2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport

Fast on the heels of the delightful 2007 SX4 Crossover Utility comes Suzuki’s second new subcompact shot, the 2008 SX4 Sport, and as the name implies, this smartly sized four-door sedan is as much about driving kicks as it is about licking the gas hog habit. But facing an army of small car rivals from Kia to Toyota, can this tidy new Suzuki hope to get noticed? 

The front-wheel drive 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport is clearly aimed at young, tuned-in buyers that aren’t really ready for a crossover or anything else that smacks of total practicality. Yet, sharing its mechanicals with the SX4 crossover utility gives the SX4 Sport a solid foundation.

Both are powered by an unassuming but eager 2.0-liter, 16-valve twin-cam 4 with only 143 horsepower and 136 pound-feet of torque.

To perhaps disguise those similarities, the SX4 Sport has an edgier, more complex look than the crossover, and one that separates the Sport from garden variety subcompacts.

Less stubby than the Aerio sedan it replaces, the SX4 Sport looks almost road rally ready.  Sweeping headlights bookend a black-out grill.

The plainest view is from the rear with an uncluttered trunk lid and large clear taillights. Our vivid red Sport rolled on attractive standard 17-inch spoked alloy wheels.

But while the Sport does put on a good show, is there any go to go with it?  Well, with the standard 5-speed manual in gear, a 4-speed automatic is available, our Sport squirted to 60 in a very respectable 7.8 seconds, a little over a second faster than the Crossover, with a quarter-mile of 16 seconds at 90 miles-per-hour. Wheel spin is notable but traction is quickly established.

The chassis is stiffened for crisper handling, with a lowered, sport-tuned strut front and twist beam axle rear suspension with KYB shocks.

Like the crossover, we were pleased with its overall spirited and highly competent handling, even without the available electronic stability and traction control. Turn-ins are quick, with only modest push, yet the Sport still leans to the soft side, so at least through the cones it doesn’t quite live up to its name.

But, we wish all cars had the Sport’s fine braking. Firm and responsive, the all-disc ABS brakes clamped down for 60-0 stops in a fine average of 125 feet, with good pedal feedback and minimal fade.

Out on twisty roads is where the ‘sport’ in SX4 really shines. Agile handling, a responsive throttle, and good ride control will make any commute almost pleasant, as will not having to fill up the tank all that often. Government fuel economy ratings are 22 city/31 highway for both the SX4 Sport manual and automatic. We averaged a reasonable 27.1 miles-per-gallon on regular grade gas. Other small cars will do better, but won’t be as much fun.

The SX4 Sport’s spacious interior is clean and sparkles with scattered metallic trim. Build quality is typical of Suzuki - not quite a Honda - but definitely an improvement over previous efforts.

Manual adjusted seats are the norm, as is a tilt steering wheel. The straightforward instrument panel is shared with the Crossover, with an easy to read tri-gauge cluster and well laid-out center stack.

The backseat is very useable and with good headroom that will fit most adults comfortably. The fact that it doesn’t fold was a stiffening tradeoff for better handling.

Fortunately, the wide, flat trunk can swallow up 14.3 cubic feet of luggage without fuss.

The base SX4 Sport rings up at a budget-conscious $15,395. Even adding high content touring trim and an automatic, the total is still a reasonable $17,995, and with Suzuki’s 100,000 mile/seven year warranty, it’s a hard one to pass up.

With the 2008 SX4 Sport’s arrival, Suzuki is hoping to expand their buyer base of customers who want ‘sportier wheels’ but for not a lot of cash.

So the question remains - are we impressed with this ultra-low budget sports sedan? Absolutely.