Speed kills anyway so buy one of these and live forever.

Suzuki Burgman, way to work that in there - heh.

I'm a soccer dad who dislikes Nascar. I find myself attracted to this car, platonically, and I need to know if I can consider one of these next year.

Man, that thing is light. How did they do that?

Oh, for those still looking for the weight of the review cars to be listed in terms of "number of Ferrari Enzos", this one is 0.927 Ferrari Enzos.

The more I see and hear of these...the more I want one..now?!?

It looks like that Subaru Impreza of the early 1990s when they hired that Christian Slater-knockoff to look in the camera and declare that the car "was like punk rock."

Seems like the vehicle that 90% of people actually need.

Do y'all ever test anything interesting? Well, there was that Lexus IS that one time..I guess that counts..sorta.

@Bad Juju: WRX Sti, Audi R8, Audi R8 TDI LeMans, Bullit Mustang, Lexus IS-F...

• Price as Tested: $16,870
• Curb Weight: 2,800 lbs

What is this, 1994?

Hmmm...I really might have to consider one of these later this year.

@Matt Hardigree: OK, a little harsh, but what have you done for me lately? Mariner Hybrid, X6, 5yr-old Mazda, Honda Pilot, Honda Accord, Truckasaurus, this thing. I'm just sayin.

This will never sell in the US; it weighs less than two tons and makes sense. God we 'muricans can be so stupid!

@Bad Juju: It is a cyclical thing, but I can promise you that we're working on some exciting reviews as we speak.

Nice little appliance. Probably runs forever. My folks have two Vitaras, and they're nice little cars. Good offroad, too.

The SX4 seems to be a very decent little economy car. The question is reliability - how will these compare with the Fit's ability to last until the heat-death of the universe?

That said, the combination of AWD, acceptable handling, a decent enough little engine, good standard equipment, and very low price make this a very appealing alternative to a Toyota Bland-box.

@Bad Juju: This is interesting. Also, it's realistic. Chances I'd consider an SX4 if I were buying new right now: 100%.

@Bad Juju: While we heart sportscars more than most people, there's relatively few of them in comparison to more pedestrian vehicles. I guess you're not, but i'm just as interested in the cars most people actually buy and drive as I am in expensive halo vehicles. But, as Matt says, there's plenty of fast things in our near future, so stop bitching every time we review a car you can actually afford.

@Spasticteapot: That's a good question, it is half FIAT... it comes with a decent warranty so, assuming you abide by the details, you theoretically have 7 years and 100000 miles of avoiding the expense of complete system failures. Something this car also comes with that I should have mentioned is 3 years of free roadside assistance.

"Oh that Scion is super fierce. The fiercest. LOLzz"

This last sentance of the review makes this thie super fiercest review ever!

@Matt Hardigree: @Bad Juju: I like exciting vehicles as well, but sometimes I like to see a vehicle I might actually consider.

Looks like when your packin' bikes some assembly is required.

@mytdawg: Beat me on that one :-0

You can't compare the Burgman to this, it only comes with an automatic.

Will it really fit a Sigg in the cupholder? Or is that a Klean Kanteen? How active-lifestyle enviro-savvy of you; no bisphenol A leaching for me, either!

@Mad_Science: word.

Basically, this car fits all of my criteria for a Daily Driver.

Nice. I may reconsider my next Daily Driver; right now a MINI Cooper is at the top of the list.

I will definitely consider this when it comes time to replace my partner's '00 Kia Sportage... And Matt, you're right about that dildo-esque stickshift, now that I see a picture of it...

@DonSchenck: I love the Mini Cooper as well, and it comes with a lot of goodies as well. If I had the option of either this or a non-S Cooper I'd probably lean towards the Cooper. But then I'd have to move something and I'd lean back towards the SX4.

@ZZMarcus: The cupholders have a bar that adjusts to your drink and, yes, it holds a full-sized SIGG.

@charles_barrett: Do I know dildos or what?

yeah, this suzuki's ok, but that gas guzzling 2-liter is just too big. way more power than i'll ever need. I'll stick with my 100-ish HP 1.5 liter fit, thanks.
BTW, the fit shifter feels awesome, and does not look like a dildo.

If this is one of those GM Korea motors in this thing, then it will jackrabbit start off the line like it is a bat out of hell.

Honestly, the car is too small for my life, but if I could downsize to this level, this would be close to the top of the list along with the Mini Clubman.

@Wes Siler:

Which is exactly why I don't care for Top Gear. On the rare occasions they do let something reasonable like an SX4 in front of the camera, its only to drag race it against a Zonda and declare it pathetically shitty because it can't run with supercars 20x the price.

@ranwhenparked: agreed. I've driven just about every car going, and the most fun I've had is in a Fiat Panda 4x4.

I'll stick my wrx wagon...

Matt, I'm still waiting for the Jersey Pine Barrens Ramp Jumping statistics?!

@2trips: Yeah, I shopped the SX4 before getting my Fit. The Fit is another 300 pounds lighter, has a much better shifter, and another 7 or 8 mpg.

I also have no idea why I'd ever want or need AWD on a vehicle that still only has 6" of ground clearance, weighs under 3000 pounds, and makes under 200hp. It's just another thing to break, and likely in a very expensive way.

Also, Burgmans and megascoots in general, rock. Don't knock them till you've tried one. Especially in heavy traffic. I owned a Silverwing for a few years - once had it up to 115mph (indicated) and took a 6500 mile roadtrip in 8 days on it.

@ranwhenparked: Not just Top Gear, but every major news outlet reviewing cars is perennially unimpressed by anything sensible. That's why 0-60 in 8 seconds is "slow," and if a car doesn't have heated/cooled leather, satnav, and power butt massage, it's unacceptably "cheap."

Also factoring into my gripes is that everything is focus-grouped into beigeness.

I still believe that there is a decent market for sensible, stripped-down base models outside of, say, municipal and commercial-use fleets. However, no one listens to me, even though I'm a white male age 18-34.

What's that about Top Gear? They had a recent episode where they positively drooled over the new fiat 500. They often describe the merits of small cars and "people carriers" (minivans to us). You guys haven't watched the show more than a couple episodes I think.

By the way, I may get one of these. I have to test drive, but I'm going to need a sensible daily driver that can handle off-roads and deep snow soon. This might be the ticket, although I'll probably go with the used wrx wagon as long as there's no stickers on it.

I love me some 'zuki. Back in the day, I had the dildo shifter in my Swift GTi and it was embarassing (the sex tool shifter, not the car). My dad-in-law gets absolutely misty talking about his old Samuri. My sister-in-law's death curse on cars was stymied for much longer than anyone thought possible on her Geo Metro ('you are supposed to change/add OIL?!') My wife absolutely loves her Aerio SX AWD and it really has a ton of room for the $. Suzuki is a best kept secret for sure.

One thing: Can someone loan me $1500 for a new A/C compressor for a 2003 Aerio?

The SX4 J20A engine is Suzuki made, and has been in Vitara's and Aerio's for a while. There are a few of the J20 engines with 350K+ miles on them.

Loved the "should buy / shouldn't buy" paragraphs. They're always my favorite part, but these were particularly brilliant.

@CptSevere: Two? Shit. Man, I'm sorry to hear your folks are having so much trouble in the sack, but they might not appreciate you sharing that little tidbit here.

@Matt Hardigree: Don't forget that the Cooper runs on premium.

[www.newjerseygasprices.com] says that costs $3.57, or $1.08 more per gallon than regular.

Mini: $20 buys 5.6 gal., and you go 201 miles.

SX4: $20 buys 8 gal., and you go 225 miles.

@Bumblebee:

Matt, nice try, except for this:

The Cooper has a 400+ mile range on the highway (I know -- I have one, at 36 mpg). I put regular in my Cooper, by the way. Premium is wasted on the non-S models, and with no ill effects, so your argument falls flat.

I really like the SX4, and would definitely consider it except for the crappy fuel economy it gets coupled with an 11 gallon tank. That translates into needing gas twice as often as my Cooper does. Screw that!

Maybe next year, when they offer the FWD models, the fuel-economy will go up. I have no use for AWD, myself.

I love my Cooper, but the SX4 is one of my favorite car sights on the road. I have definitely noticed more of them lately, so I think word of this worthy car is spreading.

Regarding the FIT, I don't think it's a great comparison. The SX4's engine is much more powerful, and the car is much, MUCH better equipt than the FIT.

Lastly, I read somewhere (someone confirm this?) that in Japan, Suzuki's are their "Hondas", that is, the rock-solid, dependable cars. I think Honda-love is mostly a North American phenomenon.

@darex: I also got 400+ miles on a tank in my Cooper S.

Good to know your slower model runs on regular.

@darex: AWD has certain handling characteristics that make it superior to FWD, especially in heavy traffic, on wet roads (high speed interstates in Houston come to mind). Just because you find that extra little bit of handling advantage unimportant, doesn't mean it is worthless; rather, it indicates that you found a different vehicle that better Fits (pun intended) your needs. This little AWD machine has possibilities for performance enhancements that exceed the Fit.

@crevans: Regarding clearance and AWD, lower clearance is better for performance. In fact, the ride height for AWD R32's is less than the FWD model they are based upon. 4WD is not the same as AWD. They are designed to do different things.

just to set it straight, its LULZ not LOLzz's

If it's of any interest, the Fit is available with AWD in Japan. Obviously it was not considered something North Americans would buy. I was thinking of filling my PCH trying to shoehorn an AWD drivetrain from a wrecked JDM Fit into a North American one, but obviously it would be easier to just buy one of these.

Looks like a great value for under $17k, and believe it or not, Suzuki cars built by Suzuki are actually pretty well-made. This will definitely be a strong candidate if I decide to go the route of a small wagon.

The AWD option will seal a lot of deals for Suzuki. If Honda offered AWD for the Fit, the SX4 would have no chance.

Burgmans (Burgmen?) have been destroyed for me by those incredibly annoying Del Pi-tupping-ero adds that they have here in Yurp.

@2trips:

You also seem to forget AWD.

I'll take the Suzuki Burgman