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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 27, 2008 - 33 Suzuki SX4 Sport Sedan Continued from Page 31 Hot Days. Hot Deals. Hot Cars. (You sensing a theme here?) 4WD / Power Windows / Power Locks / Power Mirrors / Remote Keyless Entry / Air Conditioning / V6 of AWD with the hatch, but not the sedan. It turns out compact sedan buyers are fundamentally different from compact hatchback buyers. Thus Suzuki concluded SX4 sedan buyers are a focused lot who have checked the specs of the Suzuki and its main competitors and are looking for the most value for the least amount of money. For instance, the 2.0-litre twin-cam, four-cylinder engine in the SX4 puts out 143 hp and 136 lb/ft of torque, that Suzuki claims is the most powerful of its 2008 compact competitors. Likewise Suzuki claims class leading interior space (2.94 cu m or 104 cu ft) with theatre-style seating that can accommodate five adults. The trunk at 439 litres (15.5 cu ft) closes in on mid-size sedans for volume. The base model starts at $17,195 with the automatic at $18,295. The Sport starts at $18,995 with the automatic at $20,095. Fuel consumption numbers for the base manual car manual are 9.2L/100 km (31 mpg) city and 6.5L/100 km (43 mpg) highway, while the base automatic returns 9.0L/100 km (32 mpg) city and 6.5L/100 km (44 mpg) highway. For the Sport manual, consumption is 9.5/6.8L/100 km (30/42 mpg) city/highway and for the automatic, 9.2/6.7L/100 km (31,42 mpg) city/highway. In terms of trim, both share a lot of standard features like front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, power locks/windows/mirrors, tach and a neat driver information display on the upper centre of the dashboard that gives the time, outside temperature and overall or instant fuel consumption readings. Having air and ABS as standard is a rarity in this segment which Suzuki is counting on to sway buyers to the brand. The ABS is augmented with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Distribution. The Sport offers climate control instead of standard manual air conditioning, 17-inch alloy wheels instead of standard 16-inch steel wheels with covers and four-wheel disc brakes instead of discs/drums on the base sedan. There are other minor differences like fog lights, eight-speaker upgraded sound system and heated outside mirrors. Styling on the sedan, like the four-door sedan is, well, stylish. The previous Aerio, while very competent, was odd looking with small tires and matching wheel wells that accentuated the high sides of the car making it look top heavy. The SX4 looks more European than Japanese, which I found out, is intentional. SX4 incorporates fenders that extend out from the body envelope without unnecessary tack ons like rub strips, although the Sport comes with a standard aero body kit. Suspension is coil over MacPherson struts at the front and twist beam at the rear that Suzuki has been using for a long time and well understands how to get the most out of it. For the SX4 sedan, the ride and handling were tested in Europe with emphasis put on stability and crisp response. Maruyama, before coming across the pond just over a year ago, spent many of his 16 years with Suzuki in Europe and one of his jobs was overseeing the ride quality of the SX4 sedan. "This model started out in Europe with road conditions there in mind," he said. "I did much of the testing in Europe and Japan to make sure the car would come up to the standards we had set." In fact the Sport with its bigger wheels and tauter handling is the direct work of Maruyama, so you can thank him for the ride which, I found out, was light years ahead of the previous Aerio. Park a SX4 beside a competing compact and you immediately see how big, and tall, it is. The headroom is a shade over a metre and is one of the few compacts my giant son doesn't complain about for room. Because of its overall height, the front doors are almost square making it easy to step in as opposed to ducking. Like all Suzuki engines, the 2.0-litre likes to rev, if noisily. The five-speed manual is light to shift and so is the clutch uptake. The disc brakes on the Sport as tested felt very strong, which in a smaller car imbues confidence. On the highway there wasn't anything like the wind noise I was expecting with the tall roof and two sizeable outside mirrors. At 100 km/h in fifth, the tach was reading 2,600 rpm which isn't all that high, but I thought a sixth overdrive gear would help. Seating on the SX4 is midway between that of a CUV and a standard sedan so there is a good view of the road ahead. The trunk decklid is high so you have to be careful when reversing. The rear doors open almost 90 degrees, which helps getting in and out. Despite the fearsome competition in the small car market, the Suzuki SX4 can look back on a history of reliability which is why you see so many older models still on the road. With dramatically improved styling and handling, along with interior room and attractive price, the 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport Sedan is well worth a closer look if you, like some many other Canadians, are looking for a smaller car that will go the distance. GRAND VITARA OR 2008 13.0 L/100KM (22 MPG) CITY 9.5 L/100KM (30 MPG) HIGHWAY ¥ $19,995 2008 GOLD KEY AWARD BEST NEW COMPACT SUV L'ANNUEL DE L'AUTOMOBILE NEW CASH PURCHASE PRICE PURCHASE FINANCING FOR 72 MONTHS 0% PLUS $1000 4.05% CASH INCENTIVE EFFECTIVE RATE MSRP $25,595* JLX MODEL SHOWN FINALIST BEST NEW SMALL CAR 2008 THE ALL NEW 2008 SX4 SEDAN DOWN PAYMENT ON LEASE SX4.ca 9.2 L/100KM (31 MPG) CITY 6.5 L/100KM (43 MPG) HIGHWAY ¥ Air Conditioning / Power Windows / Power Locks / Power Mirrors / Remote Keyless Entry $0 LEASE FROM $ 205 1.5% ** @ FOR 60 MONTHS PURCHASE FINANCING FOR 72 MONTHS 0% MSRP $17,195* SPORT MODEL SHOWN 2008 SWIFT+ 8.7 L/100KM (32 MPG) CITY 5.8 L/100KM (49 MPG) HIGHWAY ¥ MOST FUEL EFFICIENT AWD IN CANADA MSRP $20,695* JX AWD MODEL SHOWN Cargo Area Cover / Standard Front & Seat Mounted Side Airbags / AM/FM/CD/MP3 Player (4 speakers) PURCHASE FINANCING FOR 84 MONTHS 0% MSRP $13,995* S MODEL SHOWN 2008 SX4 $0 LEASE FROM ** CROSSOVER 9.5 L/100 KM (30 MPG) CITY 6.8 L/100 KM (42 MPG) HIGHWAY ¥ Intelligent AWD / Air Conditioning / Power Windows / Power Locks / Heated Power Mirrors / Cruise Control / Remote Keyless Entry $ DOWN PAYMENT ON LEASE 235 2.28% 5.56% @ FOR 60 MONTHS EFFECTIVE RATE PURCHASE FINANCING FOR 48 MONTHS 0% 4.55% EFFECTIVE RATE Every new Suzuki comes with 5-year 100,000 kilometre powertrain limited warranty and 5-year unlimited kilometre roadside assistance Visit Suzuki.ca for your nearest dealer Suzuki of Oakville 2219 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, ON L6L 5L7 Toll Free 1-877-469-5969 fax 905-469-4562 CONSUMERS SHOULD READ THE FOLLOWING: Vehicles may not be exactly as shown. Limited time offers are subject to change without notice. *As shown: $29,745 MSRP for a new 2008 Grand Vitara JLX model with automatic transmission; $18,995 MSRP for 2008 SX4 sedan sport with manual transmission; $16,295 MSRP for 2008 Swift+ S with manual transmission; $20,695 MSRP for a new 2008 SX4 Crossover JX AWD model with manual transmission. Destination and delivery of $1,395/$1,250/$1,250/$1,250, administration fee, $400/$75/$0/$75 fuel conservation fee (where applicable), other taxes & duties, license, insurance, applicable fees and registration are extra. Cash purchase price for a new 2008 Grand Vitara JA (model LLN81S8) with manual transmission includes $5,000.00 cash incentive available only to cash customers and cannot be combined with subvented lease and finance offers. Destination and delivery of $1,395, administration fee, $400 fuel conservation tax (where applicable), other taxes, license, insurance, applicable fees and registration are extra. **Limited time lease offers available to qualified retail customers on approved credit only on new 2008 SX4 Sedan (MODEL S3L83J8) manual transmission $17,195 MSRP at 1.5% APR for 60 months and new 2008 SX4 Crossover JX AWD (MODEL H3N80J8) with manual transmission $20,695 MSRP at 2.28% APR (5.56% effective rate for information purposes) for 60 months. Monthly payment is $205/$235 (including $1,250/$1,250 destination and delivery). $0/$0 down payment or equivalent trade-in, $0 security deposit, $72 PPSA, $350 acquisition fee, administration fee, $75/$75 fuel conservation tax (where applicable) and first monthly payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligation is $12,299.92/$14,097.98 including down payment. Taxes, license, insurance, applicable fees and registration are extra. 20,000 km/year total mileage allowance ($0.10/km for excess mileage). Limited time purchase finance offers available to qualified retail customers on approved credit at 0% for 72 months on new base 2008 SX4 Sedan (MODEL S3L83J8) only; at 0% for 84 months on new base 2008 Swift + (MODEL STR48C8) only; at 0% for 72 months including $1,000 purchase financing incentive (4.05% effective rate for information purposes) on new 2008 Grand Vitara JX & JLX; and at 0% for 48 months (4.55% effective rate for information purposes) on new 2008 SX4 Crossover JX AWD. Finance example: $10,000 at 0% APR for a 48-month term; the monthly payment is $208.33; cost of borrowing is $0.00; total obligation is $10,000.00. Down payment or equivalent trade-in may be required. Administration fee, other taxes, license, insurance, and registration are extra. ¥Based on Fuel Consumption Guide ratings published by Natural Resources Canada. These offers cannot be combined with any other offer except for the Suzuki Graduate Program. With the Suzuki Graduate Program, recent university or college graduates may be eligible for an allowance on the purchase or lease of certain models. Dealers may lease or sell for less. See participating dealers for details. Offers end September 2, 2008.