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Suzuki SX4 Crossover
The 2008 SX4 Crossovers are out! Test drove one last weekend and liked it very much. (Note that the new sedan is called the SX4 Sport - confusing with the 2007 SX4 hatchback having a version called "Sport") So far, it seems as if both kbb.com and edmunds.com only have invoice pricing for the sedan and not the 2008 SX4 Crossover.
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> SX4 for a couple of months now. How is the back seat room?
> I'm thinking of test driving the SX4 for use as a daily
> commuter but carpool with 2 other guys. Both are about
> 6'2" and 200lbs. Will it be an agonizing commute?
I'm 5'10" and there's plenty of headroom and good legroom up front. But with the front seats all the way back, my legs touch the seat in front if I'm sitting in back, so 6'2" 200lb. guys probably won't do well in back, or in the back of any car in this class, for that matter...
> Also I'm curious about the armrest. Is it a storage
> armrest?
There is a small space, good for maybe a pen/notepad and some mints. I think there are some 3rd party armrests that have some CD storage.
I'm glad you dig your little critter of a Suzuki. I'm interested in it too, but I'm curious: Did the warranty of this machine turn you on to it also? How was the dealership, and your saleperson's attitude in the transaction? Probably all good, I suspect. Nothing like the bad attitude one can get at a Honda or Toyota dealership, I'm sure. Know what I mean? It can be like they're doing you a favor with anything involved with their machines. They figure that if you don't buy another will. Indifference! Bummer!! Oh well...
I've seen a few of the AWD SX4 liftbacks in my neck of the woods, so to speak. It looks like a winner.
Happy Holidays!!!
Peace<-AladdinSane-<- :shades: -
Happy Holidays to you too!
What color Suzuki did you go for? I don't mean to intrude, and I mean no harm in asking. I would go with the copper red...my Lady loves that color.
Many thanx for responding. I appreciate it. I didn't think you would.
Take good care, Mr. & Mrs. . .
Happy Trails-
Peace!<-AladdinSane-<- :shades: -
Later!!!
U bet...
Black is mystery and drama. Metallic Black only makes it more so, IMHO...
Good choice!!!
Happy Trails...
Peace<-AladdinSane-<- :shades: -
Thanks,
Don
2. The 2007 sx4 5th gear is lower, so the rpm's are 3,400 @ 70 mph.. The 2008 sx4 automatic in highest gear(4th) was 2,600 rpm @ 70 mph.. The transmission had to down shift constantly when changing speed, the engine would then increase to 3,500 to 3,600 rpm's. I didn't like it. The "convenience package" is well worth the $500.00. The mileage has been 27.4 mpg @ highway 70 mph.
Go drive one, it's a real sleeper. David
I am leaning strongly towards getting the Cross Over SX4. However I am unable to locate any modification parts for it in North America. I am eager to find a lowering Kit, Has anyone gone to this extent to modify their SX4? And if so where did you source your parts.
Thks
Kelton
I am no car expert but I know quite some about cars. Putting aside what this little xover is made of it is almost a perfect car for the general car buying populace. YOU JUST DON'T FIND CARS AS GOOD LOOKING AS THIS ONE THESE DAYS. So many good features in and around it for a car of this size. I noticed the improvements from last year's model. I believe this is almost a perfect car because one (just one) good component is not there, the overdrive in the AT,
Happy Xovering.
I notice there are two topics of discussion.
The AUTOmatic transmission actually turns lower RPM @ 70mph than the Manual WITH Overdrive... just under 3000. It's all about gearing. While no rocket, it's not gutless, either. My wife "LETS" me drive sometimes, and I've never been disappointed.
Summary
Pros: Looks, handling, AWD, comfort, visibility
Cons: Cabin storage, gas mileage
As background, I should point out that the previous cars that I’ve owned and driven were a 1999 Mazda Protégé (manual) and a 2005 Mazda3 hatchback (manual). Over the years in my travels, I’ve driven dozens of different cars as rentals.
My car now has about 2,600 miles on it.
Handling/Acceleration
The car handles very well, almost the same as my Mazda3 (which costs more and has “zoom-zoom”!). The higher seating position had made me leery at first of higher-speed turns, but I’ve learned that it handles them solidly and surely. The steering is perhaps a bit off the sharp feel I had with the Mazda, but it still provides excellent feedback and control in pointing the car where I want it to go.
It is a heavy car (heavier than my Mazda3, in fact), but acceleration is fine. From a standstill, I have no problems and it’s even quite peppy. There does seem to be a range from about 40-60 where the car struggles a bit to accelerate, but once I reach highway cruising speed, I have no problem keeping up with traffic or passing. I’m sure at least part of the reason is that the automatic is geared (at least in that range) more towards better gas mileage than brisk acceleration.
The four-wheel disk brakes are excellent. I had to slam on the brakes a few times due to stupid drivers in front of me, and the car stopped quickly and with full control.
Unfortunately, I’ve not had an opportunity to test the AWD in adverse conditions. We had some snow and rain, but nothing very slippery. But knowing the AWD is there has certainly made me feel more secure in whatever driving conditions.
Noise
The engine is rather growly when accelerating, but not unpleasant. Overall road noise is less than my 2005 Mazda3’s was. Highway cruising is nice and quiet.
Visibility
This is a category in which the SX4 really impresses me. The tall stance, the wide windows all around, and the extra-large rear-view mirrors make for excellent 360° visibility. Much better than my Mazda3 hatchback’s, or, frankly, any other car I’ve ever driven.
Gas mileage
The only real negative is the gas mileage. Despite the rating of 21 city / 28 highway, I’ve been mostly getting around 20mph, even with 50% or more highway travel. I drive very gently: never really floor it, and try to coast whenever possible. The most I’ve gotten is about 27.5mph with almost all flat highway driving. The worst I’ve gotten is 18mph. In watching the instant mph calculator on my dash, the car seems to be capable of around 30mph on flat highways, but if there is any hill travel involved that seems to suck a lot more gas. Unfortunately, I live in very hilly Seattle, so if I’ve done a long flat-highway trip, just the few miles of hill travel getting home seems to ruin my overall mileage. In contrast, my Mazda3 would regularly get around 25mph in city travel, up to 32mph in mostly highway.
Comfort
The front seats are very comfortable for both short and long trips (the longest trip I’ve taken so far was about 3.5 hours each way). Lateral support is very good. The rear seats are comfortable as well, and are high up, which gives the back seat passengers good visibility and improves their leg room. The fabric isn’t as nice as the Mazda’s, but it is quite nice for this class.
Controls
I like the dash very much. The controls are large, easy to read, and easy to use with just a quick glance. Much nicer than many of the overly-busy dashes I’ve seen on other cars. I’ve heard complaints from others about the steering controls not being lit. This is a minor point for me, since after a few weeks, I learned which controls were where, and can use them by touch. The raised bumps on these controls make this easy once you’ve learned the placement of the controls relative to the others. The one slight negative is that the dash computer (which shows time, temperature, and mileage info) gets washed out and unreadable when the sun is at certain angles.
Storage
The interior doesn’t have many nooks for storing items, and I miss having a door for the CD compartment under the radio controls. The glove compartment is on the small side, but adequate for documents and small items. An arm rest is not standard. The optional dealer-installed arm rest is well worth it, both for somewhere to put your arm and the small storage compartment inside (big enough for a notepad and pens; not CD’s)
The rear storage is fine for several bags of groceries. I like the square shape of the opening, and that the rear hatch doesn’t need much clearance to be opened. The sculpted handle is a nice touch for easily shutting the hatch without getting fingerprints on the outside. The fold-down seats are easy to use and open up a lot more space, and being able to fold the seats up against the front seats makes for an even more convenient space. It’s nice and square, so fitting boxes, etc. is easy and makes the best use of the space.
Looks
I love the European styling of the car. From most angles, it looks really sharp. A few of the rear angles make it look a bit bloated, but that hard to avoid all-around with such a tall, yet short car.
My car is the Sunlight Copper. I like that it’s a different color from most other cars, but not so bright that it stands out too much. Depending on the type of lighting (for example bright sun, cloudy day, street lights) the color ranges from deep red to orange to a deep copper.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Again, the Suzuki gets the highest mileage of any AWD vehicle for sale here in the USA. Nothing else does as well, although the small Subarus (and Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe) can do low to mid -20s when driven judiciously. If you want AWD and Honda Fit type mileage, you are not going to find it. But the Suzuki gets very good mileage. Between 65 and 70, you can get 30 mpg on the highway.
just thought I'd sent you my comments. I've had the SX4 with the ESP for over a year
now and I live in Canada, pretty cold place in the winter (lots of -40DegC days).
1. As a car the SX4 is ok if you are not too demanding. Acceleration is bad and it is pretty noisy. I like the AWD and ESP options, especially in snowy conditions. So far the SX4 in AWD mode has been fantastic.
2. Dealership sucks. The guys don't know much about the car it seems. The ESP model comes with a keyless fob and the dealership thought I had a Vitara! They
actually called me the first time I took it in for service to ask me where the Vitara is!
3. Mileage is not good at all for a car that small. I drive about 150Km every day to work so I have to fill the tank every two and a half days! I get about 7.9litres/100km (29.7 mpg)
and when I use the AWD I get more like 8.3 litres/100km (28.3 mpg)
4. All of the sudden this winter the car wouldn't start when it was too cold (below -8degC) . It starts when I boost it, but that's it. Apparently the battery is OK, but again the dealership is pretty useless. They are expecting me to tell them what to do . Go figure. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. I'll have them check the starter next time I take it as well as the alternator, but that's all I can think of.
Overall, I am pretty disappointed with the car's tech support. The car itself is middle of the pack. This year Toyota is coming with an AWD Matrix. Maybe consider that instead.
cheers
yannis
BTW, your mileage is great! You have a relatively heavy AWD vehicle. If you wanted a high mileage small car, you should have gotten one with FWD only. It gets the best mileage of any AWD vehicle. The AWD Matrix does not get the mpg that the SX4 does.
I find that it has lots of torque. I can run around town in 5th gear much of the time with really low revs and it doesn't lug at all, and this saves on gas mileage. I am really impressed with the level of power, given the weight and hp. Not only that, but with the warm weather and manual transmission driven conservatively, I am getting around 30 mpg. Can't complain about that in any AWD vehicle.