I'm a big fan of the SX4. I dig its roomy cabin, standard nav system and relatively smooth ride quality; still, it doesn't exactly sprint with the lightning speed of Usain Bolt. With this sort of tepid acceleration, the payoff is usually stellar fuel economy. But the SX4 ain't no champ in this area either, bringing up the rear in its category.
I thought about all this as I was making a recommendation this weekend to a friend who's in the market for a new car in the sub-$20,000 price range. My buddy's goal? He wants a cheap ride that's decent to drive and easy on the wallet at the pump. I love you, Suzy, but in this case, the smart money's on the Fit.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 18,872 miles
wobbly_ears says:
02:59 PM, 12/14/09
Fit gets a bit expensive when decently equipped, doesn't it?
Why not a Kia Soul or Hyundai Elantra Touring or Mazda 3?
nealibob says:
03:14 PM, 12/14/09
No more expensive than what you listed, I am pretty sure. An automatic Fit with nav is under 20k MSRP with destination. We just bought a Mazda3 for well over $20k, but it was the top trim level and it had options.
I find it funny that there is a Fit color choice called "Blackberry Pearl."
mjp16 says:
04:43 PM, 12/14/09
IIRC, for '10 Suzuki's fitted the SX4 with a CVT with improved fuel economy in mind. Not sure how improved "improved" is, but it's worth noting.
hybris says:
05:50 PM, 12/14/09
Depending on where you live there always the Ford SES Focus with everything on it for about $18-19K.
Of course many think that is a boring car so that voids it in most peoples eyes.
allthingshonda says:
07:07 PM, 12/14/09
This is one of the reasons I hope IL gets a Chevy Equinox to add to the fleet. I want to know if it really gets 32 mpg like the ads state. And I want to know if GM quality has improved.
firstwagon says:
06:16 PM, 12/15/09
hybris
The Focus is not longer available as a hatch (or wagon). Makes it a rental car now.
Only the Corolla is less interesting.
wmurrin says:
01:58 PM, 12/16/09
If you are looking for an urban runabout and fuel efficiency is a top priority then I agree that the Fit is the better car.
However if you spend a significant amount of time on the highway I think the more solid substantial composed feel of the SX4 makes it a winner. In addition, if it snows where you live the SX4 AWD system makes it look much more appealing IMHO.