Maruti Suzuki SX4 For?

The SX4 sports one of the biggest cabins this side of the Logan. The big, supportive seats should be comfortable enough for long journeys too. Not that the City's are bad, in fact they are lovely, but the 'big' Maruti edges out the humble Honda by the most minuscule of margins here. Settle yourself on the comfy 'chair' and it is easy to find the right driving position.With the adjustable this and thats (steering and seats), life is... a bit more cool! Spot on is what comes to mind after going through the gears. Well spaced out, short and crisp throws with a smooth action and good-to-hold gear stick (parts sharing here too - it's from the Swift!) makes it all the more enjoyable. One glitch that I noticed was a shortage of elbow room for the occupants. Three is certainly a crowd at the rear.

Surprising, since the numbers suggest that this is quite a broad car. Build quality has not been Maruti's forte and this is evident even in their latest offering. The City is leaps ahead of the SX4 in the build and finish department. The NHV levels are well within acceptable limits but I suspect that the Honda will better the Maruti in this department too.

Maruti doing boring things was so usual till the Swift came around, and now this. The trend is - make a SUV more car-like (read Honda CRV). Instead Maruti aimed at doing reverse engineering (a good thing?) and created a car that was more SUV than any 3-box can ever imagine to be. Riding on those mammoth 16" wheels, the wide 205 section JK Tyre Vectra(s) offer astonishing grip levels. Whatever handling capabilities she is endowed with, is primarily due to the rubber she lays on the road. What grip! Brilliant. An inherent problem with almost all front-engined cars, there is a hint of understeer always which gets pronounced when the car is pushed to the limit of the chassis. The body roll is quite noticeable but does not become a bother. Reason? Again, those Vectra(s). Ride quality is acceptable and it gets better as the car builds speed. The ground clearance at 190mm is a blessing in disguise keeping in mind the Indian road and weather conditions.

Brakes are among the best that I have come across in this segment, or even a segment above. The ABS works beautifully and the brakes have a positive feel towards them. Now, the motor. What a beguiling motor! The frenzied horses - over a hundred of those - are always game for any kind of whacking. Quiet and mannered when cruising around, the engine gets mad and loud when whipped hard. Our acceleration runs provided numbers beyond belief and we saw her shooting past a hundred clicks in 'Fiesta-territory' of eleven and some seconds. That's... quick. From hereon the SX4 managed to go to a 165 before we encountered traffic and had to slow down. Gauging how effortlessly the engine was pulling, I am sure this machine can clock close to 180-185kmph on the speedo. The stronghold of the SX4's engine is the burly mid-range and she pulls seamlessly. Such a performance comes at a trade-off. And the trade-off comes in the shape of fuel efficiency. Close to 10kmpl is certainly not going in favour of the SX4 and the City will easily eat this behemoth in this aspect. Show her the open stretches and the SX4 will traverse about 15 kays before the fuel level dips another litre.

Now the clincher - the Maruti Suzuki SX4 undercuts the Honda City in the price milieu and the former is as loaded as you can imagine. Honda, for now, can only gaze in amusement.