Suzuki SX-4 hatchback. All-wheel drive Hungarian with Japanese heritage.

Suzuki SX-4 hatchback. All-wheel drive Hungarian with Japanese past

This Hungarian car bearing the Japanese emblem Suzuki SX-4 is a rather ambiguous figure in the automotive world. It is difficult to unambiguously classify it: whether it is a compact minivan, or a crossover in a hatchback body, assembled on a slightly stretched Suzuki Swift platform, and under the hood — an engine from Liana. Externally, it resembles both a small SUV and a regular hatch with a slightly raised roof. Its appearance hints at features of old Mitsubishi RVR, Opel Meriva, Ford Fusion and Nissan Note.

Unlike the SX-4 sedan, the all-wheel drive version for the European market is produced exclusively in Hungary (the same story with Swift) and is assembled literally "from all over the world". Judge for yourself: the radiator came from the Czech Republic, tires 205/60 R 16 — from Poland, headlights — from Slovakia, and the battery — from Spain. By the way, Spain plays a significant role in the fate of this model. The inscriptions under the hood and at the fuel filler neck are duplicated not only in Hungarian, but also in Spanish.

Styrofoam instead of sound insulation

It is difficult to talk about the impeccable assembly of the SX-4 — pieces of black styrofoam, designed to dampen noise, stick out untidily from under the windshield right above the cockpit. The ceiling is trimmed with cheap material, and under the mats on the floor there is something resembling the rough cloth of a soldier's overcoat. Inside, there is hard gray plastic everywhere. The bright red backlighting of the instruments has no brightness adjustment. The on-board computer as such is absent. In the center of the console at the top there is a small display showing the time, outside temperature and instantaneous fuel consumption, which is not of much use. Average consumption or range would be much more useful. Also — vague engagement of the 5-speed manual transmission and drum brakes at the rear. All this, taken together, does not adorn a car whose price exceeds 500,000 rubles.

Miscalculation of marketers

When a year and a half ago Suzuki presented this strange car, the company proudly stated that its versatility was embedded in the name itself. S — hints at a sporty character, X — at readiness for off-road, and the "four" is both four passengers, and 4×4 drive, and a hint at all-season use. The little one was actively promoted as a compact SUV, and only then — as a city car. The advertising did its job: people rushed to buy, and due to small supply quotas, the queue stretched for 14 months. It is clear that buyers were attracted not only by all-wheel drive, price and 108-horsepower engine with a volume of 1.6 liters, but also by a nice appearance. Believing in Japanese origin, few people thought that the SX-4 4×4 — is actually a Hungarian. That's where the marketers miscalculated. All-wheel drive turned out to be not so popular: no more than 15% of customers wanted it, because the front-wheel drive version was cheaper and at the same time assembled in Japan. What was the difference in the all-wheel drive version? It has a higher ground clearance (190 mm vs 175 mm), alloy wheels, ESP and CD-changer. The dimensions also increased (by 40, 25 and 55 mm respectively), side moldings and protective pads on the bumpers appeared.

Realizing that they had miscalculated, Suzuki changed course and released to the market, it would seem, the same car, but with a trunk. The sedan, unlike the hatch, is assembled not in Hungary, but in Japan. And this is a completely different car, the test of which is still ahead of us.

Four by four

But let's return to our hero, on the trunk lid of which the 4×4 badge flaunts. Engaging all-wheel drive is pressing a button on the front panel. Inside, the SX-4 strongly resembles the Suzuki Swift, which is its basis. The same architecture, the same backlighting, the same inexpensive plastic. Only the central console has changed — it was decorated with metal inserts on the sides, apparently for beauty. Otherwise, it differs little from the consoles of other mid-size crossovers.

The driver's seat is a real "jeep" seating position: you sit high, you see far. The hood is not visible at all, but the windshield is huge, so visibility is excellent — both front and rear. This is facilitated by large side mirrors and successful glazing of the rear. The climate control and deflectors management, reminiscent of Mazda solutions, also does not cause complaints. The seats, although not leather, are comfortable. The steering wheel is of a good size, with audio system control buttons and cruise control (for an additional fee). Overall, the ergonomics of the SX-4 are in order. But in the back, passengers are a bit cramped. There is nowhere to put your feet, and the high and wide transmission tunnel also interferes.

The trunk is small — 270 liters, and with folded seats — 625 liters. But loading heavy things into it is not easy: the loading height is too high, so people of short stature or with weak physical fitness will have a hard time.

Not a racer at all and not even an off-roader

The curb weight of the Suzuki SX-4 is 1250 kg, and 108 "horses" for such a light car, it would seem, is enough. But even with a manual transmission, you won't be able to accelerate faster than 11 seconds. The culprits are the low torque (see specifications) and the aerodynamics of the body. If we had, like in Europe, a 1.9-liter 120-horsepower turbodiesel, the dynamics would be completely different. But Suzuki stubbornly does not want to bring diesel to Russia, fearing the quality of local fuel. And in vain — Volvo, Audi, Ford and even Hyundai have long ceased to be afraid and calmly sell diesel versions.

We could not determine the exact fuel consumption — there is no on-board computer. The instructions indicate 7.1 liters per 100 km, but it is hard to believe: the fuel level indicator needle during the test suspiciously quickly crawled to "E" (empty). According to our estimates, the real consumption is at least 10 liters in the city and 8.5 liters on the highway.

As already mentioned, all-wheel drive is engaged manually by a button. In "auto" mode, the rear wheels are connected automatically when the front wheels slip. But the 4WD Lock mode can help get out of the mud on light off-road. We tried to drive up a hill on wet grass — it pulls, but somehow sluggishly. So you should not perceive the SX-4 as a full-fledged crossover. Especially since you will have to pay an extra 51 thousand rubles for all-wheel drive, and the real benefit from it is only on snowy city streets or wet dirt roads.

The SX-4 also has another significant drawback. In Russia, for any money, you cannot buy an all-wheel drive version with an "automatic". And on the manual, at idle, the gearshift lever noticeably vibrates. This repels many potential buyers, especially since the SX-4 was originally aimed at a female audience. In general, there are no queues for 4×4 for a long time!

Dmitry Shavyrin

We thank the car dealership "Avtomir Strogino" for providing the car for the test.

Specifications

Source – AUTOMANIA.RU