2009 Suzuki SX4: Not bad at all

The question is, is it worth saving a couple thousand bucks over a base Mini Cooper?

According to Suzuki's Commercials it is...

My Subaru Forester is similarly challenged. I live in Chicago and spend 80% of my time on city streets at speeds under 50mph. Most of the time I keep the tranny in 3 so I have some oomph to accelerate.

Did Suzuki ever roll out the factory turbo upgrade they talked about? That might make for a fun project for IL. Instead of souping up an already expensive Evo, soup up the inexpesive AWD SX4 and see if you can get similar performance at a (relatively) bargain price.

Funny, I post my comment and THEN do a quick google search and what do I find:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=125852

Ii read about the packag eat IL.

@ adavis - SX4 over a fit or Civic or Yaris, maybe. Over an engaging and unique looking Mini Cooper - let's don't get silly.

"The question is, is it worth saving a couple thousand bucks over a base Mini Cooper?
"

I don't know about the states but here in Canada it's a huge jump from the base SX4 ($17,300) to the base Mini Cooper Classic ($22,800). You can run an SX4 up to the price of a Mini but then you have 4wd which the Mini doesn't offer.

All weather traction and lots more space or Mini style and performance.

I don't think many will cross shop the two.

The SX4 really does need a 5 speed manual or at the very least a 5 speed auto.

Or even better a diesel...

http://www.wheels.ca/article/394990

For the metric challenged the 4.94 L/100km he averaged equals 47.6 mpg US. His high/low was 54.7 mpg/ 36.7 mpg.

skip the five and go straight to six gears.

add direct injestion and variable valve timing, and the engine could make quite a bit more HP and help the car get great gas mileage. add the six speed auto and we're talking about one of the most fuel efficient cars in its class.

add that to the value equation and you've got a best seller.

JM, and add $5-6k to the price and all of a sudden the SX4 is playing in a much more competitive field.

Suzuki SX4: Not bad at all

After 2.5 years of ownership I think that pretty sums up our feelings about this car too.

The small foot print and higer seating position makes this car good for a normal daily driving activites. In general it has a nimble zippy type feel around town. The hatchback mini-ute proportions gives it decent utility. AWD gives it all weather utility. To top it off the styling is nice, with a good interior for a car in this price range. So far the reliability has been good too.

On the down side, fuel ecomomy is not up to the same level of similar sized FWD competition. The smaller fuel tank also requires more frequent fill-ups. On the highway the 5spd manual could use a taller 5th gear to improve fuel economy and keeps the revs down (if heard rumors that this was addressed in 2008+ cars). Visibility is generally great except for a blind spot created by the A pillar design.

It's not great any at one thing, it's good at many things, and it's not poor at anything.

I'd love to see a diesel option on this car.

I just double-checked and can confirm that it is in fact 2009. A 4-speed auto is a complete joke.

Brian, you say that you'd get this car instead of a Fit if it had a five-speed automatic. Really??? Sure, a five-speed autobox might add 1 mpg or so, but still--the Suzuki is fundamentally a mechanically inefficient design when compared to the Fit. I would have thought the Suzuki's fuel economy (8-10 mpg below the Fit) might factor into the decision.

Then there's the fun-to-drive factor. In that regard an autobox Suzuki compares to what? A Rondo, maybe?

I like the Rondo too - I'd be likely to pick the Suzuki over the Fit only because the SX4 feels more substantial to me. I'm not sure of the numbers but it also seems quieter inside - I like the Fit but it feels a little too noisy and darty for me. All-wheel drive is also a nice option.

talking about complete jokes...

Scion still offers a four speed auto on their cars. Toyota is trying to get rid of all it's leftovers by dumping them on Scion. SAD!

@redliner

What leftovers? They still use the four speed automatics on the Corolla.

I agree that a 4-speed auto seems woefully outdated, but that doesn't mean there's no such thing as a *good* 4-speed auto. That's what was said about this very car in this very blog:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2009/03/2009-suzuki-sx4-good-transmission-good-shifter.html

Another example is the GM 4AT, which has been around so long it's been refined to a "T". It took a test drive to convince me that owning a 4-speed auto not only wouldn't make me want to kill myself -- I could actually enjoy it!

(Having said all that... c'mon automakers, it's two-thousand-freaking-nine; you can add a gear or two now.)

Time for some REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS Brian.

Thanks, nf

A base SX4 is available here in Miami for $13,999 and the cheapest base Mini is listed for $18,600. I agree that the Mini is a much better car, but the price difference is quite large.