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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 27, 2008 - 31 FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED You'll Love Our Service! 905-335-4080 BURLINGTON LINE Suzuki's SX4 Sport Sedan has the room, power and handling to go the distance By Jim Robinson OAKVILLE BEAVER From a maker of solid, but staid compact cars and CUVs, Suzuki began changing its image and model lineup dramatically three years ago, starting with the amazingly improved Grand Vitara CUV, then the North American-only XL7 seven-seat CUV. This was followed by the SX4, a compact hatchback with front- or all-wheel-drive that has added greatly to Suzuki's sudden upward sales mobility in Canada. That was followed by the sedan version of the SX4 and, as this is being written, the latest Grand Vitara is in the wings When I drove the SX4 sedan 18 months ago during the press launch, Suzuki Canada president Seiichi Maruyama said the brand is now number one in sales in places like Hungary and India and number three in Japan ahead of Honda. More to the point is that while industry sales in Canada rose two per cent last year, Suzuki was up 26 per cent and they ran out of models like the SX4 hatch, due to demand exceeding supply, a situation Suzuki is experiencing in many of its markets worldwide. Suzuki now has two pressing objectives according to Maruyama: more new plants and more new models like the SX4 sedan. He did say the Canadian compact segment remains Suzuki's main focus. Compact sedans are 47 per cent of the total car market in this country, meaning one in two cars sold is a compact. And while hatchbacks are 26 per cent of sales, sedans make up the other 74 per cent, so a lot is riding on the SX4 sedan. While there are eight ways to mix and match transmissions, drive trains and trim with the five-door hatchback version, Suzuki is keeping it simple with the sedan, offering a base and Sport model with a choice of a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. Suzuki will not offer all-wheel-drive (AWD) on the sedan as it does on the five-door. Several customer clinics showed that prospective buyers could see the merits Continued on Page 33 NO VEHICLE LEFT BEHIND EVENT! VOLVO'S TO BE SOLD OFF! UP TO $ ALL NEW, DEMO'S & USED 2009 2008 FINANCE LEASE* RATES FROM RATES FROM 9,000 OFF ON SELECT MODELS OAC NO NEED TO NEGOTIATE 0.99 % 0.90% OAC The 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport sedan is one of the brand's most popular cars ever, taking a second in the 2009 AJAC (Automotive Journalists Association of Canada) Car of the Year in the Best Small Car category. Suzuki claims class-leading power, interior space and trunk volume with the sedan. VOLVO OF OAKVILLE 770 Pacific Road, Oakville (905) 825-8088 www.volvoofoakville.com *Lease eg. 2008 S40, $291 per month for 36 months toatl lease payments $10,476 over term plus taxes. 0.99% lease rate, optional buy out $11,696.40 plus taxes. $4,424.78 down payment plus taxes. $0 security deposit. Finance eg. 2009 V70, $578.97 per month for 72 month term. 0.90% finance rate, $10,000 due at delivery. See Volvo of Oakville for complete details. R001206566