The 2009 Suzuki SX4 has these cool front quarter windows that can help you get a bead on surroundings. But as I discovered doing laps in downtown Long Beach this weekend, when making turns in the midst of a crosswalk grid, the front A-pillar is thick enough to hide a marching band from view.
The small triangular window (remember when those used to open?...) does create a useful port especially when glancing to starboard in traffic, as the angle when looking towards the passenger side gives you a more direct view through the transparent wedge. It's also very useful when looking for the curb when parking on one-way streets. We can probably thank the latest crash standards for these designs, as with small cars, pushing the dash forward and bracing it with a stout A-pillar probably does wonders for occupant protection.
When making a series of turns in a downtown grid however, the fat forward A-pillar is impressive in what it can conceal in the crosswalk, and I found myself bobbing and weaving my head to make sure I wasn't blindly running down a baby stroller or half a scouting troop. The Fit has this same design cue (left), but I don't recall the blind spot being as noticeable.
The Fit's A-pillar looks wider than the Suzuki's, but I've yet to run it around on the same downtown grid. In either, extra care around crosswalks and pedestrians is worth noting.
Paul Seredynski, Executive Editor @ 7029 miles.
carguy622 says:
09:06 AM, 06/15/09
Between thick pillars and high belt lines, visibility is getting worse and worse on all cars. Now we need cameras and beeping sensors all over the place.
At least the Suzuki has a low belt line.
actualsize says:
09:19 AM, 06/15/09
Agreed. We're advancing on type of safety (crash) for another (the ability to avoid a crash and not run over pedestrians by actually seeing them.)
altimadude00 says:
09:21 AM, 06/15/09
When I test drove a Versa with the similar triangular windows, I found that my field of vision was above those windows (albeit the ones in the Versa are smaller than those in the SX4 and Fit).
actualsize says:
09:33 AM, 06/15/09
@ my last comment: "trading one" not "advancing on". Got...to...have...edit..function.
cx7lover says:
10:38 AM, 06/15/09
Why don't you want the thick pillars?
You'd rather have Popsicle sticks so you don't have to put the milkshakes down while driving so you can move around and not hit little Annie walking across the street? So inconvenienced!
cx7lover says:
10:59 AM, 06/15/09
so you don't have to*
pengwin says:
11:35 AM, 06/15/09
lol @ cx7