2008 Suzuki SX4 Crossover Review

This review is about a vehicle I know very well, in fact just under 21,000km’s in less than 12 months! It’s a pleasure to drive, and has an array of features you’d only expect to see in a European, but funnily enough it is!

European Styling

I discovered after purchasing my first new car last year in January that the Suzuki SX4 was designed by Fiat. Don’t believe me? It’s called a Fiat Sedici and comes in a range of specifications which Suzuki don’t do themselves.

So what’s it like?

I can tell you I test drove a Mazda2 (2008) and while I’ll probably get flamed for comparing a mini to a crossover, they were in the same price range as what I was looking at, the SX4 being a little more expensive, but for what you got ‘extra’ it was certainly worth every cent!

It holds well to the road, and has plenty of grunt when you need to give it a hurry up. I wanted a 2.0 litre without the 4wd option (I don’t go off road, nor intended to in this car).

The SX4 is full of little surprises, so I’ll go through them as I think of them. The first feature I never thought I would use, because normally it’s crap, is cruise control. Finally one car manufacturer got it right, it actually works, and doesn’t pulse off and on the damned gas making me or any passengers feel like we’re in need of a sick bag! There is a good reason for this though, the accelerator is drive-by-wire, so they’ve had to iron out any jerky servo-type fluctuations otherwise you’d feel like you were a passenger in a slot car. Because I drive so much I opted for an auto (now everyone who drives all the time reckons I’m mad having an auto, but I drive around cities most often, and stopping and starting etc… so auto it is), I digress… So the auto transmission is bloody good for a 2 litre car, it’s smooth as you would hope for in a modern auto, and doesn’t drop down and up all the darned time, it also lets you select any gear right down to 1, but has a speed limiter as to not stuff your auto box, which means you have full control, all the time. There is one annoying thing though, every now-and-again you bump it into 3, rather than D when in a hurry and it takes a few moments to notice of the quiet cabin with air conditioning on. I guess that brings us to to the aircon… I have the LTD model which has climate air, what a godsend, pick a temperature, and put it on auto, couldn’t be simpler, and it goes cold fast, try sub 30 seconds on a bloody hot day, but I do recommend blowing the hot air out over that time too ;).

SX4 Features Galore

I’ve barely touched the surface of features, one that I really love, and would miss completely (and do when I get new rentals when I’m traveling), is the keyless system! One push unlocks the drivers door, two the rest of the car, one to lock all doors, and no key! They keyless ignition is a great feature, and it bloody works, you operate it just like a normal keyed ignition, but you don’t need the key! It won’t start if they key isn’t in the car, and beeps if you start moving and the key is out of the car. It lets you know if you get out of the car with it running (I’ve done this only once!), and won’t ever let you lock your keys in the car (even if you have the spare in there), which means you won’t look like a twit calling the AA for a lockout. There is a key in the fob should the battery run dead, but I assure you you’ll miss the battery right away! There are buttons on the door, but a complete waste of time, it’s the only part of the keyless system I barely use, except the boot (trunk for those from the northern hemisphere), and it takes longer to respond, so I’d be fine if they took them all away except the boot.

There are two cupholders in the front in the middle, and one in each of the doors (but they only fit Lipton Iced Tea - now I never knew what would fit in there until my trip to Australia and I got hooked on the refreshing beverage). There is a ‘random’ hook on the back of the passengers seat, supposed for shopping bags(?!), but according to Dad only good for playing with and smacking your knee on! Side note: Dad is 6 foot something, and can actually sit in the back with no trouble, there is ample legroom for a ’small’ car, and heaps of headroom to boot!

The only thing the Mazda2 had that the SX4 was missing was iPod integration (hello?!), but that was an easy fix, it’s a Clarion head unit, and took their iPod adaptor. It has some limitations, none of which limit the listening of music which is great! Oh yeah, you can control the stereo from the leather bound steering wheel (another luxury for a ’small car’).

The seats are comfortable enough, I’ve had worse, I’ve had better (probably in more expensive cars), so nothing to complain about either way.

So what’s the catch?

Well I’d have to say nothing, I’d certainly buy another, and certainly recommend looking at it if you’re in the market for a new car. There is one gotcha though, if you have luggage, find a different vehicle, maybe the Grand Vitara which was equally good, but bigger!

The price was spot on, I think around 27,100 plus extra (I got paint protection because it saves time washing the car). The only other ‘extra’ was the Clarion iPod converter which comes up as a CD player, which was ~USD100 which I reckon Suzuki should get something sorted there anyway. It’s a bargain I tell you now, I’m yet to find another new car in the same price bracket with as nicer drive, well laid out, well specified vehicle in New Zealand!

Where do I get one?

I got mine from Sydmo in Tauranga, they’re really friendly and their sales guys certainly weren’t pushy, and happy to help (I must add it’s really nice when you’re 22 and buying a new car to be taken seriously, and these guys certainly did, I took it for a spin, said “Hi” to my grandfather, and come back, said “I’ll have one”). I just wish they sold all the cars in Tauranga, they were bloody good (except the flowers I got, a bottle of scotch would have been the go, but Mum liked them!).