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TheCarConnection.com has driven the 2010 Suzuki SX4 to bring you this hands-on review that covers styling, performance, safety, utility, and features from on-the-road observations. TheCarConnection.com's editors also researched reviews from other sources to give you a comprehensive range of opinions from around the Web-and to help you decide which ones to trust.
High Gear Media drove a manufacturer-provided Suzuki SX4 to produce this hands-on road test.
Likes:
- Good value for money
- Available all-wheel drive on hatchback
- Sporty feel at the wheel
- Low interior noise level
Dislikes:
- Still somewhat thirsty for gas
- Excessive engine noise
- Minimal hatchback load space with seat up
Now in its fourth model year, the 2010 Suzuki SX4 range gains a new model: The front-wheel-drive SportBack five-door joins the visually similar all-wheel-drive Crossover, as well as the front-wheel-drive Sport four-door sedan. Suzuki claims the SX4 Crossover is the lowest-priced vehicle of its type with all-wheel drive. For 2010, Suzuki updates the dashboard, replaces its four-speed automatic with a continuously variable transmission, and wrings both more power and better gas mileage out of its engine. At a base price of $16,849, the SX4 lineup compares with the Nissan Versa, the Subaru Impreza, and the Dodge Caliber.
The pert, truncated tail of the 2010 Suzuki SX4 Crossover and its sportier front-wheel-drive twin, the SX4 SportBack, give them both a look that's cheerful and distinctive. Unlike many similar vehicles, the 2010 SX4 Crossover avoids looking tall and tippy, and the SportBack-with its roof rack removed, a subtle aero kit, and suspension that's half an inch lower-appears even closer to the ground. The SX4 sedan, on the other hand, loses the visual spark of the hatchback's blunt rear. It will vanish immediately in the sea of silver subcompacts found in any mall parking lot. The instrument panel is styled simply but attractively, and both materials and plastic trim look and feel more expensive than the SX4's price would lead you to expect. The instrument cluster is new this year, with aluminum trim surrounds, and the large, knurled knobs for the ventilation system are simple and intuitively easy to use.
