The 2007 Suzuki SX4

For years now many American motorists have decided that they just had to have off-road capabilities in their everyday ride. And let’s face it, most of those all- and four-wheel drive vehicles out there never leave the pavement. At least not intentionally.

Enter the three stooges: Cheney, Rumsfeld and Katrina. See the price of a gallon of US gasoline quickly approach the price of a six-pack of beer. “We’re doomed…doomed!” come the cries from the Heartland. Pity the people who bought their gas-guzzling pickups and SUVs because they could afford the payments, only to find themselves now struggling financially with the choice of affording food or gas. The food/gas dilemma may not sound quite as serious as the food/prescription drug dilemma facing some Americans, but try to explain that to the guy who’s driving his 11-miles-per-gallon Gashogmobile 50 miles round trip to his eight-bucks-an-hour job. Sell it, you say? Good luck with that, especially if it’s not even paid for yet.

Luckily, for those now in the market for an all- or four-wheel drive vehicle, some manufacturers either had great foresight or really lucky product planners, as there are some much better choices appearing out there in SUV-land.

A good example is this week’s feature, the Suzuki SX4. It’s the latest AWD vehicle from the Japanese manufacturer who, a few years ago, brought us the Samurai and Geo Tracker—small SUVs which were inexpensive to buy and operate, and whose resale value is still quite high today. The SX4 has an All-Wheel-Drive system which can run in three different modes: front-wheel-drive for better fuel economy, all-wheel-drive automatic (which switches from FWD to AWD as needed) and AWD-lock for off-roading or winter driving (the lock mode cancels itself at speeds above 36 miles per hour). A console-mounted switch lets you choose the mode. The AWD system keeps you going, while four-wheel ABS will help you stop. Power comes from a 2.0-liter, inline four-cylinder engine which puts out 143 horsepower, and is EPA rated at 24/29 miles per gallon city/highway for the five-speed manual transmission model, and 24/30 for the four-speed automatic.

The SX4 made its debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. You may think SX4 is just another meaningless alphanumeric moniker, but here’s Suzuki’s take on it: (S)port (X)-over for (4) seasons of weather. See? They don’t pay those marketing folks big bucks for nuthin’.

Suzuki first showed the car in America at the New York International Auto Show in April, where it met with rave reviews. With an overall length of 164 inches, or about 11 inches shorter than a Subaru Impreza, its 98-inch wheelbase is about an inch shorter than the Subaru, while legroom is also comparable. Prices have yet to be announced, but expect the SX4 to be in the $15,000 to $18,000 range. (Subaru Impreza Sportwagon prices start just over $18,000.)

Besides cool exterior styling, what else does the SX4 have to offer? A standard AM/FM/MP3/CD with four speakers, seating for five, stadium-seating rear 60/40 split folding seats, door-mounted bottle holder on all four doors (no namby-pamby cup holders here!), six airbags, 16-inch wheels and what Suzuki likes to call “America’s #1 Warranty.” That’s a pretty bold statement, and pretty difficult to verify, but here’s what it is: 100,000-mile/seven-year powertrain, three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and 24-hour roadside assistance through the bumper-to-bumper coverage period. Good? Yes. #1? Hard to say.

But I can say that the SX4 has won numerous European car-of-the-year awards since its introduction. This small SUV should be a big seller when it goes on sale—soon—at your nearby Suzuki dealer.

More info: suzukisx4.com.