Small cars, especially compact sedans, do not necessarily lend themselves to being "sporty" just because they are small. Good marketing and creative designers can often help conjure up a gray area where a sporty vehicle may emerge from an average sedan.
But looks can be deceiving. If it looks like a duck and waddles like a duck, no need to wait for the quack to be certain what lies before you.
Enter the Suzuki SX4. This compact sedan had a Sport trim for a few years, but was not really what I'd consider a sporty car - until the new 2010 model hit the road.
Suzuki's SX4 is available as a small wagon called the SX4 Crossover, a new version called the SX4 SportBack and a sedan known as the SX4 Sport. For 2010, highlights for the SX4 Sport include a new engine, new transmission and standard navigation system. These are not necessarily sporty features, but this is a Suzuki and with this Sport SE trim you get an eye-opening base price of $17,699.
If you are waiting for the quack, you will have to wait a little longer.
Consider the 100,000-mile seven-year transferable power train limited warranty, the 24/7/365 roadside assistance and a warranty repair courtesy car that are all part of this base price. Sure, add a standard navigation system to the mix, keyless locking and engine start, and I can start to imagine anything being sporty. Especially when the price is markedly below $20,000.
The sporty is all in the eye of the beholder, right?
Exterior styling makes an effort to accentuate a new sportier theme. Nice 17-inch alloy rims, aerodynamic enhancements and a slightly lower ride height make the SX4 Sport trim levels worthy of the "sport" designation. To some degree, the SX4's short hood makes it easier to accept it as both a sedan and a crossover.
Quack.
One of the more distinctive exterior design cues, the small front window created by the extension off of the A pillar, is also probably my least favorite part of the SX4's overall look. This is an especially thick A pillar that lends some heft to the front half of the sedan. While the extra window is distinctive and not-so-sporty, it does serve to open up an already-high-visibility cabin.
That short diving front nose serves to maximize interior space. My SX4 Sport tester was surprisingly roomy for both front and rear passengers. A 60/40 split-fold rear seat delivers excellent utility.
The SX4 Sport's cabin was an enjoyable driving experience featuring intuitive control layout and plain, black-on-white gauges. This is an attractively trimmed, clean design that will not offend anybody's reasonable expectations. The center armrests were a bit thin, but appreciated with the lack of a center console.
A new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine offers increased power and lower emissions. Also new is the continuously variable transmission. The CVT technology does not use gears like a traditional transmission, rather it selects from an array of ratios to keep the engine at the speed where it is most efficient.
My tester had the new CVT and I found it to offer outstanding shifts that were smooth and timely. The SX4's 148-horsepower transmission was paired to some cool, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters - which were pretty sporty.
My expectations were not high for this compact sedan's giddy-up, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lively midrange passing power it delivered on several occasions. Cabin noise was matching the revving of the engine and it could get loud in there when it was put under sustained pressure.
My solution: Turn up the radio.
This new Suzuki SX4 Sport SE is a great little car. My tester had a couple extra add-ons like Bluetooth with text messaging capability ($259) and premium metallic paint ($130) that brought the final price with destination charges to just $18,998. The transferable seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty makes this compact sedan a really great value that delivers 23 city and 30 highway mpg. So while there is the occasional quacking somewhere in the background, I like this tiny sport model from Suzuki.
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