Maruti Suzuki SX4 Review- Gain Or Pain??

The roads were vacant, spaces aplenty for a battalion to rage war over an enemy. But I decided to do it differently. Pedals pressed to the metal, heart beating fast, eating space lightning quick, filling up each vacant space momentarily. The good roads are becoming ever so rare to find and even when you do, there are a thousand other people who suddenly seem to have found a new place to drive on. A splendid strip of tarmac and a splendid vehicle in hand, man can work wonders out. The man or should I say, the CAR of the moment takes every single obstacle with finesse and with a affirmation and authority that mid-sized sedans have forgotten how to. But the solution to all of a driver’s problems doesn’t end there, does it???? Well, that’s exactly what I’ve tried to figure out. And boy was I amazingly surprised. Which way????

 

 

• Design and Ergonomics

Well, to make a car appease customers who don’t look too much into the technical aspects of an automobile, the exterior designing has to be spot on. And even to those who know about the other aspects of a car, they see that they get a car which is appealing on the exterior to people’s eyes as much it does to their driving. There is a fine thread between overdoing an aspect and under-doing a job. In this aspect, I think the guys at MARUTI have done a splendid job providing a car that looks macho on the exterior and appeals to most people if not all. An aspect that struck me was the rear 3/4 view where the car’s boot almost resembles that of the Hyundai Verna. But the stance of the vehicle is such that you don’t get time to notice all these unless you are trailing the vehicle or just seen it whizzzz past your car.

 

 

The front grilles are wonderfully designed and add to the looks of the car.The headlamps are well designed but the lighting at night is an aspect they’ll have to look into and improve on. And the huuuuuge A-Pillar blocks a pedestrian or two even with the small glass that is provided in the split A-Pillar. It looks magnificent on the outside and adds to the appeal though, but the pillar is too huge.

The interiors are a class apart in this segment atleast. The beige upholstery matches well with the black dash and if you go in for the top end model, the ZXi, you are provided with a chrome finish the the center console which looks magnificent. The speedo console is well lit and is legible enough for a 60-70yr old grandpa reading without any aid. And the stereo system which is embedded onto the center console and carries no external removable panels is terrific and you get to plug your pod in it via the auxiliary input jack. A huge offering for those who look for trinkets in cars. The front windshield seems to be the biggest and the view one gets from the driver’s hot-seat is awesome and you can almost see the whole world ahead.

 

The air-con(climate control) seems to be a tad off the benchmark and isn’t as effective as it should be. Especially after being seated in the BALENO which had an amazing air-con system. Well, I almost forgot bout the switchgear which are good but certainly not the best you could ask for and doesn’t match the expectations in certain areas like the turn indicators which cut off automatically only when the wheel is rotated for .5 rotations either side. The in-cabin lighting seems to be good enough to read a novel while traveling.

 

Got Cabin space???????? Got an elephant to carry along??????????????

But the down side is the damping. The sounds seem to leak out of all places and the noise is too much for a car of this quality. The engine noises, your own horn honking, tire noise are all heard distinctively inside the cabin. The damping needs to be attended to in depth.

Rating: Design –> 9/10

Cabin Space –> 10/10

Interiors –> 8/10

Ergonomics –> 8/10

 

• Engine & Gearbox Refinement

I’ve seem to have noticed on the BALENO that the all aluminium engine made helluva lot of difference to how the car performed in comparison to the others. The engine was simply awesome and the refinement was in a class of it’s own. The only thing that could stop you from saying that the SX4 was a notch below would be the gearbox. The tuck-tuck noise that one gets whilst getting the gear shifted is pretty much irritating and can put you off if you admire silence of the highest order. But to those who just want a feel of the engine noise and sounds of the engine roaring, this comes as a pleasant one. The gear-lever is slick and the feel is wonderful when slotting the car into any gear. The engine though seems to need a better gearbox for extracting the best out of it. The engine loses out on it’s revs just because the gearbox isn’t up to scratch. The gearbox seems to be fitted to restrain the monster within.

Rating: Engine–> 8.5/10

Gearbox–> 7/10

• Performance

 

When one gets into the car and cranks the engine up, the engine cranks up and roars to life. Once you slot the vehicle into 1st and expect it to roar off the line, the vehicle doesn’t do it as you expected. Instead what you get is a moment of slow movement and when the revs kick above 2500 rpm, the thrust is amazingly unbelievable. The force and authority with which it eats up tarmac is simply terrific. The gearshifts are best done when the engine is doing around 3500-4000 rpm. It is then that you get a feel and idea of what the engine is really set out to do. The city can be a bane for those looking for less gearshifts and you might well find yourself shifting from 3rd to 4th and down to 2nd even before you hit 40kmph. The gearing needs to be looked into big time by the officials at the company. The vehicle doesn’t get off if you try driving your vehicle from 25kmph in 4th, you find yourself jerking forwards and back in your seat while the car tries getting past the 35kmph after which the thrust is relished with the pedal pushed to the metal.

Another thing is the time it takes to respond to a sudden press of the accelerator pedal. The delay is painstakingly high and you might lose the adrenaline if you are someone who expects the vehicle to launch itself after pressing the pedal. The gearbox is to blame for this I guess. Probably the ECU if pampered with might help producing a quicker throttle response than it presently possesses. Apart from that, there seems to be nothing to make noises about, atleast for the time being as my vehicle has done only 5000kms, 1000km of which I’ve done.

Rating : Performance —> 8.5/10

• Handling & Braking

 

What would you do if you had a sharp right corner 50m ahead and you were driving at 70-80kmph?????

 

Brake???Steer into the ditch thinking you had no other alternative?????Try taking the corner with eyes closed??????

 

Hell no……..Drive down and steer the SX4 into the bend and it will take the corner with aplomb. You will feel a confidence and trust you never have felt before while driving on a straight line. A new lease of life is induced and the deafening authority is amazing. The cornering is simply terrific and the stability on corners and on the straights are very impressive. The steering is well weighted and the feel is terrific.

 

The suspension is great package for cornering and straight line stability. But the potholes seem to cause a concern within the cabin. The vibrations filter into the cabin and the vibrations aren’t well damped at all and the bad roads aren’t the best hunting grounds for this beast. But thanks to the high stance of the vehicle, nothing seems to stay in your way and you can simply drive over everything. Speedbreakers are no longer a concern. And you needn’t worry if you are gonna scrape your baby over one.

Another thing is the braking system that needs applause. The ABS system provided seems to have an additional effect on the already superlative braking system which is enough to prevent you from crashing or skidding off hazardously. The braking is another strong point and am losing count over the strong points this car possesses. I was out of breath the first time I rode this beauty. On a city road, I was able to weave past other slow moving cars which were traveling pretty fast themselves. The feedback through the steering column was terrific and the chaffueur isn’t certainly the one who will be doing the driving in here. The excitement of driving over the corners and riding high speed corners is a special experience aboard the SX4.

Rating: Handling –> 9.25/10

Suspension –> 8.5/10

Braking –> 9/10

 

 

• Fuel Economy

Aah, I’ve got one bad point to yap on. Well, the engine returns a meagre 9-11 kmpl in the city which isn’t up to class standards considering that the HONDA CITY delivers around 14-18kmpl in the city. But I don’t care especially since the thrills offered are immense and the engine is a pleasure to drive around. Definitely not in the city traffic. A 55 litre fuel tank is what is at your disposal. The highway fuel economy seems to be better than in the city at 11-12 kmpl. Everything seems to have stopped for a moment. And feels like your heart stopped beating. So for all those who have a weak heart and have the heart only for Fuel Economy, this isn’t the car for you. Probably get a Maruti 800 or Alto and yap about the returns you get from the puny engine. This is a 1.6litre engine kid, grow up……!!!!!!!!!!

 

Rating: Fuel Economy –> 7/10

 

 

• Value For Money><????

 

Well for approximately 8,50,000.INR, you get almost everything that you ask for. ABS, dual airbags, stereo system with mp3 compatibility, alloy wheels, leather upholstery, three way adjustable driver’s seats, climate control, and a whole lot of gadgets. And to boot, the in-cabin space is simply huge and you get to load a lot into the trunk even without the seats folded down. The after sales network is the best in the country and you can probably get to see a service station every 4 streets which is capable of attending to minor problems faced. If you’ve got around 1,00,000.INR more in your pocket, don’t look much further than the Toyota Corolla though. Worth every penny and more. Wonderful piece of brilliance. Click For more on the Toyota Corolla.

So, if you’ve got 8.5l, just drive into the nearest Maruti showroom and book yourself a ride. The best available new ride in town for the money you shell out. One that can definitely show you how to drive over obstacles, how to drive fast and how to take corners. If you are searching for something to show that you are king of the roads, just bring her on baby……………….!!!!!!!!!!

 

Value For Money –> HELL YEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!

 

Overall Rating —> 9/10

On The Lighter Side:

Wonder having a Maruti Baleno Engine mounted on the SX4’s Engine Bay meshed with the smoothness and refinement of a Mitsubishi Lancer or Toyota Corolla’s Gearbox. GOsh sounds like heaven for me. And looks like the king of the roads has just arrived……..

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