any owners out there? do you know what the recommended oil change intervals are for the sx4? i ask this because on suzuki's website it shows it as every 25,000 miles! i cant believe that..
Well I have to have mine changed every 3,000 miles, thats what my dealership set up for me, but I'm also in a program that i have to keep my service up to get free tires for life... No its not every 25,000 its just the same as any other car 3,000-5,000. Personally I get mine changed a little after 2,500. but thats just me.
i noticed the Grand Vitara & the other SUV recommends oil changes every 7500 miles. I was just wondering what the sx4 was as most new car now adays extend their oil change intervals due to better design and technology of the newer rated oils. even my motorcycle recommends 7000 mile OCI's. 3000 isnt bad if your using cheap stuff but if your using a synthetic oil that would be a waste of money to change it that soon. In my 1999 suzuki 2.0 litre engine it calls for every 5000 miles. either way its no biggie but since they are making you take yours to the dealer you dont have a say in what oils they use etc, and if i was to get free tires for life i wouldnt complain. as long as they dont nit pick about the tires arent worn enough for new ones.. ( ya know)?
you caught on to that, eh? I really do my research early, don't I? My '01 Sportage 4x4 has 123,900 miles on it and I have maintained it so well that it should last many, many more. So, I want a SX4 but don't want to run two rigs at once, so it may be a while till I get my SX4.
I like cars so much that it's a joy to see what new cars are coming out and what they offer. The 2007 Suzuki SX4 is the best looking new car to come out, IMHO, and the value it offers is outstanding. It's on my shortlist...I...I mean my longlist.
Keep all of the information about this great new rig flowing in. I digest it all with glee!
Last night, I was stuck in traffic, going zero miles an hour (no exaggeration) due to a freeway closing (they re-routed the whole freeway's cars onto city streets). Also stuck next to me was this Asian kid driving a rice-rocket (a tricked-out Honda Civic). He rolled down his window to give my SX4 a once-over. I tried to act cool, but inside I was beaming like a proud parent.
does anyone have any crash test results for this car? I looked up all the other suzukis' on the IIhs website and all the suzuki's ( no sx4) got bad marks in side and/or rear crash testing. I wanted to see if the sx4 fell in the same catagory.
today i went to my local suzuki dealer to take a test drive again in a sx4. i didnt bother as they only had 5-speed models. i wanted to test drive the automatic as that is what i would be buying. so i asked about the sport they claimed it will not be out in DEC and will now come out Late JAN to mid Feb...
I want to take advantage of the extra RCA jacks on the back of the radio that are meant to be installed with the 6-CD changer. I want to use those jacks to plug in my iPod. Is this something that I can do myself, with the help of a drill? I want to simply use a cable with red/white RCA on one end, and a minijack on the other, to connect my iPod.
here is what my suzuki dealer sent me this w/e..maybe that will answer some questions about the sport model. I am in Kansas BTW.
Sent: Saturday, December 2, 2006 12:05 AM To: canuck Subject: Re: SX-4
hello again,
I'm getting ready to order my first batch of sport models. There is a imited number of them coming out on the first couple shipments. If I send in my orders I should get everything I ask for. Would you mind letting me know what color is your first choice. You won't be obligated or anything but at least I can have one here like you want if you decide to get one.
check this out. talk about Poor salesmanship. I went to my suzuki dealer and as i posted he said jan to feb for the sport model. BUT!!! here is what totally blew my mind.. he said(will this be a car that you keep for a long time?) i said probably.. he said suzuki's arent cars you buy and keep a year or two! I thought to myself what kind of sales pitch is this? he said I will get killed in resale. then he told me a short story about how he sold a lady a suzuki (forgot the model) and in 6 months she didnt want it anymore and went to trade it in and she Flipped out in the dealership when they told her what they would give her for it. btw this dealership also sells another brand of car. so i thought this guy would try to sell me the other brand he sell. i think it was subaru. but he didnt. he just said make sure it is a car you will want to keep for a long time.. I told him my sister owned a Aerio so i already knew about the whole resale issue.. I was just shocked a salesman would say something like that! if anything the average customer might get freaked out by his comment and look elsewhere. so of these dealers/salemen are something else. at least i give him credit for being honest which is a hard thing to find these days...
At least he was being honest about Suzuki's resale value. Pretty sure I'm going to go used on the SX4, since I don't want to pay for massive depreciation.
since he (the dealer) didnt have a sx4 automatic in stock i didnt test drive it again. this time i wanted to take a longer test drive and not just 3-5 miles. but instead of test drove a Grand vitara. OMG! wow that is a nice ride. the power was there at all speeds. I just dont have $22k-$24k i want to spend at this moment. Nor do i want insane monthly payments. i will say i would get one if i found one cheaper.. Tons of room and once again that Power! its only a 2.7l engine too. That saleman isnt going to get me away from suzuki. its just a matter of which one i like the most. I must say this too, when i saw the sx4 in person again i was a little shocked at how small it was in person vs picture on the internet.. i forgot how small it was until i seen it again ...
when i seen the sx4 and thought it was small i meant small compared to other cars in its price range. like the honda fit and nissan versa. i seen the versa the first time this week and i didnt think it was a versa cause it looked so big for a car in its price range. the fit nor versa has awd. but to be honest my girlfriend has a rear wheel drive ONLY car and shes been driving it for over 5 years through Pennsylvania winters and never had a moment where the weather stopped her from getting to work. so if a RWD has been able to get around in the winter i would imagine that a fwd would be even better. and since i have a tracker 4x4 and only used 4x4 twice on the rode is 5.5 years i dont really see the need for it where we live. and to be honest the only reason i had to use it was i purposely went out when they said on the news that no one should go out in this weather(night time) but by morning the roads were cleared and ready to drive to work again... our road crews here in PA do a way better job at removing snow from the main roads that what they did 10 years ago.. I love my tracker with its 4x4. but i Never use it. sometimes i go offroading just to use the darn thing! lol Kinda like having A/C in a car when you live at the North pole... 8)
I have used my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4's four-wheel drive system about a half a dozen times. And each time it worked flawlessly and each time it removed me from being seriously stuck. One time I was on a bridge that went uphill over railroad tracks and a car salvage yard in Pocatello, ID. Pocatello gets that real nasty, squished-down icy substance that provides hazardous driving conditions for months on end.
I was just spinning my wheels in RWD(2WD)so I reached down and automatically locked the hubs with the changing of my transfer case lever and shazzam! I was outta there. I really wanted to get out of that jam because Pocatello drivers wanted to pop around the city's streets at a pretty good clip-and snow and ice doesn't even start to slow them down.
It will be real difficult to buy other than Kia for me but this new 2007 Suzuki SX4 in 5-speeds, armrest and Techno Blue Metallic paint job may just be the one to sway me.
If you have little experience driving a FWD (SX4) in wintertime conditions then I would think twice, thrice, were I you.
"....I was just spinning my wheels in RWD....."
If that were to happen in a FWD or front biased AWD (SX4) you might find yourself quickly having lost directional control of the vehicle.
"If that were to happen..."
Since this is such a very serious matter for FWD or front biased AWD vehicles almost ALL modern day vehicles of this category come from the factory equipped with TRACTION CONTROL.
On a RWD vehicle with TRACTION control, while basically useless, is not altogether a bad thing. I use it only as an "alert", a way to advise me of adverse, slippery, roadbed conditions that otherwise I might not have been aware.
On a RWD it will moderately brake the rear, driven, wheels the instant wheelspin/slip is detected, and then if the driver doesn't have the good sense or experience to know to lift, feather, the throttle within a few hundred milliseconds the TRACTION system will then fully dethrottle the engine.
On a FWD or..., the TRACTION system braking will be accompanied, instantly, by engine dethrottling. Since these events on a FWD vehicle can so quickly lead to loss of control very few have the ability to disable TRACTION control, even temporarily.
You will also find a propensity for any automatic transaxle (FWD or...,) to always upshift with any FULL lift-throttle event. This is to prevent engine compression braking from resulting in a "front" skid, or even worse prevent it from interfering with ABS should you need to use the brakes on a slippery surface.
Living in Pocatello I assume you will instinctively know to NEVER downshift an SX4 to use engine compression braking for slowing or braking on adverse, low traction, roadbed conditions. Locate the e-brake handle and use it instead.
Then there is the issue of the need for the use of tire chains in wintertime conditions typically encountered in Pocatello (we celebrated our 20th at the Green{??} Frog). Almost ALL FWD or.., require that the use or application of tire chains be restricted to the front wheels only. Many FWD or.., do not even have room to fit chains at the rear.
Talk about a hazardous driving experience, I would NEVER make an SX4 a daily driver in conditions you experience virtually every day during the winter months.
I am, however, seriously considering an SX4 for towing behind our MH 4-down. But our MH doesn't go traveling in wintertime conditions and although the SX4 may be used as a daily driver here on the Eastside of Seattle we do not often have adverse roadbed conditions, four times now if we include December of 1990.
a Suzuki SX4, I now live in SE Arizona. The locals tell us that it does snow here occasionally but it is usually gone the next day, or even in a few hours. It's getting into the mid 60's now on Dec.7th during the middle of the day and down to the upper 20's, low 30's at night. But it covers a broad sweep of temperatures as it will warm up well into the 60's during the day.
The SX4 would suit me well for Arizona local driving and for traveling around sightseeing in the southwest.
I've owned several FWD small rigs and I find them pretty agreeable in the snow and even icy driving conditions. This would not warrant a haphazard driving attitude, though, in the snow and ice in a SX4, I realize. Slowing down helps a lot in many wintertime situations and it's something simple that a lot of drivers don't do or even start to do enough of. Slowing down is something that I do very, very well and I know when to slow down. Even racecar drivers don't stand on it all of the time, they have to be smart and be cautious sometime, eh?
The locals tell us that it does snow here occasionally but it is usually gone the next day, or even in a few hours.
Snow is rare there but, if you're into skiing then Mt. Lemmon, just north of Tucson, gets plenty of snow. It's the southernmost ski resort in the country.
yeah, those mountains look great from Tucson when driving the city streets. They're pretty tall!
Over my way more there is Mt.Graham, which is 10,300 feet tall and has that U.of Arizona observatory on top that when operating will provide some spectactular views of the stars.
I was thinking that the star of this thread, the 2007 Suzuki SX4, in 5-speed form and optional armrest and Techno Blue Metallic color(or the Bright Red or the Orange), would make for a good little trooper to go up on the ridgeline of Mt.Graham to go hiking and exploring. I guess when you take the road up there the mountain has a huge amount of alpine forest and tthth would make me fee l right at home, like I was back in the forests of Washington state,my homeland.
I had a momentary lapse there - we went to Kitt Peak (SW of Tucson) and got to view the solar telescope. If I had the opportunity I would jump at the chance to do Mt. Graham.
See and read the comments in the January issue of Motor Trend in the long section of contenders and finalists for NEW CAR OF THE YEAR. They have a one page article on the Suzuki SX-4 and the gal who wrote it (Allyson) obviously missed the mark by a long shot, doesnt know anything about Suzuki to start with,gave it a quick peak and perhaps a spin around the block and missed the point that it has a huge list of important standard features that other small cars lack or you pay extra for if even available. She does not mention that the SX-4 is the widest, heaviest small car around and is the most economical AWD car we have here, most other testers have rated the interior much higher and the engine noise from the timing chain is ok by me versus a cheap belt. Mine is very stable at 80mph on the highway even with 35 mph cross winds and she failed to mention the top notch quality and fit and finish. She obviously has never heard of Suzuki Sport and the new Junior Rally team that Suzuki has with European engineering. They had many successes on the Euro circuit in the past 18 months and SX-4 suspension was set up in Europe and a Rally version of it is almost ready. Honda had recently passed up Nissan for 2nd place in sales in Japan (they had been 3rd for years) and a month later Suzuki passed up both of them. Yearly production capacity for Suzuki is being bumped up by 1,000,000 units per year so they can raise sales from 2 Mil to 3 Mil in the near future. Increases will be in Japan, India and Hungary. The new office or center for the Rally team will be near Paris and they are advertising for help. You can learn much from popping up Suzuki of Europe web sites and also Suzuki Sport. It makes me furious when Motor Trend and others pull this crap and they should be forced to read the road test articles or rave reviews by Canadian Driver and Auto Express in England. SUZUKI OWNERS UNITE AND SET MOTOR TREND AND OTHER MAGS STRAIGHT. They are hurting future Suzuki sales and THIS HURTS YOUR RESALE VALUE. Suzuki in California needs a better public relations team to get the word out out on so many fronts.
I agree with your points on the crappy MT article. Ya know how we mention here on Edmunds and other sites that we know more than the salespeople of the cars we're going to buy? Well, it applies to the people who write for the car mags too. I'm sure this thought has crossed your mind before but I thought for the readers I'd point it out.
Suzuki is impressing me more and more as I learn more about them. This lady was obviously as clueless as Alicia Silverstone when it comes to the 2007 Suzuki SX4.
The 2007 Suzuki SX4 is the hottest new car on the market and several of the reasons are the long list of standard features Suzuki is including on this car for only $14,999. i-AWD that works well and the ability to choose the drive-propellant you want at the time for this price is unheard of.
Plus, the looks of the Suzuki SX4 blow away the entire Subaru lineup. Make that all of the Subaru's ever made..those are some of the homeliest cars ever made. Am I alone on that thought? They're nasty looking.
Suzuki has hired Italian help for the SX4 and it has paid off handsomely-what a great looking little crossover.
if this is the same problem as the Grand Vitra had it is a serious one! one guy had his floorboard melt from theengine running too lean/ hot.if you go to the grand vitra section you will read a ton of complaints and problems with the suzuki ECM. some had theirs flashed (reprogrammed) and the problems came back! for the GV people what it was is the half of the v6 engine was getting more fuel than the other half, this also caused for vibration at speeds of 55-70 mph. running lean can shorten a engines life too. burn a valve etc. if you get this done make sure you get a copy of the receipt showing it was done. there are a few GV owners filing lemon laws against suzuki cause they cant seem to fit this problem..
interesting if you go to suzuki's website and compare the Reno to the Sx4 the specs are pretty close. in a 5 speed,the reno gets a little better mpg while driving the highway. and has 3.5 Gallon Bigger gas tank too.reno has a bigger wheels base and is 7 inches longer and has a standard of 8 speakers stereo. it does Not have awd at all.. but might be a nice car for someone living in the warmer states. its also $1500 cheaper. I never looked at these cars before just i seen a ad a few minutes ago.
I like the sedan version of SX4. Early rumors had the sedan SX4 arriving in the USA in the March - April timeframe. Inside Line states 2008 model year which could be as early as January or as late as Fall 2008.
I'd like to see a sunroof as an option on the SX4.
wow! i like how the sedan looks.. It looks more expensive than the 5-Door model. And the price they mentioned is even better yet.. maybe its time to sit back and wait.
The pictures from Edmunds on the SX4 China release look quite a bit better than the pictures from earlier this year. The quarter window behind the A pillar is awkward in appearance. I knowingly accept that. Check out SX4 testing pics
ECM stands for engine control module. If you have the automatic, you also have a TCM that controls it. There is an error in the logic of the ECM that is causing a MIL (check engine light) on some of the earlier SX4's. The Technical Service Bulletin on this is available on Suzuki Pitstop for a couple of bucks. The bulletin says that a letter will be mailed out to those with affected VIN numbers. I had the check engine light come on with my SX4, and the code was related to "control module performance." The bulletin suggests that the problem is in logic causing the light to come on when it shouldn't - a false positive. There is a detailed procedure for the dealership to follow in correctly reprogamming the control unit. Once the work is finished, they put a sticker on your glove box door to show that the control unit has been updated.
i did look at the reno myself. sounded awesome on paper but after some reaseach online, the reviews from owners were so bad that did not consider it anymore. mostly ppl had problems with the starters. it is my understanding that it is not a "real" suzuki (not made in japan)also like the forenzas. there is actually a forum for the Reno, go take a look!
I am a new SX4 owner. I have the JLX version. I love just about everything this little beauty has to offer except for the mileage I have gotten so far has, been for lack of a better word. Horrible. Is there an engine burn in time? This is what i have recorded from the cars trip odometer thus far (city) 214.9kms traveled 33.6litres to fill. (city) 313.3kms traveled 34.6litres to fill (city) 169.3kms traveled 19.8litres to fill (pure hwy kms) 246kms traveled 22.6litres to fill. I should add the first fill up was during a bad snowstorm and it was severely cold out so i used awd the whole time but all the others? I used only the 2wd mode only. Is this what i have to look forward to for the years to come? Its a far cry of what the dealership says the EPA is for the car. Any replies from other SX4 owners would be great. Mine is automatic BTW. :confuse:
I have an Aerio SX 5-speed Sedan with over 225000 km's on it, and my fuel mileage still suffers drastically when the weather turns cold. I can milk just over 40mpg (imp.) out of it in the summer time, but when the weather turns cold and the snow flies it can dip into the 28 - 31mpg range. A significant decrease. Average is about 35mpg. Considering the SX4 engine is of the same Aerio design, it probably has the same characteristics. The salesman at my local Suzuki dealership say's he was getting an average of 34mpg out of his company demo SX4 JLX 5-speed before the cold weather arrived ..... I'm sure it's less now.
I'm wondering how an SX4 would handle carrying a kayak, maybe two. I don't worry so much about it on a Subaru wagon, but it seems like the ends would really extend off the front and back of an SX4. Has anyone been kayaking w/their yet?
$15k is the sticker. You shouldn't have to pay sticker for a Suzuki. Dealers are already discounting the automatic to $15k, about $1500 under sticker. Cheap no. Reasonable yes. Average new car price is around $30k.
Sea or whitewater? The rack stretches the length of the roof, so kayaks should be fine, with Yakima or Thule crossbars.
Just a plain kayak, I forget what it's called, but we also have a sea kayak that I may or may not use (too heavy, relatively, for me to $#@ with). Mine's a Perception. Hmm, I was hoping to get away with not buying a $300-plus rack. I stick it on the rack that came on the subaru; w/the Nissan I have a rack that's basically two bars secured above the doors -- in both cases I tie it to the rack with straps that I bought at a kayaking store (it has blue cushions that fit on top of the rack to cushion the kayak and the car). I'd spend the money if they're demonstratly safer (to others, especially).
Comments
I like cars so much that it's a joy to see what new cars are coming out and what they offer. The 2007 Suzuki SX4 is the best looking new car to come out, IMHO, and the value it offers is outstanding. It's on my shortlist...I...I mean my longlist.
Keep all of the information about this great new rig flowing in. I digest it all with glee!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Euro Crash Tests
Sent: Saturday, December 2, 2006 12:05 AM
To: canuck
Subject: Re: SX-4
hello again,
I'm getting ready to order my first batch of sport models. There is a
imited number of them coming out on the first couple shipments. If I send
in my orders I should get everything I ask for. Would you mind letting me
know what color is your first choice. You won't be obligated or anything
but at least I can have one here like you want if you decide to get one.
Thanks,
Gotta tell ya, though, that only endears the car to me more. It is a real looker and I think that the Suzuki AWD system will hold up just fine.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Sx4 iPod info
I was just spinning my wheels in RWD(2WD)so I reached down and automatically locked the hubs with the changing of my transfer case lever and shazzam! I was outta there. I really wanted to get out of that jam because Pocatello drivers wanted to pop around the city's streets at a pretty good clip-and snow and ice doesn't even start to slow them down.
It will be real difficult to buy other than Kia for me but this new 2007 Suzuki SX4 in 5-speeds, armrest and Techno Blue Metallic paint job may just be the one to sway me.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
"....I was just spinning my wheels in RWD....."
If that were to happen in a FWD or front biased AWD (SX4) you might find yourself quickly having lost directional control of the vehicle.
"If that were to happen..."
Since this is such a very serious matter for FWD or front biased AWD vehicles almost ALL modern day vehicles of this category come from the factory equipped with TRACTION CONTROL.
On a RWD vehicle with TRACTION control, while basically useless, is not altogether a bad thing. I use it only as an "alert", a way to advise me of adverse, slippery, roadbed conditions that otherwise I might not have been aware.
On a RWD it will moderately brake the rear, driven, wheels the instant wheelspin/slip is detected, and then if the driver doesn't have the good sense or experience to know to lift, feather, the throttle within a few hundred milliseconds the TRACTION system will then fully dethrottle the engine.
On a FWD or..., the TRACTION system braking will be accompanied, instantly, by engine dethrottling. Since these events on a FWD vehicle can so quickly lead to loss of control very few have the ability to disable TRACTION control, even temporarily.
You will also find a propensity for any automatic transaxle (FWD or...,) to always upshift with any FULL lift-throttle event. This is to prevent engine compression braking from resulting in a "front" skid, or even worse prevent it from interfering with ABS should you need to use the brakes on a slippery surface.
Living in Pocatello I assume you will instinctively know to NEVER downshift an SX4 to use engine compression braking for slowing or braking on adverse, low traction, roadbed conditions. Locate the e-brake handle and use it instead.
Then there is the issue of the need for the use of tire chains in wintertime conditions typically encountered in Pocatello (we celebrated our 20th at the Green{??} Frog). Almost ALL FWD or.., require that the use or application of tire chains be restricted to the front wheels only. Many FWD or.., do not even have room to fit chains at the rear.
Talk about a hazardous driving experience, I would NEVER make an SX4 a daily driver in conditions you experience virtually every day during the winter months.
I am, however, seriously considering an SX4 for towing behind our MH 4-down. But our MH doesn't go traveling in wintertime conditions and although the SX4 may be used as a daily driver here on the Eastside of Seattle we do not often have adverse roadbed conditions, four times now if we include December of 1990.
The SX4 would suit me well for Arizona local driving and for traveling around sightseeing in the southwest.
I've owned several FWD small rigs and I find them pretty agreeable in the snow and even icy driving conditions. This would not warrant a haphazard driving attitude, though, in the snow and ice in a SX4, I realize. Slowing down helps a lot in many wintertime situations and it's something simple that a lot of drivers don't do or even start to do enough of. Slowing down is something that I do very, very well and I know when to slow down. Even racecar drivers don't stand on it all of the time, they have to be smart and be cautious sometime, eh?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Snow is rare there but, if you're into skiing then Mt. Lemmon, just north of Tucson, gets plenty of snow. It's the southernmost ski resort in the country.
tidester, host
Not sure about the trickle, but the SX4 accounted for 13.5% of Suzuki's record growth this past November:
Suzuki's U.S. sales up 24% this year (Detroit Free Press)
Over my way more there is Mt.Graham, which is 10,300 feet tall and has that U.of Arizona observatory on top that when operating will provide some spectactular views of the stars.
I was thinking that the star of this thread, the 2007 Suzuki SX4, in 5-speed form and optional armrest and Techno Blue Metallic color(or the Bright Red or the Orange), would make for a good little trooper to go up on the ridgeline of Mt.Graham to go hiking and exploring. I guess when you take the road up there the mountain has a huge amount of alpine forest and tthth would make me fee l right at home, like I was back in the forests of Washington state,my homeland.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Been there, done that! Unfortunately, I didn't get into any offroading when I was out there.
tidester, host
It looks enticing and it seems that there would be endless hiking opportunites up the mountain.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
tidester, host
read review
Suzuki is impressing me more and more as I learn more about them. This lady was obviously as clueless as Alicia Silverstone when it comes to the 2007 Suzuki SX4.
The 2007 Suzuki SX4 is the hottest new car on the market and several of the reasons are the long list of standard features Suzuki is including on this car for only $14,999. i-AWD that works well and the ability to choose the drive-propellant you want at the time for this price is unheard of.
Plus, the looks of the Suzuki SX4 blow away the entire Subaru lineup. Make that all of the Subaru's ever made..those are some of the homeliest cars ever made. Am I alone on that thought? They're nasty looking.
Suzuki has hired Italian help for the SX4 and it has paid off handsomely-what a great looking little crossover.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
IMHO, the Impreza is kind of ugly but the Legacy is very classy.
do all SX4 models have this problem?
As far as this "recall" (which they didn't call it) I have no clue what it changes or "fixes"
I like the sedan version of SX4. Early rumors had the sedan SX4 arriving in the USA in the March - April timeframe. Inside Line states 2008 model year which could be as early as January or as late as Fall 2008.
I'd like to see a sunroof as an option on the SX4.
Check out SX4 testing pics
no compliants though!
it is my understanding that it is not a "real" suzuki (not made in japan)also like the forenzas.
there is actually a forum for the Reno, go take a look!
Considering the SX4 engine is of the same Aerio design, it probably has the same characteristics. The salesman at my local Suzuki dealership say's he was getting an average of 34mpg out of his company demo SX4 JLX 5-speed before the cold weather arrived ..... I'm sure it's less now.
Sea or whitewater? The rack stretches the length of the roof, so kayaks should be fine, with Yakima or Thule crossbars.
The other one's a Castile? Something like that. It's longer than the Perception (a kind of wide plastic one)