2011 Suzuki SX4 Base
MSRP $13,499
When I think of Suzuki, I think of things other than cars: motorcycles, ATV’s, personal watercraft, and snowmobiles come to mind. The question is, “how do they do with cars?”
The SX4 is an entry-level compact sedan. It has a 2.0 liter, 4-cylinder engine that gets 150 horsepower. It has 15-inch steel wheels and has a 6-speed, front-wheel drive, manual transmission. It is rated at 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The base is the lowest of 6 trim levels.
The base model is bare-bones, but does deliver a few nice features. It has a tilt steering wheel, full power accessories, a driver seat that adjusts for height, folding rear seat, and a trip computer. There is only a standard AM/FM radio, though: no CD player.
The SX4 is somehow devoid of a few modern safety features that we almost take for granted. While it does come with anti-lock brakes and side front, side curtain, and side rear airbags for protection, there is neither stability control nor traction control here. It did get 4 stars for frontal impact and 5 stars for side impact in crash tests, though.
Conclusions and driver feedback:
The SX4 is entry-level and inexpensive. There is some good here and some bad here. The good is that it drives pretty nicely. The suspension is sporty, but not quite as stiff as a lot of sporty suspensions. There is plenty of headroom in both the front and rear seats, which is rare for a compact. There are plenty of nice upgrades available if you want to move up in trim levels.
The price is also a very attractive feature here. But you have to deliver just a little bit more to be fully competitive in the current market. For a compact, the SX4 doesn’t get the fuel mileage one would reasonably expect. Also, while there are plenty of airbags for when you get into a collision, I would prefer to see stability and traction control to help prevent it from happening in the first place.
While inexpensive materials are expected in an economy car, the interior has too many instances where it just looks cheap. Also, while it may be an entry-level car, the trim levels can get expensive pretty quickly.
It is difficult for a larger driver to get comfortable behind the wheel because the steering wheel doesn’t telescope and the space is a bit too small. Speaking of small, the gas tank is small, which gives you less range per fill-up. If you don’t like stopping at the gas station a lot this can become irritating.
All in all, Suzuki really should have done better with the SX4. Their experience in making personal recreational vehicles should translate very well into making a world-class small car. Somehow, they have failed miserably here.
The verdict: Suzuki’s wealth of experience in the recreational industry isn’t enough to make the SX4 a competitive option in today’s marketplace.
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