2010 Suzuki SX4 Review Summary
The Suzuki SX4, ranked 4th by ACG in the Affordable Small Cars class, offers consumers an inexpensive yet practical ride and caught the attention of most reviewers due to its spacious cabin and acute handling ability. The interior offers quite a bit of headroom for a compact car and the elevated, well-cushioned seats in both the front and back offers good thigh support for a comfortable ride. The SX4 is available in sedan and hatchback form, the sedan coming in both standard and sport versions while the hatchback comes in Crossover and Sportback versions. Both the sedan and Sportback are available in front wheel drive only, whereas the Crossover offers both front and all-wheel drive. The standard SX4 sedan comes in LE and LE Popular trims, the sport sedan comes in S, SE, and GTS trims, while the Crossover comes in base, Technology, and Touring AWD trims, and the Sportback comes only in loaded GTS trim. All trims come with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that dishes out 150 horsepower and 140 pound-feet torque, with a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. Due to the fact that the engine is roughly 2.0-liters in volume, the fuel economy is not something worth raving over at only 22 City/30 Hwy. The standard SX4 sedan base trim includes features such as 15-inch steel wheels, full power accessories, a height-adjustable driver seat, a tilt steering wheel, and a 60/40-split-folding rear seat. The LE adds to those features air-conditioning and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. If looking to upgrade from the six-speed to the CVT in the LE, the LE is offered with the Popular package which also includes cruise control and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls. For the sport sedan S trim, all the standard features found in the LE are included, as well as sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, a lower body kit, and a navigation system. If one wants to upgrade to the LE Popular package in the sport sedan, the SE is available with optional GPS. The GTS trim also offers fog lights, a rear spoiler, a six-disc CD changer, upgraded navigation features, keyless entry/ignition, and automatic climate control. The Crossover offers either LE or LE Popular standard features with a roof rack, rear wiper, navigation system, and 16-inch alloy wheels instead of 17-inch wheels. The Sportback offers everything the sport sedan GTS offers minus the CVT and MSN subscription included in the upgraded navigation features. The exterior is said to be equivalent to the 2010 Nissan Versa in that it is quite plain and oddly shaped. Its body is rather tall, somewhat narrow, and has a small base in comparison to its windowed top portion. As for the interior, it doesn't lack space for legs and gives quite a bit of head room; however, cabin materials happen to be on the cheap side and the front and rear seats can be uncomfortable for long rides. Overall, this car is for buyers who seek an inexpensive car with decent fuel economy.
2010 Suzuki SX4 Review Handling
The SX4 has very awkwardly distributed weight for a car in its class, so handling corners could be quite difficult at slightly higher speeds. Due to the suspension's softness, most bumpy surfaces offer no immediate threat to the ride's smoothness. The Sport versions of the SX4 are the handlers of the bunch, as the bigger 17-inch tires and firmer suspensions produce better handling capabilities.
2010 Suzuki SX4 Review Safety
The SX4 got through government crash testing without much of a sweat, earning four out of five stars for driver and passenger protection. For side impact collisions the SX4 earned five stars for driver and four stars for rear passenger safety. The Suzuki SX4 comes standard with anti-lock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags, and head-protecting side curtain airbags for all passengers in all versions of the car. It also with traction and stability control with the Sport GTS sedan, the Sportback, and all Crossover trims.
2010 Suzuki SX4 Noteworthy
The SX4 earned the top rating of "Good" in both frontal-offset and side-impact tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
