]]> http://blog.dealerdex.com/2009-suzuki-sx4-i-can-see-for-miles-and-miles/feed/ 0 http://blog.dealerdex.com/2009-suzuki-sx4-i-cant-see-the-buttons/ http://blog.dealerdex.com/2009-suzuki-sx4-i-cant-see-the-buttons/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:10:53 +0000 Edmunds.com Road Test http://blog.dealerdex.com/2009-suzuki-sx4-i-cant-see-the-buttons/

There are helpful buttons on the steering wheel of the SX4 for the audio and cruise controls. However, they are not illuminated. So, I can't see them at night. When I'm listening to the classic rock station (the only tolerable station we have left in L.A. since the Indie station went online only) and a Styx song comes on, I have to reach over to the actual radio to save my ears. Sorry, Styx. But I had an old boyfriend who tortured me with your music too often in my youth. Bad memories.

Pull Project Evo X into the driveway. Shut 'er down. Gather cell phone, groceries, nunchucks. Exit car. There's a muted not-quite-whirring sound coming from under the hood. What's that about? It's the GT30R turbo still spooling down. There's so little friction in the guts of the thing — being ball bearing and all — that it continues to spin for thirty seconds or more after you switch off the engine. Turbos are cool. Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor

Originally posted here:
2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Spoolin’ Down

(Photo by Kurt Niebuhr) Like everyone else here, I'm not thrilled with the pathetic range of our 2009 Suzuki SX-4. It's mostly due to the small gas tank made necessary by the all-wheel-drive system, and could be fixed, for us here in Southern California, by deleting that option. But this Suzuki has a neat little trick up its sleeve that, in a sense, increases the range on the AWD SX-4. See, what they've done is equipped the SX-4 with an “electronically controlled coupling device mounted in front of the rear differential.” There's a switch (pictured) to pick between all and front wheel drive. Power/Fuel economy losses are estimated at 5-10% for all

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2009 Suzuki SX-4: Options

Driving around in the Suzuki SX4 this weekend, I noticed the car gets a lot of looks. I spotted people sneaking peeks in their mirrors or turning heads while walking down the street. At first I thought it was my new haircut (just kidding, of course) or that they were giving me the stink eye for some reason. But then I realized, the Suzuki is a good-looking vehicle, especially in its light blue paint. Passersby were just appreciating its handsomeness in the golden sunlight. Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 17,225 miles

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2009 Suzuki SX4: Getting Looks

Driving around in the Suzuki SX4 this weekend, I noticed the car gets a lot of looks. I spotted people sneaking peeks in their mirrors or turning heads while walking down the street. At first I thought it was my new haircut (just kidding, of course) or that they were giving me the stink eye for some reason. But then I realized, the Suzuki is a good-looking vehicle, especially in its light blue paint. Passersby were just appreciating its handsomeness in the golden sunlight. Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 17,225 miles

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2009 Suzuki SX4: Getting Looks

I'm going to have to disagree with Erin's assessment of our SX4's seating. After spending about four hours in the blue box yesterday, I realized that average-sized American males may have issues with the driving position. I'm 5'10″ and of average build, and I could not find a comfortable seating position. The lack of a telescoping wheel was probably the main culprit. With the seat adjusted for leg comfort, the wheel was way too far away from me. With the seat adjusted to have the wheel within comfortable reach had my legs bunched up. I tried a compromise between the two and everything started aching after 45 minutes. Then there's the elbows. The door armrest is made from an unyielding piece of plastic. Remind me to pick up some elbow pads from the sporting goods store next time. The center armrest is at least cloth covered, but the angle is all wrong and is uneven with the other side's medieval perch. There's also a hard lump under the corner stitching that hits right where my forearm should rest. None of this bothered me before on shorter trips, but this was the first (and hopefully last) long trip I took in the SX4. For the rest of the day, I'll be popping Advil like PEZ. Mark Takahashi, Associate Editor @ 17,137 miles

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2009 Suzuki SX4: Comfort Optional

Thanks to its low beltline, big greenhouse and useful little port-type windows by the A-pillar, the SX4 offers pretty good visibility. That might be enough for most manufacturers, but Suzuki takes things one step further by including the hugest side mirrors this side of a Dodge Sprinter. These massive slabs of glass are the antithesis of the skinny little side mirrors seen on cars like the new Camaro — form-over-function mirrors that look stylish, but don't offer much acreage for viewing purposes. The SX4's may not look cool — they're the side-mirror equivalent of dad jeans in that respect — but they're a pleasure to use, and offer a wonderfully expansive picture of the road behind you. Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 6,971 miles

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2009 Suzuki SX4: Mirror, Mirror

As Mark mentioned in an early post , our Suzuki SX4's steering wheel makes a weird robotic sounds when turned. Here's a video of the steering wheel. It's hard to capture sound on my Flip. Turn up the volume to hear it. Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

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2009 Suzuki SX4: Turn Up Your Volume

This weekend I was trying to find a theatre on the UCLA campus in Westwood. I knew how to get there in general but I needed help finding the exact location once I got close. I didn't really need the navigation but I wanted the map open. The Suzuki SX4 has a funny little nav. I often forget it's there because it pops out of the top of the dash. With such a tiny screen, it takes some getting used to. If you zoom in close enough to see street names, you lose the frame of reference around you because you see such a small area of the map. It has some really helpful features, however. Across the top is a green bar that lets you know what street is coming up. It posts every little side street, even if it is not a turn-off. I found this most useful when driving around Westwood. I knew if I hit Sunset Boulevard I went too far. As I was looking for the theatre's parking structure, I could see Sunset just ahead. But then the nav pointed out a little driveway on the left, which was the street name I was looking for. It saved me a lot of time. In the picture above, you can see in the middle left of the frame, the nav tells you the speed limit of the street you are on. And just …

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2009 Suzuki SX4: Such a Little Nav