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2007 Suzuki SX4 Road Test

Coloring Outside The Crossover Lines

When a new vehicle debuts the first thing most auto writers try to do is categorize it so that they can compare it to rivals in the market place, a process that helps us come to some sort of a value equation. But once in a while something comes along that doesnt really fit into any given mold, a niche product with few direct competitors. While niche products are always unique they normally target a small, select market segment, but occasionally the vehicle in question will have mass appeal. And in the case of the new Suzuki SX4, while filling a niche due to a void in the market, it has the potential to be very, very popular.

Yes, just when you thought that the people who create new cars had run out of niches to explore, Suzuki has just created a new one - a crossover that fuses the economy, nimbleness and size of a city car, with the running gear of a 4X4. Its sort of like a modern-day alternative to the old Subaru Justy, but with more visual spunk, and much improved engineering.

The

SX4 is a crossover meant to be all things for all young, active people. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

SX4 is a mixed breed, in classification and composition. Its basic underpinnings are shared with the critically acclaimed European-market Suzuki Swift (not to be confused with the GMDAT-designed, Korean-made Canadian-market only Swift+ a.k.a. Chevy Aveo that you may have seen if traveling across the 49th parallel), although it has been stretched substantially in all directions. Its bigger and beefier than the Yaris or Fit, but smaller than true compact cars, like the Corolla, Civic and Rabbit. Development of the SX4 took place with Fiat, but, you wont find any Italian engineering, instead, the Sedici - Italian for 16, or 4X4 (groan) - exists as the byproduct of a trade. Suzuki received Fiats JTD turbodiesel engines for the European

Wraparound headlamps look sharp and smart on the SX4. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

market, and Fiat got a niche product of its own. Like most of Suzukis other vehicles, the SX4 will be sold on the global market; and is built at more than just one plant - Asian and North American market cars come from Suzukis home country of Japan, while the European cars and Fiats come from the Magyar plant in Hungary. And, if that information isnt enough to take in all at once, the SX4 also replaces the Aerio Fastback for model year 2007, although the Sedan will carry forward for another year before it is replaced.

I, for one, like the way that the SX4 looks very much; it stands out of the crowd - partly because its taller, longer and wider than the cars it competes with, but mostly because its just plain good looking. It has a European flair to it, but then again, thats because it is European;

Off-roady bits actually look good on the SX4, which is something that cant be said about a lot of other vehicles. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

styling was done in collaboration with ItalDesign, which was hired to pen the Fiat version. While it does have the same tall roofline that most modern hatchbacks feature, it doesnt look like a vehicle thats been framed around the elementary principles of cargo-carrying, like the old Aerio Fastback. But, perhaps the best part about the SX4 is its faux off-road cladding, and the way it was integrated into the design from the very beginning.

In the European market, the SX4 competes with countless other compact and subcompact cars from Volkswagen, Citroen, and, in previous years, Rover, that feature elevated ride heights, all-terrain tires, and chunky, matte-black plastic bumper trim with fake skid plates. Ive seen pictures of all of these cars, and for the most part the extra gear looks silly and out of place, but it doesnt

Its the biggest motor available in the SX4, but the 2.0L seems to be a tad underpowered. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

on the Suzuki.
The SX4 is powered by a 2.0-liter inline-four with dual overhead cams and sixteen valves that produces 143 horsepower and 135 lb-ft of torque. Its essentially a smaller displacement version of the Aerios 2.3 liter I-4, and it is the biggest engine that the SX4 is offered with globally; in other markets the top of the line engine is a 1.6-liter inline-four that makes about 110 horsepower, and then theres the 1.9-liter Fiat turbodiesel. At first thought, the idea of such a big engine in such a small car seemed a bit excessive, but as the SX4 is heavier than most other subcompact cars, and has the capability to deal with the wilderness, the additional power and torque makes sense. The SX4 definitively delivers more punch than anything its supposed to rub shoulders with, but it comes at the cost of fuel consumption. Over the course of the day, our test vehicle averaged in the 24 mpg

Automatic is more economical than the manual, as its cruising gear is longer. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

range. Logic says that this is to be expected from a car with an engine of this size, plus four-wheel drive and a fairly wind-resistant shape, but its hard to convince the mind, which identifies the SX4 as being small, and therefore thrifty to feed.

Standard to the SX4 is a five-speed manual gearbox; the shifters action is actually quite good with a positive feel and short throws, but the lightly weighted clutch lacks progression and has the quirky characteristic of causing revs to hang - and in some cases climb - when shifting in a hurry, which took me back to the days when I was first learning how to drive manual. Theres also a four-speed automatic available, which shifts with surprising smoothness, when driving in a relaxed manner. It could do with a fifth gear, though, as the first three ratios are stacked quite short for brisk acceleration, but the last gear has been selected as a cruising gear for improved fuel economy. While the automatic is quieter on the highway, the engine

i-AWD system is really quite intelligent. Your key to getting unstuck / taking the SX4 into the wilderness. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is spinning well out of its power band; overtaking requires the car to drop a gear, which is a pretty big step down. On the whole, automatic models are more efficient than their manual counterparts: 24 mpg city and 33 mpg highway for the slushbox versus 23 city and 31 highway for the stick.

What makes the SX4 so different than others is that it makes four-wheel drive standard across the line. Its not a Mickey Mouse gimmick, either, as the system is actually advanced enough to be considered sophisticated. Called i-AWD (I for Intelligent, of course), it uses an electronically controlled system that allows the SX4 to get out of some pretty sticky situations. The driver controls the system via a little thumb-switch located to the right of the handbrake, and the system has three modes: 2WD, which renders the SX4 a front wheel drive car for improving fuel economy, AUTO, which is the general four-season mode, and LOCK, which locks the front and rear differentials when the going gets really tough. The system itself uses a variety of sensors

Its easy to see why Suzuki wants to pursue the WRC after putting the SX4 through its paces on a rallycross circuit. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

including the ABS sensor and the on-board computer to monitor throttle position, wheel-spin, and the difference of wheel speeds between the front and the rear axle. When the 4WDs brain detects a disparity in front and rear wheel speed, it directs the nine-plate clutch system to clamp down, and shift up to 50-percent of the power to the rear wheels. LOCK mode is really what separates the SX4 from anything else on the market; its a simple function that locks the front and rear differentials to turn at the same speed, but allows for a certain degree of clutch slippage to allow for enthusiastic cornering without the typical wooden feel and grinding gears, but to prevent damage, it automatically disengages to regular 4WD auto-mode once 40 mph is reached.

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