Thanks to its low beltline, big greenhouse and useful little port-type windows by the A-pillar, the SX4 offers pretty good visibility. That might be enough for most manufacturers, but Suzuki takes things one step further by including the hugest side mirrors this side of a Dodge Sprinter. These massive slabs of glass are the antithesis of the skinny little side mirrors seen on cars like the new Camaro -- form-over-function mirrors that look stylish, but don't offer much acreage for viewing purposes. Sure, the SX4's mirrors are a bit on the homely side -- they're the side-mirror equivalent of dad jeans in that respect -- but they're a pleasure to use, and offer a wonderfully expansive picture of the road behind you.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 6,971 miles
subaru123 says:
03:06 PM, 10/26/09
Warren have you've seen a Tribeca lately? But those are large mirrors for the size of the SX4
http://media.subaru.com/file.php/397/09MY_Tribeca_heatedsidemirror.jpg
cobryson says:
03:16 PM, 10/26/09
I can play this game too!
Warren, have you seen a *car I own* lately? *car I own* is clearly better.
subaru123 says:
03:42 PM, 10/26/09
@cobryson
I never said that my car was better and if those mirrors were on a Toyota Highlander, I would have wrote "Warren have you seen a Highlander lately?" It just so happens that my car has large mirrors. And I actually like Suzukis in general ( I almost got an XL7). The Equator is better than the Nissan Frontier, The SX4 is the best AWD compact, and the Kizashi is probably better than a Camry or Accord.
bodyblue says:
03:44 PM, 10/26/09
He probably has not seen a Tribeca because nobody has bought one. Anyway the more I read about the SX4 the more I like it. It is an honest car....small car, small engine...decent gas mileage.....it is what it is and nothing more. I think the wife is getting one for zipping around town.
cobryson says:
03:57 PM, 10/26/09
Look, the real problem is that you're comparing a larger SUV to a smaller, compact 5-door...so mentioning your Tribeca's large mirrors is irrelevant. If you'd said "but Warren, my Fit/Focus/Versa/xA has bigger mirrors" and provided a picture, your point might have been valid.
yellowmiata says:
04:08 PM, 10/26/09
I rented one of these this week and can attest to the mirror size - they're very useful. In fact, I was surprised at the amount of space inside and the pickup - this little car does well for its size. Not that it'll keep up with a Z, but relative to the Yaris (yari?) that I rent, this car goes better.
subaru123 says:
04:29 PM, 10/26/09
Just saying, Warren is also comparing the SX4's mirrors to a Dodge Sprinter's.
cobryson says:
04:34 PM, 10/26/09
Ok, I'm done with this, but Warren's statement is a classic example of hyperbole (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole). Essentially, he used a figure of speech to make his point clear without literally implying a direct comparison between the two.
stephen987 says:
05:52 PM, 10/26/09
Jeez, guys--flamewars much?
altimadude00 says:
10:50 PM, 10/26/09
Maybe subaru123 refers back to his beloved Tribecca because that's what car he has and is what he has to compare with? It's natural for someone to compare the cars on this blog to the car they have in their driveway. It's also natural to be biased towards the car you purchased because you're giving points as to why you bought it in the first place.
That being said, a direct comparison between vehicles is not always warranted.
And back to the mirror thing....the Nissan Versa you guys had a while back had the same little quarter window/big mirror/expanse of glass features as the SX4. However, I think the Suzuki is superior because of the flip/fold rear seat and navigation system. It's interesting that the SX4 is praised while the Versa was panned.
cr_driver says:
06:55 PM, 10/31/09
Poor subaru123, the guy is in love with the subaru brand, with his subaru purchase, come on, u gotta show some respect LOL