Maruti's new baby seems to be a great package from the outside. Is it as good below the surface? We find out.:  The SX4 saloon’s design evolution is quite unique. We've seen several hatch-based saloons in the past, but as crossover-based saloons go, this is a first. Designed by Guigiarro and ITAL Design, the SX4 was actually developed as a crossover whose platform is shared by Fiat and Suzuki. For developing markets like India and China, however, a sedan version of the same was penned too. A lot of crossover is visible in the SX4’s styling. The massive wheel wells built to accommodate 16 wheels with high-profile tyres, tall upright windscreen, massive widescreen mirrors and the upright seating position of the passengers. For a design that started life as a crossover, the SX4 doesn't do too badly as far as looks are concerned. Apart from the oversized wheels which look out of proportion, the design is well balanced and the sloping nose and beltline give it a jacked-up-from-the-rear dragster look. The headlights wrap around onto the fenders, there are big front wheel arches and the integration of the rear of the car is well executed and in line with the design of the nose as well. A stylistic touch is the way the front quarter glass dips down into the beltline. The SX4 has a transversely-mounted motor and an independent MacPherson strut at the front and non-independent torsion beam at the rear. It uses electric power steering system and has a massive 500-litre boot. The SX4 is built on a modified Swift platform and this means it shares a lot of parts, particularly suspension and steering systems. ABS and Electronic Brake-force Distribution(EBD) is standard on the ZXi as is front airbags. The SX4's interiors are mostly black with chrome highlights. The pair of brushed chrome strips that straddle the central console looks good and the chromed air con controls also look and function well. It is obvious there are a lot of bits carried over from the Swift on the insides as well, stuff like the steering wheel, power window buttons, air con vents, some switchgear and the gear stick. While acceptable on hatches like the Swift and Zen, these feel a touch too inexpensive on this car. The electric mirror adjuster knob feels particularly tacky. The SX4 also inherits the Swift’s flimsy build, with some rattles already creeping into our test car that barely had 3,000km on the clock. A nice touch, however, is the fact that there is space to store a bottle in all four door pockets and that this car can be bought with leather seats. In terms of equipment, the SX4 is really good. The Maruti gives you ABS, Airbags, climate control, leather seats (which are not very soft or luxurious), audio controls on the remote and lots of other bells and whistles.  Making it’s India debut is the The SX4’s all-aluminium M-series engine (M16A). This 1586cc motor which was first used by Suzuki in 2001 features a chain drive system, drive-by-wire digital throttle as well as double overhead cams and 16 valves. All this helps the SX4 engine develop 102bhp and 14.78kgm of max. torque. The SX4 takes a modest 12.1seconds to 100kph. Modest because, the Honda City, with its 25bhp defecit is not too far off the SX4's perfomance. The Suzuki’s all-new M16A motor doesn’t exactly leap up to the red line, laboring up after around 5000rpm, the motor getting coarse and strained. There is no variable valve timing system and as a result top-end performance suffers and this is why its not as fast as it could be. The strong mid-range however is a revelation. Performance is impressive here and the SX4 just leaps forward from 2500rpm to 5000rpm, the part of the powerband used when you want to get a move on in the real world. To be honest, the Suzuki motor was something of a disappointment to us. We expected it to punchy at low revs and have a more enthusiastic top-end, just like the Baleno’s outgoing buzzy but free-revving G16B motor. The SX4’s gearbox feels very similar to that of the Swift. The throw is short and crisp but you need to give a firms shove to get pat those double synchro rings, especially when downshifting from fifth to fourth. The City ‘box also has a short throw and has wonderfully precise feel. It’s lighter too but we would have liked a bit more spring loading. Sitting on those big high-profile tyres, with a massive 190mm ground clearance, the SX4 in ZXi trim could be classified as an off-roader. The upshot of this is the SX4’s incredible ability to ride over some of our worst roads without giving its occupants a pogo ride. Poor sections of road are no longer intimidating and you can drive over them, confident in the knowledge that the suspension is upto the job. However, the SX4's suspension setup is too stiff to be comfortable on low and high speeds. Low-speed ride is a touch lumpy over small undulations and you sometimes can feel the additional unsprung mass of those large tyres. Grip is fantastic from the wide tyres and you can carry a fair amount of speed into corners, but the SX4 is nothing if not fidgety. There is massive torque steer tugging at the steering wheel from left to right as you floor the throttle. The SX4’s inconsistent steering feedback keeps the driver on alert as you have to constantly make little corrections. Push hard and there is a bit of body roll as well. The SX4’s brakes inspire confidence. Strong braking, robust brake feel and help from the anti- lock system, should you need it. The SX4’s fuel economy is not poor but it’s nothing to write home about either. 9.3kpl in the city and 14.5kpl on the highway is nothing exceptional.    Maruti's SX4 is the temptress you can't stop thinking about. Good looking, fun to drive and with loads of feel good factor. It good value for money too, and this makes it a package that even we find hard to resist. |
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