Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: No
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: Yes
Hairdressers: No
Penny Pinchers: Yes
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: Yes
Technogeeks: Yes
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: No

Also Consider:
*Honda Fit
*Nissan Versa
*Volkswagen Rabbit
*Used Subaru WRX
*Subaru Impreza 2.5i
*Mazda Mazda3
*Suzuki Burgman

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Suzuki
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $14,999
• Price as Tested: $16,870
• Engine type: 2.0L DOHC I4
• Horsepower: 143 @ 5,800 RPM
• Torque: 136 @ 3,500 RPM
• Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
• Curb Weight: 2,800 lbs
• LxW: 162.8" x 69.1"
• Wheelbase: 98.4"
• Tires: P205/60R16
• 0 - 60 mph: 8.3 Seconds
• 1/4-mile: 16.8 seconds
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 21/28
• NHTSA crash test rating: ****/**** (Driver/Passenger)

Also see:

• 2008 Suzuki SX4, Part One
• 2008 Suzuki SX4, Part Two

Acceleration:**
If I could change one thing about this car it would be the transmission. Though power plays into the equation, and the 143 horses tied together with Suzuki's version of variable valve timing try hard, the five forward gears are one shy of awesome and a reconsideration of the ratios could push this car into knock-out economy car territory.

Braking:****
The four-wheel disc brakes, front ventilated and rear solid, have an easy feel and would do well on a larger, heavier car. On the lilliputian SX4 they're perfect for creating a little stop-short moment with your lady friend.

Ride:**
For a big chunk of our bike riding adventure one of my passengers was facing down a sharp bike pedal. Though he made it out without a scratch, it got a little close. Suzuki made a decision to err on the side of handling, and though most would agree it was the right choice, there's a touch more bump than some economy buyers are willing to accept.

Handling:****
"Are our cars as exciting as our bikes?" Suzuki asks in its advertisements. I'm not a big bike guy, but I'm willing to guess no way in hell. But it's closer than you think. The best part of this crossover is how it handles when it needs to. The SX4 goes where you point it and the auto AWD system provides just a touch of energy when necessary. Even in slippery conditions the car maintains its composure and is, most importantly, easy to predict.

Gearbox:**
A sixth gear and an aluminum ring is all that's needed to make this an excellent gearbox. The throws are a touch long but the clutch works well even with clunky footwork and the placement is right in my sweet spot but it revs way too high in freeway driving, literally whining for that extra gear.

Audio:*
This is, without a doubt, the worst FM radio in any new car I've ever driven. Chicago is all buildings and, therefore, signals aren't at their best. But I constantly lost signals and rear passengers couldn't hear anything. Thumb controls are a nice touch, but they don't connect to a radio I'd like in my car.

Toys:***
The entire car is a toy, but we have to give credit to Suzuki for providing gimmicks like tumble-forward rear seats, a sharp center information strip with fuel range and external temperature and other smart touches. The AWD system, though lacking in low/high range (c'mon, what did you expect?), has a great "2WD/Auto/Lock" switch next to the handbrake that makes you feel like you're in a far more expensive ride.

Value:****
For $16,870 you get three-mode AWD, a six-disc changer, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, roadside assistance, six airbags, cruise control, power everything and even rear intermittent wipers. Throw in automatic air-conditioning that cleverly mimics climate control and you're hard-pressed to find another bargain for this MSRP. Oh, and it has keyless entry, though it requires carrying around a key fob that might be mistaken for a Sega Game Gear.

Overall: ****
It's hard to know what the Suzuki SX4 aspires to be, but it's not the usual SUV-car dichotomy that most crossovers try to fake. You're not going to mistake this for a Range Rover. The real question you have to ask when judging this car is whether or not it is an exciting bargain car or an exciting car that's a bargain, and though I'd lean towards the former, it's a question that doesn't even come up with other cars in this price range.

Also see:

• 2008 Suzuki SX4, Part One

Though the SX4 has a rather small footprint, the tall greenhouse and folding seats mean that it can hold all the active lifestyle accouterment we brought along, plus Jane and her fiance Kevin. I should clarify here, my gear was a pair of hiking boots, a camera and a cooler full of sandwiches. Their gear included two bikes, bike accessories, helmets, cleaning supplies, assorted hiking gear and another cooler full of snacks (biking burns calories). The SX4 swallowed all of this without too much Tetris, though Kevin was staring down a set of handle bars for the long drive out to the Palos Forest Preserve southwest of town.

When we got to the biking staging area we found some other, intense looking bikers and their assorted E-series vans, Saab wagons, WRX's and even an Aveo with a roof rack, thereby blowing a hole in my theory that only high school girl's drive Aveos as their first car. According to the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers site, Palos is the "grand daddy of the trail systems available in Chicago... The area has hills, rolling widetrack, tight twisty singletrack, climbs, fast descents and plenty more to keep you satisfied for hours." And this beats a Howard Hawks film festival how?

After unpacking the bikes and assembling them, we stopped to setup for some pictures. My conception of what you wear for an outdoor adventure was a little different from what they actually wear, as you can see from the picture above. I quickly changed back into my normal normal clothing and left them to their off road fun. For me, the fun was to be had on the roads.

This is where the SX4 abandons all the pretense contained in the black plastic wheel arches, metal-look skidplates and fog lights. The roads running through and around the forest preserve include a surprisingly engaging mix of gravely uphill curves, downhill straights and even a few esses that make you wonder why anyone gets out of their cars. Maybe because they aren't driving something as fun as the SX4.

The car simply drives with more poise than any vehicle in this class should. This particular model featured Suzuki's three-mode intelligent AWD system, which offers the option to send all the power to the front wheels, to all wheels on demand or to lock the transfer case into a full 50/50 split. I kept it keyed into the auto mode and found you had to push the SX4 hard into a corner before significant power was transferred rearward, giving the little hatch enough energy to propel it into the next straightway.

While Kevin and Jane attempted to find the limits of their abilities I tried to find the limits of the SX4 and was pleased to discover that this was a difficult task. There's not much noticeable roll when guiding what is essentially a tall wagon around the turns. The suspension is aggressively tuned for a small economy car that competes with Scions, but the ride isn't overly harsh. If there's one obvious complaint it's that the all-black, unadorned shifter looks like it's been taken out of the bargain bin at a Boy's Town sex shop, but the easy clutch action means you're not likely to be staring at it long.

In the lower gears there's a steady stream of manageable power to be had from the 2.0-liter, DOHC fourbanger, which puts out 143 horsepower and 136 lb/ft of torque. Though you may not want to race for pinks at your local drag strip, there's enough oompf left to keep you entertained in all but the longest straights. And entertained you'll be. All of a sudden I looked at the clock in the smartly designed info strip above the center console and realized I had to get back from, well, I wasn't sure where I was at this point. Thankfully, Kevin had packed an extra trail map for me and I was able to work my way back to the original staging area.

When I got there, Kevin jokingly asked if I'd like to "actually see nature" by going for a short hike. I agreed, not knowing a short hike meant more than an hour, and we loaded the gear back into the Suzuki. Here's where the SX4 really shines as an "outdoor lifestyle" vehicle. The ergonomic interior doesn't merely store all of our stuff, it manages to do so without getting damaged. The seats tumble all the way forward and the synthetic seat covers and interior plastics take a lot of abuse without damage, leaving every scrape and chunk of dirt to be easily wiped out.

The bikes once again stowed, we headed out for this "nature" everyone talks about. Though the hiking trails are varied enough to be entertaining and open up to a shallow lake rimmed by striking green grassland, I couldn't help but wish I was back on the road. That says a lot for this vehicle considering its fully-loaded test price is less than $17,000.

Though the SX4 does have its shortcomings, most strikingly the amount of cabin noise you're subjected to as the engine whines above 80 mph, you'd be hard-pressed to find another new vehicle for this price that not only gets you to your "off the beaten path" adventure, but makes getting there the fun part.