Road Test: Suzuki SX4

Review by Feann Torr - 16/May/2007

Here's something a bit different: a compact car for under 25 grand that's also got the rugged character of an AWD. It looks different, sounds different, and even feels a bit different.

Suzuki's latest endeavour, the SX4, is a bold move by the company but one that seems to be paying off already. The car has proven to be a popular new model in Europe and when prices start at below $25,000 for a small car with AWD and the sorts of extras normally reserved for cars breaking into prestige markets, it's easy to see why.

In the recent past Suzuki has discovered great success with its small car, the Swift, thanks its compact size, rewarding driving dynamics, and toy-car looks that appeal in the same way to the Mini Coopers'. Indeed, the Swift has been warmly received by critics and new car buyers alike. 

Yet the SX4 is not quite as easy to pigeonhole as the Swift; it's a small car, but slightly larger than its cheeky sibling, and it's an AWD vehicle. So is it a compact city car or a soft-roader? Well, neither. Built in Japan, the SX4 is a sports cross-over vehicle which combines a little of both while adding its own secret herbs and spices.

Its closest competitor would be the Subaru Impreza, but even this connection is drawing a long bow.

However the car will be categorised, one thing is clear - Suzuki knows how to build a solid small car, because the SX4 does a lot of things soundly and only a few things poorly. It's remarkably well equipped - it gets a keyless proximity security system, six airbags, climate control, while alloy wheels and fog lights give it a snappy appearance - and is powered by a zippy 2.0-litre engine that can be equipped with either manual or automatic gearboxes.

After the success of the new Swift range, Suzuki is keen to maintain the momentum and the SX4 could be just the ticket. Let's take a closer look:

From the outset it is clear that Suzuki's SX4 is an unconventional car. To begin with, it is physically different to most cars on the market. It's not quite a compact car as it sits high on the road, but it's not a wagon-based compact AWD either. 

It's a curious little thing, but that's not to say it looks munted - just a little different. Some of the cosmetic attractions include front fog lights, roof rails, a rear spoiler and 16-inch alloy wheels with flared wheel arches. 

I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of the styling, but I do like that it's a relatively original design. It's a little bit Euro, and a little bit Asian, and few people were interested enough to turn around and have a good look at the SX4 as it cruised on by. Like the Swift, it's got a cheeky sort of look about it and after collecting the key - if you can call it that - from Suzuki's vehicle depot I was impressed with the fact that your can leave the key fob in your pocket to start the car. 

It's simple but clever system that detects when the device is nearby, and allows you to unlock and start the car without taking it out of your pocket. It even works if you throw the key fob in a bag.

Cruising away from Suzuki's headquarters I found the car to be fairly lively with good engine response and a snappy little 5-speed gearbox. It's easy to drive and sits quite high which gives the driver a good view of the road ahead - far better than standard small cars due to this slightly elevated stance.

I did find the throttle to be overly sensitive, and at first I tended to spike the revs between gear changes. Maybe it was my driving style... Either way, I thought the throttle was a bit touchy.

My first task was to see how the car performed in the city, and though the 5-speed auto model would probably have been better suited to ducking in and out of traffic and dealing with the incessant stop-start nature of commuting, the 5-speed manual proved to be fairly easygoing.

The gear shift mechanism itself feels a little bit notchy when shifting between first and second, but the clutch is light and snicking in and out of gears is far from a chore. The 2.0-litre engine is also tractable enough to pull the car from low engine speeds, so even if you panic and get caught in a gear it can usually pull you out of trouble.

The 4-cylinder petrol engine generates 107kW, which is pretty much the industry standard for an engine of this size, but at times it feels more energetic than this figure suggests because the car itself is relatively light at 1255kg.

Steering the SX4 is not difficult thanks to the power steering and with a tight turning circle it makes U-turns a piece of cake. The figures state a 10.6 metre turning circle, but I reckon it's closer to 10.4.

In city and urban scenarios two of the more impressive things about the SX4 are that a) it's a small car, so it's great for parking, for navigating tight city traffic and for general commuting and b) it's got a higher ride height than your Barinas, Corollas and Golfs. 

The ultimate city car? Quite possibly.

It's a small automobile at 4.13 metres long but it certainly doesn't feel small on the road, and again I think the elevated ride height contributes by giving the driver a bit more reassurance when surveying the surrounding traffic.

Getting around in peak hour traffic is less intimidating than in some small cars, but I did find the doubled up C-D pillar at the rear of the car made head checks a bit iffy. Because the rear-most pillar is quick thick your blind spot on the drivers side is fairly large, which isn't ideal when changing lanes or merging into freeway traffic. 

Large mirrors mollify the visibility issue somewhat, giving you a broad view along the cars flanks; they are rather wide and tall like those found on full-sized 4WDs.

The anchors have plenty of bite, with ventilated 280mm disc brakes at the front and 278mm solid disc brakes at the rear. The brake pedal isn't too spongy and the brakes feel quite strong and are able to slow the car quite rapidly as I discovered when a car in front decided for seemingly no reason to slam on the anchors. Thanks pal...

With ABS ensuring the wheels don't lock up on slippery surfaces and six airbags at the ready, the SX4's safety credentials are backed up with high levels of latent occupant protection, as the car has a four star EURO NCAP rating.

Steering the small-but-tall Suzuki from the congested city roadways and onto 100km/h freeways revealed a pretty good high speed cruiser, without too much wind or tyre noise. Well, there's a touch of wind noise, but nothing you'd disparage the car for. Overtaking can be somewhat ponderous as the engine needs a bit of time to get going at higher speeds, but no more so than any other 2.0-litre small car.

At 100km/h the SX4 sits in top gear (5th gear) with the engine spinning at 2800rpm, and our final fuel consumption figure for a weeks worth of driving - which included city, highway, and off-road driving - resulted in 8.9L/100km, which is about average for a car of this size. It wouldn't be hard to get a lower figure than this however, as we tended to thrash it during most of the test.

In terms of the ride-handling balance, I discovered that the SX4 leans towards the handling side of the equation, though that's not to say it's got a harsh ride. It's propped up on 16-inch wheels shod with 205/60 R16 tyres, and the high side walls of the tyres give the car a bit of cushioning which is useful both in terms of on-road ride quality and off-road adaptability.

In my opinion the suspension is perhaps a little on the firm side, which means you will feel the the car's body reverberate momentarily when driving over a pothole. The flipside of this relatively firm suspension is that the car has a remarkably sporty character, as I discovered on some winding roads leading up towards the Great Dividing Range. The principle reason for my journey into Australia's largest mountain range was primarily to test it's off-road abilities, but along the way it became clear that Suzuki has engineered a fair bit of fun into this curious 'sports cross-over vehicle'.

As it turns out the SX4 has been tuned to deliver a fairly sporty driving style without unnerving levels of understeer to spoil the fun when the tempo rises. And the engine - while lacking in torque with 184Nm of the stuff - is a willing co-conspirator for the sporty suspension.

The SX4 feels quite nimble on its feet, and though it tends to lean on its front outside wheel when pushed into a corner, there isn't too much body roll. It understeers a little, but is actually quite enjoyable to drive along winding roads. It won't keep up with the Suzuki Swift Sport, but at the same time it doesn't have huge levels of body roll and rarely feels as though it's going to tip over when you push it round corners, as many taller bodied vehicles and AWDs do.

For something that declares itself an AWD - albeit with 'cross-over' genes - it's quite handy in the corners.

Finally I found a decent dirt track up in the hills to test the cars' AWD claims, and it performed well. Ground clearance is claimed at 200mm (which is a bit rich - it's more like 170mm), and this ensures it won't bash its undercarriage on rocky protuberances too often, or ding the bodywork on minor ruts as the car drops into them.

Adjustable AWD modes seem to be gaining popularity with car makers these days, and like Mitsubishi Outlander and other soft-roaders, the Suzuki SX4 has a tri-mode traction system that is toggled via a switch behind the gear shifter. There are three modes:

2WD: This mode is the most fuel efficient and is best used in normal A to B driving situations. It worked fine on maintained dirt roads too.

 Auto (4WD): 4WD Auto is good on unsealed roads and when the roads are wet. Essentially its a 2WD mode that initiates the rear wheels when the front wheels slip. This was evident from standing starts on dirt roads, where the front wheels would spin for a moment before the system diverted more drive to the rear wheels and the spinning stopped almost instantly and ample traction was resumed.

 Lock (4WD): The third traction mode is 4WD Lock, which locks the car in 4WD and is for surfaces like sand and snow. It can only be used at up to 60km/h (it automatically reverts to Auto 4WD at this speed), and is useful for more serious slow speed off-road action.

Part way along the wallaby infested dirt track I came across a much less travelled bush track and decided to whack the car in 4WD Lock mode to see how far I could get. It turns out not very far because although the 4WD system provided good traction on the soft sandstone-like surfaces, a lack of ground clearance meant I couldn't take it beyond a certain point.

In all, I was fairly impressed with its off road abilities and for the value price of around $25,000 you get a tenacious little rock hopper. It's got a real multipurpose vibe about it, able to do a little bit of everything moderately well and I can see it finding a lot of homes in Australia because of this jack-of-all-trades character.

I should also talk about the Suzuki SX4's interior, which affords drivers a number of creature comforts that only a handful of years ago would have been unheard of in a small Japanese car.

The good news? The SX4 has nice looking dials, an attractively designed centre console housing the stereo and HVAC systems, and everything's back lit red. It's a nice place to be with supportive seats, climate control air conditioning, and easy to use controls. The steering wheel buttons are great too, comprised of eminently intuitive audio and cruise controls. The steering wheel is leather wrapped too.

Because the little Suzuki is quite tall there's truck loads of head room for driver and passengers, but the footwells are a little tight and don't offer much room to stretch out your legs.

The bad news? Dash plastics. They are quite probably the cheapest plastics I've come across in quite some time. Don't get me wrong, they look pretty good and the overall interior design is modern, airy, and well thought out, but as soon as you rap them with your knuckles or tap them, it is evident that they're rock hard and have a cheap plastic feel. Not the sort of thing you want to smash your head on (thank Zeus for the six airbags).

The HVAC controls also feel a bit crappy, but the switchgear (indicators etc) is good. Like everything else in the cabin the dials for the HVAC look really good, but are uninspiring in a tactile sense and feel a bit flimsy with very little resistance when you turn them.

Apart from the poor quality plastics there's not much to moan about here, and the standard features list is exemplary, including items like an MP3 CD player for the stereo, which has better-than-average quality for a car of this size and price thanks to its 8-speaker setup (4 speakers, 4 tweeters). There's a basic trip computer with 'average' and 'instant' fuel consumption read outs, four electric windows, electric mirrors, and the very practical proximity key fob. Like some high end Lexus models, the 'smart' key fob detects the security codes automatically from a distance of a metre or so. You can shut front doors and push the small weatherproof rubber buttons on the front door handles (and tailgate handle) and it will unlock/lock at the touch of a button.

The boot isn't massive, rated at 270 litres, which is about enough room for a couple of small indoor palms and a sack of potting mix, and even when the rear seats are folded down the luggage capacity only rises to 625 litres, which is fair rather than good. The rear seats aren't as cramped as I was expecting, though leg room for the rear seat passengers isn't great. But bear in mind this is a small car, and judged against other small cars it's actually not too bad in terms of interior space.

For an automobile priced at under $25k the safety suite is strong, with six airbags - two front, two front-side, and two curtain airbags - that cover front and rear passengers, plus ABS and a fairly rigid passenger safety cell. This high level of occupant protection (for a small car) is reflected in its EURO NCAP rating of 4 out of 5 stars and the only thing missing here is ESP. But in hindsight its AWD transmission goes part-way to increasing its on road stability.

Overall: 4.25/5

This unconventional 4-door AWD hatchback from Suzuki is quite remarkable. It's easy to drive, exhibiting good on road manners, has a high driving position that is so sought-after these days, and is easy to park making it ideal for urban duties. It's stacked with advanced features, such as the clever keyless entry and ignition system, and includes alloy wheels and fog lights to boot. 

At the same token it's not completely inept off-road either, and can manage to get relatively muddy if the track hasn't been too badly abused by the elements.

I was expecting to be mildly bored with the SX4 but at the end of a week driving the sports cross-over vehicle I was both surprised and quite impressed with its energetic attitude. It can hold a decent line through a corner, is fairly responsive, and can also be quite frugal if you don't push it too hard. For less $25,000 the new Suzuki represents exceptional value, and if it weren't for the shabby interior plastics it may have scored even higher.

This intrepid new vehicle is a compact car with the sensibilities of an AWD and successfully builds on the recent gains made by the Suzuki Swift. The Japanese automaker took a bit of risk with the SX4; it's unorthodox, it's unconventional, it's different. But it works -- and it works well.