The four-door SX4 Sport brings award-winning handling capabilities of the Suzuki Swift, which won more than 16 international awards, to the U.S. market. Having wowed journalists and drivers throughout the world, the sporty Swift character embodied in the SX4 Sport can now be enjoyed by U.S. consumers.

2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport

Suzuki’s development benchmark for the SX4 Sport was to meet or beat the Swift on key dynamic performance attributes in order to win the hearts of the American consumer. SX4’s appeal goes beyond its performance capabilities, as it offers bold youthful styling along with a generous list of standard features and a surprisingly roomy interior. Targeted toward younger buyers, the SX4 Sport represents a core model for Suzuki that has a personality distinct from its competitors.

The all-new 2008 Suzuki SX4 Sport is the automotive cousin to the five-door SX4 Crossover and is designed to ease the day-in, day-out urban grind for its drivers. Sharing a common appeal for those who live a life consistent with Suzuki’s “Way of Life” brand philosophy, the SX4 Sport and SX4 Crossover seamlessly blend into varied driving conditions and environments.

As with all 2008 Suzuki automobiles, the SX4 Sport is backed by America’s #1 Warranty: a 100,000-mile/seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.

Powertrain

Built in Japan, the SX4 Sport features a sophisticated 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC engine matched to a five-speed manual transmission or an available specially tuned four-speed automatic transmission.

The responsive engine’s strong low-end torque provides the fun-to-drive feeling commuters – and weekenders – crave, and is more powerful than segment volume leaders. The 2.0-liter engine delivers 143 horsepower and 136 lb.-ft. of torque, with an estimated EPA fuel economy rating of 23 mpg/city and 31 mpg/highway with automatic transmission.

Dynamic Handling

The SX4 Sport shares some key design elements with the Suzuki Swift and features a rigid steel unibody underpinned by a confidence-inspiring chassis that was fine-tuned in Europe to provide good stability on the highway along with crisp and responsive handling and braking and minimal body roll. Its rigid structure, along with reinforced suspension mounts, allows the front MacPherson struts and rear torsion beam suspension to work to their full potential. The sport-tuned suspension with 10mm (0.4 in) lower ride height compared to the SX4 Crossover, KYB performance shocks and standard stabilizer bars deliver dynamic, responsive handling. Steering and yaw performance, skid pad performance, braking performance, and body roll and brake force control of the SX4 Sport are superior to that of the Swift. The combination of a wide track and large 17-inch wheels with low profile 50 Series tires help optimize the ride-and-handling balance.

Driving in Confidence

The SX4 Sport offers customers an extensive array of standard safety features. Active safety features include daytime running lights, four-wheel Bosch disc brakes with ABS and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Passive safety elements include a safety-reinforced body with front and rear crumple zones designed to help absorb impact energy. The unibody structure is designed to direct impact energy away from the reinforced cabin area.

Six airbags are standard on the SX4 Sport: driver and front passenger advanced frontal airbags and side-impact airbags; and side curtain airbags designed to provide additional protection for outboard front- and rear-seat passengers. Additionally, the SX4 Sport is fitted with front three-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, three-point emergency locking retractor rear seat belts, ISO FIX-compliant child seat anchors, LATCH system (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) and a high-mounted stop lamp.

The Electronic Stability Program1 (ESP) is available on SX4 Sport Touring models and provides outstanding safety and control. The system uses the SX4 Sport’s electronic brake and traction control systems to measure vehicle speed, steering wheel angle and yaw faster than a typical driver. This information is sent to a central controller that can intervene as needed.

Under certain conditions, such as when unintended oversteer or understeer is detected, the system can apply individual brakes and reduce engine torque to help the driver maintain the proper cornering line. Together with the traction control system, ESP helps the driver maintain control when cornering, under acceleration, during emergency maneuvers and/or when driving on slippery road surfaces.

Styling that gets noticed

Suzuki has created a handsome, versatile car with poise and presence far beyond the SX4 Sport’s compact size and price. The SX4 Sport features bold style from Suzuki’s own design studio in Japan. A large Suzuki “S” over the honeycomb mesh grille is used to accentuate the sporty attributes of the vehicle and distinguish the Suzuki brand from its bland-looking competition.

The body features a low, rising waistline and large, triangular-shaped windows forward of the front doors, giving the SX4 Sport a sporty wedge shape indicative of its outstanding dynamic performance. The wide track, standard 17-inch alloy wheels and flared fenders also add to the appearance of traction and dynamic performance.

Where the SX4 Crossover offers a wide-open cargo area, the SX4 Sport provides generous, secure storage within its oversized trunk. Whether using the car personally or professionally, owners will enjoy the spacious cargo area, one of the largest in the segment. A rear deck lid spoiler is available to complete the look.

Amenity-filled Interior

The stylish design continues inside the SX4 Sport. A functional and high-tech center panel offers large, circular controls flanked by modern aluminum-colored trim. Instruments and controls seem to float as they are backlit by contemporary, high-tech red lighting, and the ergonomic design of the instrument cluster and dashboard provides clear views of the meters and easy access to the controls for a true driver-oriented cabin. The sporty cockpit theme extends throughout the cabin with a dark interior featuring black cloth for a look both sharp and refined.

The handsome integrated center stack contains a standard AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with four speakers or an available six-disc in-dash CD AM/FM/MP3 audio system with nine speakers (including subwoofer). Both audio systems are XM Satellite Radio-capable. It is a striking example of function complementing form. Customers who want the convenience of a fully integrated iPod2 system can purchase a Suzuki iPod interface from their Suzuki dealer.

Once the device is plugged in, it works seamlessly through the radio – or the steering-wheel-integrated controls – and playlists and each song’s information appears on the radio display. Also available on a dealer-installed basis is Suzuki’s Bluetooth3 connectivity option. Equally distinctive in the segment is the availability of a SmartPass keyless entry and start system on the Touring trim level.

With seating for five, the SX4 Sport offers both utility and style. Driver and passenger comfort is excellent due to the large cabin proportions. The in-command seating position provides a higher h-point than the competition and optimizes visibility for driving confidence and control along with superior ease of entry and egress. The expansive interior provides both driver and passengers with room to relax, and the exterior dimensions provide outstanding maneuverability for crowded city streets and parking areas. With generous legroom and shoulder room, even for the rear-seat passengers, interior volumes are equal to or better than volume leaders in the segment, and provide class-leading headroom.

Beyond the generous interior, the trunk boasts 15 cubic feet of space, offering 20 percent more storage space than some segment leaders. In addition, there are many discreet storage compartments located throughout the cabin, and all the doors feature large pockets and bottle holders for added convenience.

Trim Levels and Packages

The 2008 SX4 Sport is one of the best equipped compact cars in America, with more standard features than cars costing thousands more. The base SX4 Sport’s standard features include six airbags (driver and front passenger advanced frontal and side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags for all outboard seating positions) four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), tire pressure monitoring system, trip computer, front seatbelt pretensioners, power windows, locks and mirrors, remote keyless entry, air conditioning, AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system with four speakers, tilt steering wheel, aero body package, 17-inch alloy wheels and floor mats. The starting MSRP for the SX4 Sport is $14,770. Destination and handling charges are $625.

The SX4 Sport also offers two optional packages: Convenience and Touring. The Convenience Package adds cruise control and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with integrated audio controls, automatic climate control and heated outside mirrors. The starting MSRP for the SX4 with the Convenience Package is $15,270.

The Touring package adds a six-disc CD player, upgraded 380-watt audio system with nine speakers, including subwoofer, fog lamps, a rear spoiler, Electronic Stability Program with traction control system and SmartPass keyless entry and start system, and starts at $16,270. ESP and SmartPass will be introduced later in the year. An automatic transmission is available for $1,100 on all models.