Suzuki's SX4 Struts Its Stuff

The 2008 SX4 Sport sedan showcases the carmaker's low pricing and vastly improved design and quality, but it's still no Honda Civic

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Price, improved ergonomics and handling, excellent warranty

The Bad: Lagging fuel economy, mediocre interior with no fold-down rear seats

The Bottom Line: A big step up for Suzuki, but it's no Honda

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

Why buy a Suzuki (SZKMF) when you can go with a better-known manufacturer of small, front-wheel-drive cars, such as Honda (HMC) or Toyota (TM)? The main reasons used to be the low price and a good warranty, and those are still important selling points. But lately Suzuki has been improving the quality, features, and driving characteristics of its cars. The new '08 Suzuki SX4 Sport sedan is a case in point.

There are now two distinctly different versions of the SX4. Last year, Suzuki introduced a hatchback, whose main selling point is that it's probably the cheapest four-wheel-drive vehicle on the U.S. market, with a $15,895 starting price for a car with a stick shift and at $16,995 with an automatic transmission. By contrast, the main attraction of the new sport sedan—especially with a four-speed stick shift like the one in my test car—is that it's fun to drive. Suzuki ambitiously compares the SX4 Sport to such popular models as the Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra, and Toyota Corolla.

Can a Suzuki match up to such rivals? The SX4 Sport certainly equals or undercuts them on price. Moreover, at the MSRP the rival models are stripped down, but even the base-model Suzuki ($15,395) comes standard with power accessories, air-conditioning, tire pressure monitors, antilock brakes, 17-in. alloy wheels, and a sport-tuned suspension, as well as safety gear such as front, side, and side curtain airbags, and antilock brakes with brake force distribution.

The SX4 Sport's price remains relatively low as you load up on additional features. The Convenience package includes such equipment as steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, heated outside mirrors, and cruise control, and only raises the bottom line to $15,895 for a stick shift and $16,995 for an automatic. Even the top-of-the-line Touring model—with an automatic transmission and such additional features as a nine-speaker audio system with a six-CD changer, a rear spoiler, and a keyless entry system with a push-button starter—goes for just $17,995.

So far, so good, but there are clear tradeoffs. Fuel efficiency lags, partly because the SX4 Sport with a Convenience package and automatic transmission weighs 2,855 lb., more than most of its rivals. With a stick shift, the SX4 sedan is rated to get 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway, rising to 23 mpg/31 mpg with an automatic transmission. In 187 miles of mixed driving, I got 25.3 mpg.

The Suzuki's mileage rating is equal to that of the Mazda3, but falls well behind the '08 Civic (25 mpg city/36 mpg highway) and '08 Corolla (26/35). Even the slightly heavier '08 Nissan Sentra, rated at 25/33, does better than the Suzuki.

Another big negative about the SX4 is Suzuki's iffy quality ratings. The Suzuki brand came in next-to-last in J.D. Power's 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study (BusinessWeek.com, 8/9/07). Granted, that study measures the dependability of 2004 models and Suzuki's dependability has probably improved since then. But the company also came in eighth-from-last, and well below average, in J.D. Power's 2007 Initial Quality Study, which assessed problems in the first 90 days of ownership of 2007 models.

Suzuki tries to offset doubts about the quality of its vehicles by offering a seven-year/100,000-mile power train warranty that's one of the best in the business. Repair costs are fully covered, and the warranty is transferable to a new owner.