If my experience driving around Chicago is any indicator, there's quite a market for small, sporty-looking hatchbacks. Most of them are heavily modified used cars, and against this benchmark the SX4 performs quite well, if for no other reason than it has up-to-date safety equipment.
It's when the SX4 is compared with other new offerings that it suffers. Is it as crisp, poised and refined as the segment leaders? Nope. And while it's fun to drive on twisty roads, it's not the most fun. The SX4 doesn't look like many other cars on the road, and the SportBack version is well-differentiated from its siblings. For some people, that plus good handling will be enough. I'm not convinced, though, that I wouldn't be happier in day-to-day use with something different.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
The tire pressure monitoring system is
designed to alert you when one or more of
the tires on your vehicle is significantly
under-inflated. A Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) sensor containi ...
Built Like a Brute
The Suzuki Grand Vitara continues Suzuki's 40-year heritage of building
compact but rugged SUV-type vehicles, including a model named "Brute." The
current Grand Vitara has proven its dur ...
The Inside
Though the SX4's interior was on par with the competition a few years ago,
Suzuki has since been leapfrogged. There are some highs: My test car's backlit
gauges and silver dashboard accents looked ...