Suzuki SX4 Hatchback (06 on) - Review

The SX4's tall shape gives it a roomy cabin with plenty of headroom front and rear. It'll take four adults with ease, or has room for three smaller passengers in the back. The ride is comfortable being neither too firm over poor surfaces nor too inclined to roll through corners. Wind, engine and road noise are all noticeable, but certainly not unbearable so long distance drives can be happily undertaken and the seats provide adequate support, although there's no lumbar adjustment.

The option of four-wheel drive gives the SX4 a relatively rare virtue. Models with this also have 15mm of extra ground clearance and all come with some under-body protection, although it isn't designed for serious abuse. The front overhang is also quiet long and would soon get scraped if taken off-road. There's a respectably-sized boot with 270 litres of luggage room, around the same as most small hatchbacks such as the Peugeot 207. The rear seats split and fold 60/40 to increase carrying capacity while GLX and 4GRIP models have roof rails, while they were made standard on all facelifted models from 2010. There's decent storage on board too with door pockets that can hold drinks bottles.

The dash area is styled attractively enough and gets spiced up with the use of proper aluminium on the air-conditioning, ventilation dials and centre console. The driver has a clear view in all directions and the pillars either side of the windscreen contain small windows to all but eliminate the blind spot that the heavily strengthened pillars cause on many modern cars. The door mirrors are of a particularly generous size further aiding visibility to the rear. The steering wheel adjusts for both reach and height plus has controls for the audio system. Facelifted models are little different although small changes like cushioned armrests on the doors and extra sound insulation add to on board comfort.