@beav3rlll Please note that as a automotive and sports journalist all of this video is shot, edited and produced by myself in Boulder, Colorado. This is all completely original work. The music is either iMovie public domain or original tunes composed by myself using garage band.
I liked (and appreciated) this review! As a long-term Jeeper, I am impressed with this little car's engineering. Most vehicles like this would not give the option to lock the center differential, and most do not have as functional an "auto" 4x4 mode. I would like to see some steel skidplates offered to protect the exposed bits, but those are pretty easy to fabricate oneself. For the fuel economy, utility, and capability, this looks like a fantastic buy at it's price-point.
Bought this car a few months ago with the 2012 version which is same as this one since barely any changes were made from 2011. Overall the car is good on the snow and ice because its AWD and weights as much as a truck. If anyone wonders this review was pretty convincing for me to buying this car.
I have the sx4 4x4 and was afraid to do this but now I'm amazed at what it is capable off, thank you . My little car went along in the snow and out shone many others there a great car.
Never taken mine off-road but looks like fun! I've had mine for years now and it's never let me down. It's a great car. I am converting mine over to a car camper. Would be great to go on some adventures off-road in this.
I just bought a 2013 sx4 in 2018 and I love it, use it as my winter car, just got about 2ft of snow and this thing is awesome. Put snow tires on it and it goes through anything so far
I just bought one of these used for $11,000 (2007 and 38,000 miles) and I really love it. I have a very steep driveway that is hard to get up even with a little snow but my Suzuki had no problem with it. Ground clearance and a small gas tank are its only bad points. Great back seats that fold down flat so you can haul almost anything.
Whoa just about me too. Apx $12500 2007, 29,000 miles. It was an amazing car. Agreed on the ground clearance. You can also take the seats completely out. That's what I did. I put a small memory foam mattress cover in the back and camped back there with my boyfriend. Enough room to sleep for 2 and enough room for our gear. Great times.
gracias a este video me decidí por el SX4 AWD, excelente auto para off road, el consumo es el único punto en contra 13-14 km/l en lo demás es un auto muy agradable de manejar y cero fallos.
Quite impressed by the little car. Granted it's NOT an offroad vehicle, but I'm amazed at where it was able to go. Might have to include it in my shopping list. Thanks for the vid.
Suzuki didn't deserve to die in america. They made good little cars, I lived in JP for a bit and got a used Swift sport, that might have been the best car I have driven in terms of fun.
Great little car. Suzuki overall made one heck of a reliable little car platform. Never took off in the US but around the world they go and go and go..
still have one, still runs smooth as butter, and it can go places not a lot of other cars can go, should probably get a new one, but just cant let it go :)
Having driven various Suzuki Hatchbacks(WagonR, SX4, Splash) with only 2WD on real hard core Forrest roads in India, I can say he is not even pushing the car as hard as it can handle. Our WagonR is extensively used for Wild Life Photography, even today. Every week it hits the trails after a 2-3 hour highway drive. This thing has completed over 100,000 kms without any damage to the chassis or a breakdown(touchwood). Just that you have to be a bit careful on steep hills and the ground clearance.
That is Impressive for a car. Sadly Suzuki have gone the way of all car manufacturers and replaced this with a whacking great SUV. I looked at one of these when I was driving 200 miles a day in areas prone to snow but changed jobs to one where I could walk so no longer required but I remember it being a nice car.
Reliability on them is very good as long as you get a genuine Suzuki and not a GM/Daewoo rebadge with a Suzuki emblem on it. The SX4, Aerio, Grand Vitara, Swift, Esteem, are all genuine Suzuki's. Stay away from 2006+ XL-7 (GM made), Reno, Forenza, Verona (Daewoo rebadges). As far as lifespan of the SX4, at this point there are people with 200,000+ miles on theirs with no major issues, just scheduled maintenance.
That's very good to hear; just bought a used 2011 SX4 Crossover at about 150,000 miles (> $5000 even after taxes, tags, and fees) and I'm hoping to put at least that number of miles again on it.
Suzuki hasn't died in America, they just discontinued car sales, but they are still here and 90% of their car dealers signed new contracts for at least the next 7 to 10 years to provide Suzuki service and parts. American Suzuki Motor Corporation declared bankruptcy but Suzuki Japan purchased the rights and now has opened Suzuki Motor of America, with a focus on Motorcycle, ATV, Marine, sales are up 40%. Suzuki is staying in the U.S.
Yeah, this little car had a LOT of bang for the buck. It could rally. It could softroad. It could commute and park anywhere. I wish Suzuki would have been able to develop this car even more. It seemed off to a great start, and Subaru and Jeep need more AWD/4WD/rally competition in North America. During its years of being sold in NA, the SX4 could be outfitted with turbos, cams, suspensions, skids, winches, hitches, exhausts, clutches, etc. Since 2013 or so, the Subaru Crosstrek has been one of the most popular cars in northern states, but it's well over $20K and STILL doesn't have the aftermarket support that the SX4 had in its short lifespan. You can only get a boring CVT with the Crosstrek, if you want a nice trim level and/or the bigger 2.5L engine. I like having fogs, cruise, a sunroof, and would even like to have (aftermarket?) boost for high altitude. The AWD/4WD of the SX4 could be better than what Subaru now offers in the Crosstrek, as the SX4 could lock the center diff and turn off TCS. The aftermarket offers a rear diff-locker for the Crosstrek though. I just don't like the non-lockable center and the power-robbing TCS of most new AWDs/4WDs. It doesn't function well for self-clearing aggressive tires in mud. If the SX4 aftermarket offered a locking axle diff, Subaru would have to improve the Crosstrek to truly compete. The current Crosstrek is too sedate, in addition to having that non-lockable center diff, IMO. It needs the manual with the 2.5L and upper trims...or even the 2.4T. It needs some more pep in its step.
I have the 2009 Sedan Sport version of the SX4 and I have taken it to the beach lots of times and always drive in the sandy off road trails. Gotta love the car. If I had the cross over with the AWD, I would dare take it to the mudd and mountains. And off coarse, I would put worthy tires on it.
I've got a 2010 SX4 Sportback with a 6-speed manual. I really like the way it looks and handles, but the engine is a bit weak. I wish it had a little more power.
Can anyone tell me about the CVT on this car I’m thinking of buying one and the only thing holding me back is that CVT any input would be appreciated thanks
@brianbaron1 Wow, so much hate. Are you having a bad day or are you just trying out for King of the Trolls. And yes we know....don't feed the trolls...so now you can really let us have it.
Anyone interested in the SX4 for SoftRoading, trust me the SX4 is capable of WAY more than what he shows in this video. Google "Rocky Road Outfitters" and check out all the off road gear they make for the SX4 including a Lift Kit, Skid Plate, Shock Relocation Kit, and Rock Rails. With the extra lift the SX4 can fit some serious all terrain tires which makes the thing practically unstoppable! It doesn't affect the cars use as a daily driver either!
so it went through everything just fine with stock summer tires, yet it doesn't belong on thoughs trails... well that's a stupid opinion if you asked me.. buy a rocky Mountain lift and mud tires it's just as good as most jeeps like the Cherokee.
+Scott E Especially when you take the short turning radius into account, and the fact that this car can't really fall into a rut as badly as a jeep or a truck could.
They are both good cars. Impreza starts at $17,495 for the sedan version. SX4 starts at $16,999 and that's for the 5-door version. If you want a 5-door version of the Impreza, the price jumps to $17,995. Additionally Subaru will tack a PZEV as a required "option" for another $300 and that's ABOVE the sticker price so that brings it to $18,295 for the base Impreza 5-door. Impreza comes with 7 airbags, SX4 comes with 8. Subaru has 5 yr, 60k warranty, Suzuki is 7 yr, 100k.
My Suzi Mobbs never did me wrong. He's right about you not being able to tell how much of an incline the road gets @2:28. Also, the ground clearance was always the issue. I've hit so many rocks and dips, but I never tore anything important out from the bottom, just the plastic skid guard. With a proper metal one and a small lift, it would have been great. The AWD did excellent with some decent tires (tread still on), a good driver, and timing (especially in its younger years and not when it isn't 10 years old ;) ) . Suzuki SX4 Sport AWD Manual Transmission 2007. Word of wisdom, don't wait to lock it into AWD when you are maneuvering uphill. Be placed in either a flat or downhill position to lock it. If you panic and lock it after you are already going up a big hill, you won't get the traction you need and will have to go back down the hill a few paces, lock, catch speed, and move the wheel correctly depending on terrain. One place we got out of that I didn't think we would, was Holcomb Valley Campground in Big Bear CA, off Polique Canyon. It was snowy, no chains, and a big incline. But! We made it. The next year it dumped 2 feet of snow on us while we were camping so we couldn't get out. lol darn clearance. Overall, great memories though. My poor Suzi Mobbs is dead now. She was good to me and my love. Took us to so many National Parks and out of reach places. I'll never regret having it, just wish I had more years. Thank you for the review "The Fast Lane Car."
i had a 2009 sx4 they only thing i liked was the awd and i also kept haveing problems with the eletrical in it with in the 1st year and less than 19000 miles and it was to slow so i traded it in for a 2005 ford explorer and i love it
Some proper off road tyres would give better grip and also give you a bit more ground clearence. Aside from the Yeti, I don't think any other compact crossover/softroader is anything like as good off the tarmac. Not saying much but for the price and what they packed into a small body, it's a bloody good vehicle. It makes the Yeti seem overpriced and oversized.
I own a 2009 and still loving it today getting parts now is difficult and when you can there overpriced. Discontinuing this model wasca mistake and leaving canada was also a mistake. There was a great market here but suzuki wouldnt add a lot of there vehicles so there wasn't much to choose from. To bad
This guy is a gumball. My GF has this same car and loves it! They do have mixed reviews though. There is also a reason hey stopped production of this model and thats due to every other one being a lemon with all sorts of electrical issues and such.
SX4 has very few issues, it scored slightly above average on reliability so I have no idea where you are getting the "everyone other one being a lemon" statement. I've never heard of an SX4 having an electrical issue.
I've been an owner since 6 years so far.. Only maintenance ever since. No electrical issues, no engine coding whatsoever. And for driving it in winter and harsh weather, It never gave up on me. I just replaced my spark plugs and the readout of the electrodes were on par with a non-rich combustion as well as a non contaminated combustion chamber ( coolant or oil).
Yeah man, it was the best. I hardly did maintenance on it in 10 years (was too poor, and wish I would have now to have kept it). The only problems I had were exterior panels falling off near the rear tires and the plastic skid guard peeling off from rocks and deep dips on the road. All other issues were because I didn't take care of it like I could have if I made more money while I had it. Harsh conditions? √ Steep inclines? √ Real difference between differentials? √ Comfortability? √ (We even slept in there while camping) Reliability? √ Mud maneuvering? √ And so much more...
spleno1 the only reason that they stopped production of the SX4 is because Suzuki pulled all of their cars and SUVs from the US market after 2013. The SX4 is flawlessly reliable as a used car, and very few other vehicles can match its versatility and light off-road prowess
I honestly don't like this guy's negativity about the car. It's done EVERYTHING he asked of it, and HE was the one to stop short, the car could've kept going. Honestly, where else in America can you find a sub-compact that can go further off-road than most of today's SUVs for under 20 thousand dollars!!? Where?! Nowhere except a Suzuki dealership. I'd just LOVE to see some crappy Cruze, or Carolla do the same thing this Suzuki could.
Hey guys major announcement for anyone considering buying a new SX4. Suzuki is running the best promotion ever right now 2012 models...0% Interest for SEVEN years!!! There is no other car company offering AWD vehicles that are running that great of a deal right now so better jump on it quick before all the inventory runs out since no more 2012 modles are being shipped from Japan, since the 2013 models are about to arrive. Hurry!