SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.

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*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the stories.

We try the 2010 Suzuki SX4 awd

Pics supplied

A Greener SUV?

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday May 26, 2010

It had to happen. Those who love SUVs clamour for more, while Greens decry their existence, insisting that they are unnecessarily heavy, waste fuel and resources, have carbon footprints the size of Texas and are typical examples of bourgeois exhibitionist consumerism.

There was a gap for a compact five-seat family car with high driving position, enough power to keep up with highway traffic and able to go slightly off the beaten track when the mood strikes. It would also help if it took up less road space than a Siyaya. Enter the Suzuki SX4.

In its maiden year the SX4 became a South African Car of the Year finalist and this past February it gained a new, more powerful and fuel-efficient engine, reworked interior and the option of switchable all-wheel-drive.  This was the version we drove recently.

Its new J20B 2,0-litre engine achieves higher levels of dynamic efficiency. Piston friction and mechanical losses have been lowered, while thermal efficiency and cooling performance have been enhanced. Compression ratio has been raised from 9,5 to 10,2:1 for improved power and torque, while VVT (variable valve timing) improves mid-to-high rev range acceleration. A new cylinder block and plastic valve cover reduce engine weight while NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) has been cut by using a silent chain, new bearing caps and stiffened cylinder block.

Power increases from 107 to 112 kW at 6 200 rpm and the torque peak is upped by 6 Nm to 190 Nm at 4 000 rpm. A new six-speed manual gearbox replaces the five-speed version used previously. Average fuel consumption is reduced by up to 13,1 percent, while emissions are cut by 15 percent to a claimed 170 g of CO₂ per kilometre.

Inside, the driver’s seat features mechanical height adjustment, while the steering wheel adjusts for height only. A single channel automatic air conditioner looks after climate control and a switch on the driver’s door console controls central locking. All windows are powered, as are the exterior mirrors. Dipping control on the interior mirror is by means of a simple switch. A neat nine-speaker radio/CD unit looks after in-car entertainment with no provision made for auxiliary inputs. The glove box is of a decent size and usefully shaped.

Seats are covered in what appears to be a hardwearing and mess-resistant cloth and driving position is fairly high, even at its lowest setting. Rear seat headroom is quite acceptable although knee space is a little restricted for taller passengers. There is plenty of room for big feet under the front chairs and entry and exit is easy.

The boot features a neat, folding horizontal divider set at about forty percent of its depth, to shield valuables from the eyes of the inquisitive. This is removable, should you need to do so. Luggage space is not huge, at a claimed 253 litres, but can swallow a trolley load of groceries quite comfortably. Seat backs tumble in the usual 60/40 split to provide a dead flat loading floor at the level of the divider when it is in place, to provide a claimed volume of 992 litres.

Lowish gearing in the first four ratios results in a zero-to-100 sprint time of 10 seconds with flexible performance around town and on winding secondary roads. Fifth and sixth are better suited to cruising and freeway use, with the tachometer reading about 2 800 rpm at 120 in sixth.

As this car has certain off-road pretensions, I took it out on a dusty country road with a good mix of washboard and potholes, leaving the traction selector on “auto.” This provides normal front wheel drive mode, with torque available to rear wheels if and when the computer decides it’s needed. The SX4 rode comfortably and tracked well. With the air conditioner set on “recirculate” no dust from other vehicles entered the cabin. A 4x4 lock position is available for more challenging situations, but I didn’t have an opportunity to try it.

All SX4s have ABS, EBD and EBA, but only the awd model has ESP as well. This can be switched off if your sense of adventure or a particular circumstance dictates. 

At only 4 135 mm long, 1 605 mm high and weighing in at 1 300 kg, yet capable of carrying five people and a moderate quantity of luggage, the Suzuki SX4 awd could well be an example of future SUVs that Greens would like to see more of.

The numbers

Price: R229 500

Engine: 1 995 cc DOHC, 16 valve with VVT

Power: 112 kW at 6 200 rpm

Torque: 190 Nm at 4 000 rpm

Zero to 100 km/h: 10,0 seconds

Maximum speed: 172 km/h

Real life fuel consumption: About 8,6 l/100 km

Tank: 45 litres

Ground clearance: 175 mm

Warranty: 3 years/100 000 km

Service plan: 6 years/90 000 km

To see the launch report and more on SX4's features:

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax. 

So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

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