Two hours to Nottingham and even longer to get back in rush hour was a daunting task in the SX4. It had nothing to do with my hangover and everything to do with the coarse, metallic engine note that you get as you accelerate hard. Pushing through 2,000 rpm – 4,0000 rpm produces a really gruff engine noise. Our route involved going cross-country from the M40 to the M1 and it was continually interrupted by busy roundabouts. Every time I pulled into a gap I was worried about acceleration and drained by engine noise.
Almost in contradiction though, once up to motorway speeds (even quite quick motorway speeds) it is actually very refined. I spent hours and hours on motorways in this little car and found it to be a quiet and pleasant cruiser.
The seats gave comfort and support in a surprisingly assured fashion. Not once, even when it was late and the traffic was grotty, did the car feel unpleasant or inadequate. I put this largely down to the seats, which look don’t looks in anyway special. But they are really very well designed and extremely effective at delivering long-journey comfort.
We went to Nottingham to do some white water rafting. The water skills centre has a cool surfer atmosphere and the hope was that the Suzuki SX4 4-Grip would fit right in. As a practical small car, with four wheel drive and Suzuki’s sporty, jet-skier brand associations it should have been spot on.
But there is no getting away from the fact that the styling appeals more to the elderly than the flip-flop wearing surfer dude. It has modern European styling. But it is also anodyne, more like a Toyota Corolla than a Mini Cooper.
Which is a shame because the handling is nothing short of astounding. Infact, even the most reckless international surfer dudes couldn’t possible find the limit of this car in a corner. Leaving Nottingham, there are a few long curvy slip roads taking you onto the A-road network and the car holds a perfect, confident poise no matter how quickly you travel. At first I put this down to the 4 wheel drive. But then I remembered I had switched it off. The car just has terrific balance.
But I don’t think that matters to the people who are most likely to buy it. They will be more interested in how it deals with the inner city shopping trip.
It suffers the same low-speed handling quirk as the Suzuki Swift; when turning around the steering momentarily loads up as if the power assistance has failed. It hasn’t, and after a second the system sorts itself out. But some will find this frustrating as they will struggle with some parking manoeuvres.
But in contrast, something to love about this car is the way it handles speed bumps- especially the most harsh bumps. There is no Nissan-like groan or sports car thump as you mount the sleeping policeman. It just takes the bump in its stride, quietly and competently. It makes you feel the car is actually very well built.
Looking around inside, everything is easy-to-find and feels well made. Nothing special or too clever, but nothing tacky or cheap either. Although, it possibly errs on the young-side in style which may be a misjudgement given the most likely buyers of this car. Kit includes a CD player, parking sensors, electric windows and air bags.
The cabin delivers an airy feel, and this makes parallel parking much easier. In particular there is good additional rear visibility from the glass in the C pillar at the back of the car.
If you live in the countryside, where winter means black ice and summer means enjoyable winding roads, then the SX4 maybe for you. If you like the high driving position and 4x4 benefits but don’t want to go all the way to a Grand Vitara or Toyota Rav-4, this is an excellent alternative.
Summary
A car of many contradictions: A refined motorway cruiser that makes a terrible din when accelerating. The grip of a sports car but the style of a family run around. A high driving position and 4 wheel drive, but very much in a hatchback body shape. A well made car, that lets itself down here and there.
Road test car details:
Suzuki SX4 4-Grip 1.9Ddi
OTR: £14,815
0-62: 11.2 secs
MPG: 42.8
Co2 / KM: 174
Words: Matthew Tumbridge