Suzuki SX4 & Liana Review (2010)

Pros:

Cons:

By Alborz Fallah | January 29th, 2010

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Price: $12,960 to $22,080

Our Rating:

Performance, Ride & Handling	3
Comfort and Interior	3
Quality & Design	3
Value & Features	4
Safety	4
Green	3.5

2010 is a big year for Suzuki, its new medium-sized Kazashi sedan will be here soon but to start the year on a high the face-lifted SX4 has arrived with more than a few surprises.

Suzuki is an interesting car company in a sense that it went from producing weaving looms to motor bikes and then cars, not exactly a traditional background for a motor company. Nonetheless Suzuki Motor Corporation has today become one of the most respected Japanese manufacturers in Australia.

Interestingly Queensland also has the longest serving Suzuki dealership in the world – Chano Trentin’s All Wheel Drive Centre at Atherton.

To celebrate the launch of the new SX4 and the relaunch of the Liana name badge, Suzuki QLD took a group of automotive journalists out to Mount Cotton driver training centre to demonstrate the ranges’ new engine, transmission and safety features.

Before we get into it, it’s worth noting that Suzuki outside of QLD will not use the Liana name badge. Suzuki QLD (which is independent of the rest of the states) has decided to rename all front-wheel drive variants of the updated SX4 as Liana and keep the SX4 badge for all-wheel drive variants, a logical decision. The Liana is essentially an SX4.

This makes Queensland the only place in Australia you can buy a Suzuki with the Liana name badge. It took 18 months of negotiations with Japan but given the strength and excellent track record of the Queensland organisation, it was approved.

From what you can actually see, the updated range has gained a new front grille, more exterior colours to pick from, a whole new instrument cluster, black seat fabric, front seat arm rests, a centre mounted dashboard socket, a much needed auxiliary port and new air conditioner control panel.

Under the skin there is a whole new 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine (J20B) producing 112kW and 190Nm of torque which is about a five per cent improvement over the outgoing model. Coupled to the new engine is a choice of either a six-speed manual or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

It’s the first time Suzuki has offered a CVT transmission, joining the rest of the Japanese manufacturers moving away from traditional automatics for small to medium cars.

Instead of the gears changing from small to large and vice versa, the actual gear ratios are no longer fixed. This means there is really no gears at all, just a variable transmission that can essentially provide unlimited ratios. All of this is controlled by the car’s computer system so all you have to do is drive (click through for more information on CVT).

Nonetheless if you do want to control the gears as you would in a traditional automatic, a set of six pre-programmed gear ratios are available and can be selected either by engaging the gear lever in sport mode or via the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters on the premium models.

The benefits of CVT are a smoother ride and no gear changes, whilst also delivering better fuel economy.

Technical briefing aside it’s worth seeing how the SX4/Liana actually drives. Mount Cotton driver training centre is an interesting place, predominantly used by QLD police to train new officers, the centre was our venue to check out how the new Suzuki small car behaved.

Our first exercise had us perform a quick left to right and right to left lane change at speed in the wet through witches hats, the idea was see how well the car performed with ESC on/off and also to realise the car’s great handling dynamics.

It’s actually fair to say that even with ESC turned off the SX4 (all-wheel drive) is perhaps only second to the Subaru Impreza for handling in wet weather conditions. Meanwhile the Liana, which is driven through the front wheels also performed admirably, switching from left to right with ease and confidence.

Power delivery via the CVT is similar to that of the Mitsubishi Lancer, a decent amount of noise and smooth acceleration. Frankly the six-speed manual would be my choice as it makes the car feel much more nimble.

The second test was to punt the car as hard as possible through the outside circuit ending with a hard braking maneuver. After a few attempts at this I did end up with a bit of smoke coming from the brakes, thankfully that solved itself relatively quickly.

As for cornering at speed the Suzuki grips and grips even when you think there is no more grip left. It may not accelerate all that hard however it does make up for it around bends.

There is momentary understeer if you turn ESC off and turn in quickly at speed but that’s expected in a car such as the SX4/Liana.

The interior is reasonable for its price and there is an option for iPod and Bluetooth phone connectivity on all models (pricing was unavailable at time of writing). The front seats hold you in well and felt comfortable. Rear leg room can be limiting if there is a tall adult in the front however it will comfortably sit four reasonably sized adults for long distances. Five adults would not be recommended for long drives.

The SX4 (front-wheel drive) or Liana range (QLD) comes in three different variants, you can find yourself in a base model manual GLX hatch for only $20,490, moving up to the premium S-range costs you an extra $3,000. Premium hatch costs $23,490. The Sedan variant is only offered in the premium spec at $23,990.

The all-wheel drive SX4s start at $23,490 for the GLX and hit $25,690 for the S series. The CVT (auto) option will cost you an additional $2,000 on any variant.

The GLX variant of the 2WD SX4 (or Liana) and the SX4 (AWD) comes with 16-inch steel wheels, electric windows front & rear, remote central locking, and dual front airbags (it would be good to see Suzuki take the next step and offer six-airbags standard on the base model) as well as ABS and EBD.

If you go for the S series you’ll gain 17-inch alloy wheels, six airbags, ESC, Aero body kit & rear spoiler, steering wheel Paddle shifts, fog lights, leather steering wheel, folding front seat armrests, cruise control and keyless start.

It would seem somewhat unwise to go for the GLX given that six-airbags and ESP should be mandatory in all cars, additionally the cruise control and keyless start in the S series make the additional $3,000 price tag seem like a bargain.

Overall the new SX4 2WD (Liana) and SX4 AWD are a tough competitor to beat, it appears the SX4′s only main competition (given its AWD) is the Subaru Impreza which is priced slightly higher. As for the front-wheel drive SX4 or Liana, given its starting price of just over $20G, it’s hard to fault.

It will be interesting to see how and if the naming helps move more units and if the rest of the country will take up the Liana badge.

CarAdvice will also be attending the national launch of the SX4 in the coming weeks followed by a complete road test and review after we spend a week behind the new Suzukis.

Fuel Economy Figures:

Liana/SX4 2WD (Man.): 7.3L/100km
Liana/SX4 2WD (CVT): 7.6L/100km
SX4 (Man.): 7.6L/100km
SX4 (CVT): 8.0L/100km

Specifications & Equipment (click on link to view):

Reader reviews of the SUZUKI SX4

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bob

at $25K the Suzuki is much better put together than the Subaru. The Subaru has cheap horrible interior plastics and flimsy doors made from aluminium foil
Innova

Why did only Suzuki QLD change the name?

Classic

good grief, did you read the article?

Al Juraj

Liana or SX4, the sedan is a lousy looking car.

Aleks

All this talk about a new interior and not a single picture, c’mon seriously guys.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

Aleks, unfortunately no interior photos of the new cars were given to us. However I do have the new brochure ill try and scan some pics for you if there are any interiors in there.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

Interior photos added.

t39

Seems like designed for people who would like to pay 10% less to get 30% lees of a car: FWD Priced a bit too close to Mazda 3. The AWD S version at $25.5K – a bit too close to CRV / RAV4.

Callous Aussie

How is it 30 percent less car? Please explain. It isn’t trying to compete with the rav4 either. Also none of the competition you mentioned have a CVT auto in them. No apples for apples here.

t39

This is how: (a.) four-star crash rating, (b.) lots of roads noise, (c.) tinny.

Bent 8 Brigade

Or the 3rd…Suzukia aren’t tinny
Callous Aussie

The four star crash rating may be due to a tiny light on the dash to warn that the passenger doesn’t have a seatbelt on. Unless you understand how the 5 star rating is achieved you should probably not comment on the difference that one star actually makes.

toxic_horse

I own the previous SX4 AWD and I can tell you it runs rings around a CRV or RAV 4. A little smaller interior but a way better driving experience. You can throw these thigs around corners in the rain/dirt/snow like you woudn’t believe. I got base model cause I would rather the tougher steel wheels and don’t care about ESP, you don’t need it with these cars.
The only annoying thing is the huge blind spot created by the A pillar.

Mitch

ESP is needed in all cars. People who say its not should look at the figures

Hung Low

Not if they can handle a car properly and drive to the conditions Mitch! Its another feature that users tend to rely on instead of focusing on driving.

The SX4 is a massively underrated small car and in AWD mode blows the Corolla, Lancer etc into the weeds for handling and driving characteristics. I had a ball in the AWD one in the rain on the Putty road where the SX4 left behind an XR8 on the windy sections.

David T

If you think that for just one moment that you are a good enough driver that you don’t need ESP, then….

How do you propose that you anticipate and drive to every unexpected occurance on the road, stray dog, kangaroo, someone else losing control of their car?

Some of the world’s best rally drivers endorse ESP 100%, and I’m just guessing, but they are probably better drivers than you.

The Real Car Fanatic

David, didn’t you know, Hung Low is the Stig, he taught Michael Schumacher how to drive and can get a Ford Focus TDi around the Nurburgring faster than Michael Vergers can driving get a Radical SR8 around there
toxic_horse

I have never owned a car with ESP and i am allive and well.
You drive a car to the conditions and limitations of that car.
For most of the morons I see on the road , yes they do need ESP because they tailgate, speed and drive like braindead fools.
The SX4 is AWD and has a lot of grip, I have explored its limits on different road surfaces and it pretty much impossible to get sideways.
The worlds best rally drivers probably endorse ESP because they are sponsored by car makers who are trying to sell it.
David T

Toxic, don’t get too defensive (I wasn’t even replying to you).

I have never “owned” an ESP equiped car either, and am also still alive after 30 years of spirited driving. I have also never seen ESP activate during “normal” driving of cars fitted with it.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t think that it is a good thing and will probably be fitted to my next car (probably won’t have a choice as it’s standard on anything any good anyway).

Yonny

ESP can save you in cases where you, the driver, are doing everything right but still strike trouble. You may never need it, but why not have it available just in case.

I had a Focus with ESP. I never saw it activate. Did I think it was a waste of money? Not a chance.
Callous Aussie

I mostly agree with you Hung Low. However , occassionally the best drivers get caught unaware. Having said that, I owned a Subaru outback and know only too well that AWD has an exceptional level of grip so that adds weight to your arguement. They stick like the proverbial to a blanket.

Shak

Simple fact. Would you like a car with a system to watch your back when you eventually make a mistake, or one that will kill you if you stuff up?

You tell me?
Callous Aussie

I hear what you are saying and the truth is the cost of fitting ESP to the manufacturer is peanuts but these AWD cars are already less likely to slide then their RWD or FWD competiton. But yes with ESP they would be pretty much full proof.

I certainly don’t intend to dumb down the benefit of ESP. It is a brilliant piece of kit. It will be compulsary in all cars in this country soon ,so its benefits are clear.

The Oracle

You could also say that if you can handle the car properly and drive to the conditions, then you don’t need ABS, airbags, crumple zones, seat belts or a million other things. Would you suggest that you willingly drive a car without any of those features?

We have three cars in this house, RWD, FWD and AWD. All have ABS and bags, the last two have ESP as well. I have driven the AWD car in rain so heavy that I had to pull of the road because vision was so poor, so I agree about the traction and stability in the wet. I also am familiar with the Putty Road in the rain too. However, once near home, I had to swerve to avoid a car exiting a driveway without looking and the ESP helped maintain control of the car and stopped it from skidding. Now unless you are a rally ace who practises daily to keep your skills up, it will react faster than you could ever do. I think ESP is great. In fact, when my daughter bought a Mazda2 last year, I insisted that she option the ESP.

Tom R

Hey! The SX4 is competing with the Dualis, dont forget that!
Brett

Good to see the SX4 finally has CVT and Stability control. The only thing that would stop me from buying one of these is the size of the fuel tank (lack of range). Most cars in this class have a 50-55l tank. My sister’s Mirage has a 45 litre fuel tank however it only has a 1.5l engine!
Joe

Reading article and all comments and there’s no mention of phrase “Reasonably priced car”! Nobody watches top gear anymore?

G

Joe, you are late.

TG does not use a Liana anymore for a long time now. The reasonably priced car is a Chevy Lacetti (actually a Daewoo, but with a golden bowtie).

Jon Leong

My mistake, after checking, the Daewoo Lacetti has A LOT MORE then three names.

Buick Excelle (China, Sedan)
Buick Excelle HRV (China, Hatch)
Chevrolet Lacetti (2004-2009 Europe, all)
Chevrolet Nubira (2004-2009 Europe, all)
Chevrolet Optra (Canada all, India Sedan)
Chevrolet SRV (India Hatch)
Dawoo Lacetti (Korea, pre-2004 europe, all)
Daewoo Nubira (Early Korea & pre-2004 europe,all)
Holden Viva (Aus, all)
Suzuki Forenza (US, Sedan)
Suzuki Reno (US, Hatch)

Sam 300TD

Who still has a telly?

http://www.caradvice.com.au OSU811

Great cars!!, very underated in this class, excellant all new 2.0l vvt engine,
with up to date gearboxes, 6 speed manual 2wd liana S series HBK would be my choice!!.
Jon Leong

Just to let you know
Queensland is NOT the only place in the entire world where you can buy a Suzuki with the Liana name badge. In China the old shape (pre-sx4) Liana is still being built and sold under the Liana name.

G

Well spotted, both.

Shak

and Malaysia and Singapore

Jon Leong

As far as I can tell, on both Singapore and Malaysia Suzuki website, They don’t sell any car under the name of Liana.

Where as China + Pakistan still have a Liana on their model range.

mike

Really successful redesign . Nice looking car from front to back.
HyundaiSmoke

Here in the US they are both the same car. This car is the only thing that kept Suzuki America from closing shop. On the reliability front, its up there with The Hyundai Elantra which is the most reliable car in the class. Its an ok seller, but you cant run a company on 1 car thats an OK seller. Its worlds better than the crap it replaced.

Its a decent car, I JUST WISH THEY DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE DAMM FUEL ECONOMY!!! 31 mpg Is horrible in a car this size.

suzi

the old liana is the Aerio in the US

HyundaiSmoke

Yeah, and the old Aerio was a good car in theory, but an Electronic basketcase in real time.

HyundaiSmoke

Right Product, too Late Suzuki. What a shame as these guys were the first to sell Japanese cars in Many Western nations back in the 1950s.
David Jones

looks pretty under rated, beter than an anemic petrol Cruze.
suziok

i still have my 7 yr old liana gs hatch and it’s still d best
Baddass

I don’t understand why Suzuki QLD fought so hard for the Liana name. It’s not like it has prestige or anything. Life In A New Age… so lame.
Simon

Suzuki, please make a turbo version!!!
This is such a great lil car but needs a performance focused variant. I’m sure they could be competitively priced which would mean they would sell like hot cakes!
Karl

My neighbour had an SX4 – she sold it after just two months because there was a massive blind spot behind the A-pillar. She almost had a number of serious accidents and she became scared to drive it.
Just something to take note for anyone considering one of these – check it out during the test drive.

On another topic, I think it would be really cool to drive a car with a fully manual CVT.
Or is it just me?

gt6

Define “fully manual CVT” ???
Don’t quite get what your talking about.

If it’s pre-determined gear ratios, isn’t then a “regular auto gearbox”??

Happy to hear what you mean by this

Cheers

Karl

I’m talking about a CVT where you have total control ie. no pre-determined gear ratios. A totaly new concept. You would just have a lever where pushed fully foward, its the shortest ratio, pulled fully back its the tallest ratio.
This way you could have any ratio you want, without the computer deciding for you. Basicaly, you would slowly pull backward as you accelerate to hold the revs steady.

Shak

are you proposing something like a throttle control lever like on a plane?
Andrew M

Im not sure what the benefit would be.

CVT with the manual mode engaged would give pretty much the same control.

Anyhow, Auto boxes are a lot better nowdays than they were 10-20 years ago.
I hardly see the point in adding such a feature when the manufacturers really do a good job of getting the ratios right (most cases).

If you want total control you should be driving a manual, otherwise, just point it and shoot

Andrew M

Oh and if the revs remain constant when you accelerate, you would have shyte house power.
Revs need to rise to get decent acceleration otherwise the engine never reaches it power and torque bands.

I personally prefer driving conventional boxes for the reason that a kick down gets the revs up quicker, hence immediate rise in power
Karl

Its different because a CVT in manual has pre-determined gear ratios, where this way you’d have a constant change in the ratio (similiar to when its in auto mode).
This means you could accelerate at a constant 1000rpm or at maximum power(all the time at WOT or less if you choose). This would allow you to access maximum brake specific consumption (more about that in this link)
http://www.autospeed.com.au/cms/A_110216/article.html
This would give either the extreme end of maximum economy or acceration, depending on how its driven.
To get the revs to rise, just nudge the lever foward. This is like “changing down”, then as the revs are high enough, continue to pull backwards.

riceboy

how can you have a full manual cvt? cvt’s either come with +/- in push/pull fashion on the floor shifter or levers/buttons on the steering to mimic gear ratios like the article mentioned. Are you confusing CVTs with dual clutch or automated single clutch gearboxes, like DSGs (2 clutch)and Smart/Lambo’s (1 clutch)?

Shak

did you just mention smart and Lamborghini in the same sentence. That is Automotive blasphemy!!

AAA

Are they using the same CVT from Jatco as the one in the Lancer?
http://www.caradvice.com.au OSU811

why not just drive the 6 speed manual and have full control and a better more satisfying drive??, the joy of driving is picking the right gear, changing smoothly/quickly, good clutch control with proper feel! actually driving the car and feeling the controls of the car, something that people seem to be forgetting these days, I SAY LONG LIVE THE 3 PEDDLE MANUAL TRANSMISSION!!!, the only true way to drive!! anything else is just laziness..