First Drive: 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport

Following last year's debut of the SX4 hatchback, Suzuki has a new sedan version of the car, dubbed SX4 Sport, for 2008. Suzuki bills the Sport as a value-oriented yet sporty compact car, and after driving it for a day on winding country roads in northern Michigan, that statement rings true.

The sedan carves confidently through fast, sweeping turns with minimal body roll, and steering effort is relatively light; the Sport responds eagerly to your command, which furthers its sporting nature. Large 17-inch wheels and tires are standard, and the Sport is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 143 hp and 136 pounds-feet of torque. The engine provided decent power during the drive, but it's not a fire-breather by any means. It remains relatively smooth at high rpms, though the sound it makes near its redline doesn't encourage you to stay there for long.

Comments

The manual transmission get's worse mpg's then the automatic, how is this possible?

Matt,
Actually with today's automatic transmissions this is sometimes the case. Usually not in a 4-spd however.

If Suzuki wanted to generate any real intrest in this car they'd slap together two Hayabusa motors at the crank and cram it under the hood.

Er, what photo gallery below?

From the one photo there is, the A-pillar styling is a very uncomfortable mess of odd lines.

matt-
As Dave T. said, newer automatics can sometimes achieve higher MPG. This is in part because they can execute shifts much more quickly than a human could with a manual, and can pick the shift points to optimize fuel efficiency much more precisely than a human. In theory, an automatic should always be more efficient, but in the past the extra weight, internal friction, and internal intertial moment associated with a automatic overcame these benefits. But with electronically shifted autos, the benefits became larger, and with better metalurgy and fluids, and deficits became smaller. Look around, you'll see a few models on the market today where you're better off with the auto if you want fuel efficiency.

Nice vehicle. The only picture here, however, does scream a 199X design. If you compare with the current Corolla, last gen Sentra, and last gen Civics...even with the previous Suzuki models, the outside look (based on this lone pic) is really "un-refreshing." The current Sentra & Civic, however, do give very unique and futuristic looks (but that doesn't mean everyone will like the looks).

Since I haven't been a follower of Suzuki, there are 2 questions that i would like some of you to explain to me:
(1) Is this model "Made In Japan?" I think the previous Suzuki car models were all MIJ...but I am not sure. I know that most import vehicle purchasers have put this as a top consideration when buying imports;
(2) Now this is related to (1). If it is MIJ, that's a selling point. Suzuki, I think, also has a longer than usual warranty than its competitors (100,000-mile/seven-year, zero deductible, fully-transferable powertrain limited warranty.). However, Suzuki has never been successful in selling CARS (the Vitara/Sidekick has always been its best seller), at least for the past 15 years (or more!). Anyone care to explain why that has been the case? Asking because my guess is that, no matter what kind or good reviews this car is and will be getting, I'm predicting that it'll just bombed like all the previous Suzuki CAR models (which includes the SX4 - Suzuki labeled it as a CUV - i.e. not a car, and not a hatchback, but yet it combines the SX4 sales figure with Aerio, which is a car. The combined sales figures is only 1100 unit. A year ago, with just the Aerio, it was 103X units, so no big change there.)

Clarification - sales unit based on Suzuki release for July, 2007

DOh! Friday brain drain sorry. Gallery is now there.

AR,
You're right, all Suzuki vehicles are made in Japan. As for sales numbers I think it's mostly a matter of quality. Suzuki reliability is abysmal. J.D. Power's recent three year reliability study ranked them 38 out of 39 makes (outranking only Land Rover). Their history of substandard reliability has practically put their automotive division out of business in the US. Their dealer network is relatively tiny so they just don't have the ability to sell a lot of cars even if people wanted to buy them.

I think once the Reno and Forenza are phased out and/or replaced all Suzuki's will be made in Japan versus some models being made in Korea. I'm not sure on the Xl-7 SUV though.

With more pics now available, it seems that the BLACK color screams more 90's, but the red and silver do look all right. However, 2 major disappointments:

(1) The rear benchseat looks cheap and terrible. It looks just like...A BENCH in the park (if you take the headrests off, which seems to be snapped on poorly from the picture). There's no groove, contour and support - just straight, flat benchseat!
(2) The dashboard, with the RED mileage indicator, looks like the Suzuki Swift from the 80s! Why in the world would they pick that color. Even the gauges look cheap (again, like the Swift). @ this over $15K selling price, that's just unacceptable.

1 observation, which leads to a question:
The front seats don't look to be pulled back a lot, but on the next pic with the bench seat, there's hardly any space left! Is it very "close & comfy" (i.e. crampy) @ the back?
Now this car actually looks very much like the Versa sedan. Is this car gonnabe targeted at the same market as the Versa sedan and Yaris sedan, instead of Sentra/Civic/Corolla class? I'm saying this because the exterior size looks small, and the interior size is even small (much smaller than the Versa). The price @ >$15K is a few thousands more than the Versa and Yaris, even when the equipment are comparable. If it's the S/C/C class, then even though the price is a good price (S/C/C costs roughly the same), the interior quality/design is really, really bad on this car.

As for interior space, there was sufficient room in front for me, and I'm 6-foot-1-inch tall. Headroom is exceptional in the front and the back, and rear-seat space was acceptable, too. Despite the basic-looking nature of the seats, the front ones proved comfortable for the duration of the day-long drive. We may have moved the seats around during the photo shoot (I was paired with another auto writer for the drive), so that's why you may be seeing some differences between the photos.

Forenza and Reno are made by GM-Daewoo in Korea. They also built the Verona through '06. I'm pretty sure all the other cars in Suzuki's lineup come from Japan. However, I wonder if the XL-7 or Grand Vitara may be built in Canada at a GM joint-venture plant? I think previous versions were, not sure about the current ones.

Hmm. According to Yahoo the Reno and Forenza are built in Japan (2007 model year data).

Maybe I should stick to this site for my info.

I think it looks pretty cute.

Why am I getting this vehicle?
If I want warranty, Hyundai costs less.
If I want sporty, Lancer does the job.
If I want a fuel sipper, Civic and Corolla are hypermilers.

Unless it offers AWD, otherwise I might just pick an Impreza after all.

Call me crazy, but shouldn't the sedan, with front-wheel drive, be called the SX2?

Suzuki's Forenza and Reno are the only two remaining models built in Korea (Yahoo is wrong on that one). From what I hear, Suzuki has intentions of phasing them both out because they both are the two models that have given consumers the most problems. All of their Japan built vehicles have been pretty bullet proof as far as reliability.

The SX4 sedan DOES NOT compete with the civic or the corolla- the Forenza does. The SX4 is in the same class as the Versa and other vehicles its size.

You can't get a good feel for comfort and visabilaty in any vehicle by looking at pictures. For a vehicle it's size the SX4 is very roomy and has very comfortable seats. Also the extra glass in front of the side mirrors gives it a really spacious feel and open view when you're sitting in the driver's seat.

If it competes with Versa, Fit, Yaris. Then the price is a bit high for a Suzuki.

You have to keep in mind though, that this car has standard:

-power windows, doors and mirrors
-cruise control
-steering wheel mounted radio controls
-automatic a/c
-17" Alloy wheels (hubcaps aren't even offered)
-6 airbags (I think- I know the hatchback has six standard)

If you equip the Versa, Fit or Yaris like this they all come out to be a bit more expensive.

But then again- not everyone wants those things on a vehicle, even in this day and age.

Another entry into the "B" segment. I'm loving int!!! Big 3, are you observing? You'd better get in the B segment game or, be prepared to install another nail in your coffin.

I think Suzuki executed a nice car here.

Speaking as an owner of both (I own a 2004 Verona {Korea/GM Daewoo & 2003 Aerio SX MIJ-}) and there is a difference. The Verona has had a couple of minor problems such as faulty fuel sending unit, broken ignition switch. The Aerio has never been to the dealer for anything other than oil changes & regular maintenance. The Aerio SX is my second one, the first was destroyed by woman who apparently did not understand the red light - green light concept, it also had never had a mechanical repair, although I only had it 8 months. I don't understand why Suzuki is not becoming more popular with small car buyers. With the 7/100,000 warranty and the (in my opinion) best features for the price. I also live in Florida and originally purchased the 1st Aerio SX after reading a review from a man in Phoenix AZ who had test driven many cars and chose the Aerio SX becuase it had the best A/C of all the economy cars he tested by riding in the backseat on a hot sunny day to check the comfort. Anyway back on track in my opinion Suzuki's biggest problem is a lack of reputable dealers. They only seem to have (at least in Central Florida) a couple of fringe dealers, and 1 who handles 2 brands in one dealership (Suzuki & Subaru).

I currently drive a Scion tC, and have been a Toyota faithful since I've been able to drive, but after I read Motor Trend's blurb about the SX4 sedan, I like what I see. I have been considering maybe going back to 4-doors, and since I have already owned a current-gen Corolla "S", I may give this one a look-see in top of the line "Touring" trim (can't beat the amenities for the price, and it is a bona fide Japanese car). My initial concern is that it looks too tall in photos and I agree that the interior materials look "cheap," but it is a budget-conscious car, and I will stop by to give it a look whether or not my desire for another new car comes to fruition.

I'm actually thinking about buying the SX4, so I'd like to hear from some current/former Suzuki owners to comment on things such as reliability. I'm not sure what to think about that, since there are very mixed reviews on Suzuki's overall reliability. I am a former Daewoo Lanos (hatchback) owner and I wasn't impressed. If the SX4 is similar to the Daewoo, then forget it. I had problems with that car starting at 60,000K and got rid of it since they were going out of biz in US.

I was also going to check into the Mitsubishi Lancer, a basic model, sans frills. Is it possible to finance a lancer for about 250/60 months with eh credit, in the low 600s?

Thanks!

The sx4 is nothing like a daewoo. It is a quality built car. Suzuki is phasing out daewoo rebadges this coming year which should help greatly with reliability data for the brand. Those were garbage. Genuine suzuki made vehicles have a history of being very dependable and well built. Check out SX4club.com for any info you have. Reviews and especially JD power reliability reports don't do the car justice.

I owned an Aerio, and I just purchased a black SX4 in February of this year(2008). I love the car so far. It's comfortable for me anyway, and the transmission shifts very smooth, and the handling is excellent in my opinion. Mine came with aftermarket wheels and tires installed by the dealer which really accents its outward looks, and it also came with GPS system. I get alot of looks from people while driving this car, it might not be as sporty looking as some of the other models from other manufacturers, but, I'm really satisfied with mine.