Wake-up little 'Suzi'! (From Advertiser Series)

Wake-up little 'Suzi'!

5:25pm Wednesday 20th January 2010

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The Green lobby can say what they like, but the only motorists driving with smiles on their faces have been in 4x4s.

Even humble little affairs like Suzuki’s SX4 have been taking the recent slippery conditions in their stride, leaving conventional cars in their wake.

So this month’s shivery weather is good news for Suzuki, a company which is on a bit of a roll at the moment.

The scrappage scheme was a big hit, with its fleet of price-friendly, compact models proving popular, building on a renaissance which started with the excellent Swift. That was followed by Splash, Grand Vitara and a super new Alto.

Now to complete the line-up (before the process begins again later this year with an all-new Swift) is the new SX4.

Now, this is a car worth taking note of. If ever a car was under-rated, it’s this one.

It’s a sparkling little performer which is solid, stylish, well-built and practical, and now it’s even better thanks to some styling and technical touches.

Officially, it’s a crossover between the B segment (Ford Fiesta and co) and the small 4x4 market. It’s a car without any direct rivals. Only the cheaper, poorer-equipped Daihatsu Terios comes close.

And while price and style indicates that it’s a real rival for the Fiestas of this world, it does have a very good and sophisticated 4x4 system.

I tested it in and around Leeds last Wednesday, a day which you may recall was treacherous on the roads. The SX4 coped well; very well, in fact, even in two-wheel-drive.

It costs from £11,640, which is excellent value. For that, you get a car which is kitted with six airbags, air conditioning, electric windows, trip computer and an eight-speaker stereo system. Pay £600 more and you can have one with alloys and a 4x4 system.

It comes as a 1.6 petrol or diesel, with a 2.0 litre diesel version possibly on its way in a few months.

The biggest improvement in the new SX4 is the quality. Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH, as it’s known in the trade) was one area which Suzuki wanted to concentrate on, and the quality is certainly better.

I tested the 4x4 version, which has a terrific flick-button system. It can operate as a two-wheel or four-wheel system, or you can choose ‘auto’ and the car chooses for itself. Clever.

The original SX-4 was neat enough but, dare I say, bland. The new model has a lot more character.

The SX4’s agility and road manners are equally impressive, with good body control on twisting roads and admirable stability when travelling at speed on motorways. It handles sensibly and predictably, which is exactly what you want, with excellent traction.

Off-road, the SX4 – with its high ground clearance and front and rear skid plates – would prove itself to be adept at tackling trails and tracks, giving a firm, but not uncomfortable, ride.

The cabin gives an impression of durability, and although the dashboard plastics are hard, the controls operate with precision and the overall layout is smart and intuitive. The big switches and dials also make it user-friendly.

The compact dimensions of the SX4 means that it is particularly well-suited to city driving. A turning circle of 10.6 metres adds to the ease of navigating narrow urban streets and parking in spaces that would probably be out-of-bounds for larger SUVs and 4x4s.

The Suzuki’s tall and wide stature provides plenty of interior space to carry four passengers comfortably, while occupants in the back get a good all-round view thanks to the slightly higher setting of the rear seats.

There are plenty of storage compartments in the cabin, and a tug of a cord tumbles the rear seats forwards, creating an almost flat load floor to free up the boot’s capacity of 270 litres to its maximum of 625 litres. Additional practical touches include the 60/40 split of the rear seats and the standard fit roof rails, should space prove to be tight inside the cabin.

With prices starting from £11,640 for the entry level, it is keenly priced, economical to run, and with Suzuki’s excellent reliability record to boot, it offers the practicality of a 4x4 without the looks of a Chelsea tractor and the guilt that goes with it. As an alternative to one of the better quality superminis like Fiesta, the SX4 is certainly worth considering.

Suzuki SX4 1.6: PRICE: £11,640.

ENGINE: A 1,586cc four-cylinder petrol unit generating 120PS through two-wheel-drive.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 115mph and 0 to 60mph in 10.7 seconds.

COSTS: Urban (town) 35.8mpg; extra-urban (country) 54.3mpg; combined 45.6mpg.

EMISSIONS: 143g/km.

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