Suzuki SX4 1.6 SZ4 review
by David Finlay (25 August 2010)
Launched three years ago but revised early in 2010, the Suzuki SX4 is one of the increasing number of crossovers on the market. If you don't know what a crossover is, Suzuki's own description - a "combination of SUV and passenger car" - is as good as any, but as with all these things the SUVness is limited largely to how the vehicle looks rather than what it does.
You might expect, for example, that an SUV would have four-wheel drive, and that there would be a diesel engine in the range. The SX4 has both these things, but only in the recently-created SZ5 trim level. The SZ4 tested here, and the more basic SZ3, are both front-wheel drive only, and the only engine supplied with either of them is a 1.6-litre petrol.
Still, it's pretty enough (one of the better-looking current Suzukis, I think) and moderately, though not exceptionally, practical, with a boot space of 270 litres, extending to 625 litres if you fold down the rear seats.
Regarding safety, Euro NCAP put the SX4 through its crash test programme back in 2006 and gave it four stars out of five for adult occupant protection in its then-current (but now revised) scoring system. The car didn't perform especially well in a frontal impact, but scored maximum points for side impact and also did very well for pedestrian protection.
The SZ4 costs £645 more than the mechanically identical SZ3. For that sum you get 16" alloy wheels, front foglights, side body protection, heated door mirrors, keyless entry and start, a speaker mounted in the centre of the dashboard and automatic air-conditioning.
Most of the extra money charged for the 1.6 petrol SZ5 goes to pay for the four-wheel drive system; otherwise it's very similarly equipped to the SZ4. Another notable point is that the SZ4 is the only car in the range offered with automatic transmission, for an extra £1025.
With so many other crossovers available, there are few reasons to pick this one over the others, loyalty to your local Suzuki dealer being perhaps one of the strongest. The biggest thing in its favour, though, is that it's cheap: at the time of writing, this particular model costs £12,395, which is less than the list price of all but four Ford Fiestas.
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