms of quality of materials, interior room, and power?
I'm looking forward in seeing the crash test results of both the Fit and SX4. I have a feeling the SX4 will fair better due to its higher weight.
09-23-06, 07:21 PM
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I'd rate the cars about equal in overall quality, fit and finish, and roadibility. ( although the particular Fit I reviewed, if you remember, had a poorly finished metal plate under the hood that gave a nasty finger-cut on hood-opening ). Neither one had a lot of power...the Fit, being lighter, and without AWD, had an edge...though the SX4 can be run in 2WD mode if desired. The SX4 had a noticeably smoother ride. Both had good handling. The Fit had more road noise. Neither one had much cargo room in back, by hatchback standards....but were fine for the driver and front-seat passenger; a little less roomy but still OK in back.
Value?.......obviously, not even close. The SX4 blows the Fit away in value for the dollar. Fits not only start at $15,000, but AWD is not available, and Honda dealers charge ( and get ) markups over list....the one I reviewed was marked up to over $19,000.
The flimsy plastic gas cap and the even flimsier plastic snap-lock on the SX4, though, were a joke, and the added weight and drag of AWD really bogs it down if you have to accelerate quickly....particularly with automatic and the air conditioning on.
The Fit does have the advantage, however, of being a more proven design, and its good general long-term reliability level in the European and Japanese markets also bodes well for its projected reliability here as well. The Fit will also probably stretch your gas dollars further than the SX4, even with the SX4 in 2WD mode.....a matter of less importance now, with cheaper gas, than just a couple of months ago, but still of concern to many people.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-23-06 at 07:40 PM.
09-23-06, 10:55 PM
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http://www.suzukiauto.com/sr_07/sx4/
I at first had some concerns about quality when I heard it was built in Europe, but those concerns seem to be unfounded...a quick check of the price stickers and VIN's of the three SX4's the dealership today showed all three to be Japanese-built with 100% Japanese parts content....
I at first had some concerns about quality when I heard it was built in Europe, but those concerns seem to be unfounded...a quick check of the price stickers and VIN's of the three SX4's the dealership today showed all three to be Japanese-built with 100% Japanese parts content....
I was impressed by the Aerio's fit, finish and amenities for the money. It's a great value - and it seems Suzuki has created an ever greater value in the SX4.
I'm not sure if this remains true as Suzuki grows into the North American market, but Suzuki was, as of recently, one of the few large Japanese auto companies still selling more cars in the home market (Japan) than in the US.
Thanks for the review. I might go check one out.
M.
09-24-06, 03:44 AM
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It's definitely Best-in-Class in value. Long-term reliability, of course, is still a question mark, but the build quality on this car appeared, on the surface at least, to be pretty good.
09-24-06, 02:48 PM
#7
it would also look more attractive if they kept to Euro styling as well, but they remove the extras to sell it as small hatch and not suv in the states, while in europe they are marketing it as suv...
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09-24-06, 03:03 PM
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I would not call this particular vehicle an SUV any more than I would its primary competitor...the Subaru Impreza SportWagon. It is slightly more SUV-shaped than an Impreza...and slightly taller.....but its underpinnings and chassis is clearly that of an AWD subcompact car.
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