What's the facts under Suzuki SX4? Dear all, I'm planning to buy a Suzuki SX4 hatch and actually already commit to buying it... However, the all new Honda Jazz came in messing my resolve and I'm in dire pit of confusion right now. Well, considering that the SX4 is quite unique and it is actually produced in India, I have some questions regarding the car.
First of all, the SX4 model available in my country is the SX4 X-Over, SX4 X-Road and SX4 sedan under the name of Neo Baleno. The X-Over and the X-Road essentially is the SX4 hatch with the X-Over presenting the better equipped model and the X-Road is the "undressed" version. The engine used throughout the model range is the same 1.5L VVT M15A, all FWD with the X-Over sporting 16" wheels while the rest uses 15".
Then I have some questions... What kind of VVT mechanism the M15A have? Is it cam changing like VTEC or cam phasing like VVT-i? And why it only produces 100ps and 133nm of torque? Quite small compared to the competition (Toyota/Honda).
Is the automatic transmission still the same as Aerio? My friend told me that the SX4 uses the same old 4AT transmission with gear hunting tendency on upward/downward slopes. Unlike Honda Grade Logic Control or Toyota similar Super-ECT system.
And finally... Why the SX4 hatch is so heavy? At 1,21 ton, it tips the scale of city car weight. Not so good for fuel consumption.
So here's my short analysis. The engine is basically the same (code name wise) with Japanese Swift and SX4 which sports 110ps and 143nm of torque. To accomodate with bad quality of Indonesian fuel, Suzuki dumb down the ECU and thus the power to optimally run using bad fuel. No problem there, M15A also runs on 1:9,5 compression ratio, so it will run good with lower grade fuel (the Jazz runs on 1:10,4 compression ratio).
And that's it basically... I know nothing of the SX4 in general... Before, I downloaded repair manuals for cars that I wanted to buy. Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris, and Suzuki Swift. I know more from repair manuals than sales person or over hyped brochure/advertisement of the cars. However, the SX4 is unique, it is available in 1.5L FWD trim in some parts of the world, and none speaks english. So what else can I do then to ask the masters where the car is made.
The new Jazz entice me with its 120ps engine and 5AT transmission... But since I'm going to buy a car that will last quite a while, I'm also wanting to buy something more "bullet proof". Well, with the logic that the M15A has been around for quite a while, there's no way in hell there's a problem Suzuki couldn't fix. I'm just afraid that Jazz's new engine and transmission will have teething problem. |