2008 Suzuki SX4

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By  Bengt Halvorson, Editor

2008 Suzuki SX4
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As the automotive experts at TheCarConnection.com put together this comprehensive review of the 2008 Suzuki SX4, they highlighted some of the most useful information from respected review sources. Then TheCarConnection.com’s editors included their own experience driving both variants of the SX4 to make this especially useful to shoppers.

Likes
-Peppy driving feel
-Incredibly easy to park
-Lack of road and wind noise
-Standard all-wheel drive on the hatchback
-Value, thanks to low price and long warranty

Dislikes
-Thirsty for such a small car
-Engine noise on acceleration
-Sedan styling looks a bit awkward

The small SX4 gets a new sedan body style, called the SX4 Sport, in the lineup for 2008, and the SX4 hatchback introduced last year has been renamed the SX4 Crossover.

Both come standard with a 143-horsepower version of Suzuki’s 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine, with a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. Suzuki’s Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive (I-AWD) system is standard on the 2008 Suzuki SX4 Crossover; Suzuki claims it’s the least expensive vehicle with standard all-wheel drive.

The interior of the 2008 Suzuki SX4 is well designed and very space-efficient. The seating design is especially nice and upright, and the seats are better and better bolstered than those of rival inexpensive cars. In back, theater-style elevated seating allows more legroom and less of a claustrophobic feeling. The instrument panel is styled simply but attractively, and materials look and feel like those of more expensive vehicles.

The 2008 Suzuki SX4 feels quite smooth and zippy in normal, relaxed driving, with enough torque from the engine to feel responsive with either transmission, though the manual gearbox feels especially sporty. But the SX4 doesn’t take well to more enthusiastic driving, when its engine gets boomy and the body leans a fair amount. The Sport has a firmer, more buttoned-down suspension, though unlike other small cars it doesn’t bring a much road noise inside the cabin. Wind noise is notably absent, too. But fuel economy remains a weak point. With the more economical front-wheel drive sedan, it’s still only rated at 22 mpg city, 30 highway—not much better than a mid-size sedan.

The base 2008 Suzuki SX4 Crossover includes big 16-inch alloy wheels, power windows and locks, keyless entry, air conditioning, and a four-speaker CD sound system. Options are grouped into two large packages; the Convenience Package adds heated mirrors, steering-wheel audio controls, cruise control, and automatic climate control, while the Touring Package adds to that electronic stability control, a SmartPass entry system, roof rails, fog lamps, and an upgraded sound system.

The 2008 Suzuki SX4 really piles on the standard safety features, with the list including anti-lock disc brakes, front-seat side-impact airbags, side-curtain airbags, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes; electronic stability control is included with the top Touring Package option. Actual crash-test performance has been middle-of-the-pack, with four out of five starts in the federal tests for frontal and side impact.

The Bottom Line
The 2008 Suzuki SX4 is worth consideration alone for being the lowest-priced new car with all-wheel drive, but beyond that it’s a spacious and sporty little car.

Other Choices
If you like the 2008 Suzuki SX4, also consider:

Dodge Caliber
Nissan Versa
Saturn Astra
Subaru Impreza
Toyota Matrix

Like the 2008 Suzuki SX4, the Subaru Impreza comes with standard all-wheel drive. But the Impreza hatchback starts more than $2000 higher than the SX4 hatchback. Arguably, the Impreza feels a little more substantial, but it doesn’t have any more usable interior space. The Nissan Versa is an especially low-priced model that comes well equipped and has a roomy, comfortable interior, while the Saturn Astra has a similar body style but feels more upscale and has especially sporty handling. And those torn between the sedan and hatchback might consider the Dodge Caliber, a hatchback with a more sedan-like profile and some useful convenience options. However, all-wheel drive is only available on the Caliber in the top-of-the-range R/T model. Then there’s the Toyota Matrix which, although an aging design, is a good, practical alternative that may have higher resale value. Beware though, safety features like side airbags are optional on the Matrix.

Buying Tip
The 2008 Suzuki SX4 models stand apart from the Reno and Forenza small-car models also sold at Suzuki dealerships in that they are actually built by Suzuki in Japan, while the Reno and Forenza are built in South Korea by GM Daewoo.