Suzuki SX4 Range
You wouldnt would you? I mean, look at the Suzuki SX4. Its not the sort of car youd wilfully take off road. Despite having almost as much ground clearance as the Grand Vitara 4x4, the SX4 isnt really cut out for off road antics. Instead, think of it as a vehicle thats perfectly equipped for the sort of weather the unpredictable British climate likes to deal us once in a while.
Part of my route to work involves a few miles of quiet country lanes that are almost perfect for putting a sports car through its paces. I recall being in a very powerful BMW once when I rounded a corner to find the entire road underwater. I had time to jump on the brakes and slow the car down and then pondered my options. Turning round and going the other way would have tacked another twenty minutes onto the journey and besides, the water didnt look that deep.
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His laughing face. I cursed his ability to plough through without worry. The ground clearance of the Suzuki SX4 gives its drivers a little of that insouciance but it also makes tackling obstacles like speed humps, car park kerbs and grassy tracks that little bit more stress free. At this point its worth explaining that there are two distinct SX4 lines, priced from £9,999.
GLX and 4GRIP models are distinctly SUV in appearance with alloy wheels, wheel arch extensions, side protection mouldings, side under protection mouldings and front and rear skid plates. The GL grade emphasises the passenger car characteristics with fewer SUV elements. The 4GRIP all-wheel drive variant has a switchable three-mode 4wd system thats well worth the extra outlay. This added facet to the SX4s character makes it an intriguing proposition.
The all-wheel drive system is similar to the Haldex system used in something like an Audi TT insofar as it diverts power from a slipping pair of front wheels towards the rear to restore grip, but Suzuki have given the driver plenty of control over how this system is marshalled. Most of the time, the SX4 is best left in a default economy mode where it functions as a conventional front wheel drive hatch. If the going suddenly gets really slippery, a lock mode ensures that front and rear axles are locked together to provide ultimate traction. A clutch system allows a small amount of slippage once under way and once youve reached 37mph, the system switches to its third mode, auto, which is the driver-selectable part-time 4wd mode.
"The SX4 is an intriguing and capable car but one which will, by its very nature, appeal to only a very select group of potential customers"
Get your head underneath the SX4 and youll realise that most of the vulnerable bits are tucked well out of the way, giving the all-wheel drive model a green lane capability thats far beyond what youd at first expect. The front suspension is a conventional MacPherson strut setup while the rear end features a compact torsion beam arrangement, in this case sculpted to make way for the prop shaft and, if you opt for one of the Outdoor Line versions, the rear differential. Two engines are available to UK customers. The petrol engine is a 107bhp 1.
6-litre but of more interest is a Fiat-sourced 120bhp 1.9-litre DDiS diesel. The Fiat link is interesting and it would be understandable if you concluded that this tie-up was due to both companies General Motors connection (Fiat tried to offload its car making arm to GM and the American giant has a 20 per cent stake in Suzuki) but Suzuki has a remit to control its strategic partnerships as it sees fit and there was a good fit with Fiat who could supply state of the art diesel engines and who needed a car of this type. Therefore Suzukis Magyar plant in Hungary will turn out not only 40,000 SX4 models, but 20,000 Fiat Sedicis, a badge-engineered model that sports a different nose and interior detailing.
Suzuki make great play of the fact that the Sx4 is the only car in its class that offers the combination of a diesel engine, a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive but, to be honest, I cant see that combo being the prime motivator. Instead customers will look to the cars styling, its practical qualities and its pricing and judge whether its worth taking a punt on the Suzuki instead of plumping for an altogether more predictable family hatch. Its certainly not a proper compact 4x4; the sort of car that goes head to head with the Nissan X-Trails and Land Rover Freelanders of this world. Its just too small for that sort of thing and the tale of the tape shows that the Suzuki measures about the same overall length as a Ford Focus.
The interior packaging, however, isnt the most generous. Theres certainly no shortage of room up front but rear seat legroom is rather stingy and the boot measures a modest 270 litres with the rear seats in place. Unless you drop the rear seats, youll carry more in a Porsche Boxster. The rest of the interior news is pretty good.
The fascia is well screwed together and attractively designed although materials quality looks a little way removed from the class best. Perhaps the best thing that can be said for it is that its unthreatening and very intuitive. It is, perhaps, a little short on showroom wow actor. Suzuki have in the past brought us any number of interesting cars.
Unfortunately interesting doesnt always translate to success in terms of sales and much as the SX4 intrigues, its tough to see too many buyers seeing this car as the solution to their problems. Still, if you like the Suzuki Swift but find it just that little bit too small, the SX4 could be the answer.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CARS: Suzuki SX4 range
PRICES: £9,999 - £12,999 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 6-7
PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 112mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6] (urban) 33.2mpg / (extra urban) 48.7mpg / (combined) 41.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver and passenger airbags, ABS with EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE: (length/width/height) 4140/1755/1620mm
