2013 Suzuki SX4: Unique Compact Available In 3 Flavors

BREA, Calif., Sept. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As Americans increasingly pursue alternate modes of transportation, Suzuki owners and enthusiasts describe Suzuki's SX4 Crossover as one of the purest examples of 'alternative' transport. With 5-door architecture providing both spacious accommodation and flexible utility, and its standard all-wheel drive delivering all-season capability, the SX4 Crossover continues to successfully embrace an automotive duality of day-to-day practicality and weekend recreation. And every Suzuki goes down the road with the backing of America's #1 Warranty¹: a 100,000 miles/seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.

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European Profile
Penned by Giugiaro's ItalDesign, the SX4 Crossover is arguably the most European of the Japanese-assembled cars and trucks competing for the U.S. consumer. While the Crossover's overall dimensions (and – importantly – front and rear overhangs) are relatively small, its high roofline and spacious greenhouse make in-town errand running the proverbial piece-of-cake. The 2013 SX4 Crossover benefits from an all-new front fascia, alloy wheels, and new exterior colors (including Plasma Yellow, shown).

Interior Flexibility
Those same proportions allow easy access to the Crossover's interior. Once inside you'll find spacious accommodation for your family – and the stuff a family brings with it. Raised theater-style seating enhances the spacious feeling experienced by the rear seat passengers. And if your travels (and Suzuki's all-wheel drive) take you far afield, those rear seats fold, providing all the room necessary to enjoy an extended, off-the-grid holiday.

In 2013 the SX4 Crossover, along with both Sport sedan and SportBack hatch, enjoy new seat fabrics and the availability of embedded navigation/infotainment system with streaming audio² and USB ports for a variety of portable music players. The new voice-activated system is standard on the SX4 Sport sedan.

Upward Mobility
The 2013 SX4 Crossover retains the MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam rear axle in back. In combination with accurate, well-connected steering, standard all-wheel drive, 4-wheel disc braking and all-season rubber, the SX4 Crossover is equipped for sure-footed handling. Since its introduction the SX4 Crossover with Suzuki's 3-mode Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (i-AWD)³ has been sold as America's most affordable AWD automobile.

A Four for the Money
With most hatches in its competitive segment offering displacements either at or under 1.6 liters, Suzuki's SX4 family continues to supply a full 2.0 liters of displacement, along with horsepower (150 @ 6,200 rpm for those with manual transmissions, 148 with CVT) and torque (140 @ 4,000 rpm) fully commensurate with that larger capacity. The end result is flexibility in any driving environment, from Penn Station to Pikes Peak. The 4-cylinder's robust architecture is shared with its larger stablemate, the 2.4 liter Suzuki Kizashi.

Connected to the willing and flexible 4-cylinder is your choice of either 6-speed manual or Continuously Variable Transmission. Opt for the manual and you'll enjoy lower gears more closely spaced, which optimizes acceleration. At highway speeds overdrive ratios on both 5^th and 6^th gears provide more relaxed cruising and, by extension, more efficiency. If you prefer the convenience of an automatic, Suzuki's CVT works to maintain the engine's rpm in its 'sweet spot' over a wide range of vehicle speeds, both in-town and on the open road.

Safety Comes Standard
The SX4's class-leading active safety features include standard Electronic Stability Program^®4 (ESP) with traction control and four-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS and electronic brake-force distribution. Working in combination with traction control, stability control enhances vehicle stability when the SX4 corners, accelerates, is operated on slick roads or is asked to perform emergency maneuvers.

Passive safety features and capabilities include a reinforced body structure combined with front and rear crumple zones designed to help absorb the energy of an impact. Eight airbags are standard, and include driver and front passenger advanced frontal airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, and side-curtain airbags designed to provide additional protection for front-seat and outboard rear-seat passengers.

With the above inventory of airbags in place, the SX4 family meets 2014 side impact standards. Front three-point seatbelts include both pretensioners and force limiters. And ISOFIX-compliant child seat anchors and the LATCH system (Lower Anchor and Tethers for Children) work to help secure infants and/or young children in the car, while daytime running lights and a tire pressure monitoring system work to help improve safety for all passengers.

An Extended Family of Suzuki Choices
SX4 Sport
For those preferring a conventional 4-door profile, generous interior room and a spacious, secure trunk, the SX4 sedan and SX4 Sport continue to supply a made-in-Japan trifecta. Powered by the same 2.0 liter DOHC four connected to either a 6-speed manual or CVT, the SX4 sedan and Sport remain a credible combination of space, efficiency and affordability.

Suzuki's SX4 Sport takes the conventional 4-door recipe and adds to it a more communicative suspension, aggressive 17-inch rubber and a handful of aerodynamic modifications. The end result does nothing to compromise day-to-day practicality, but adds more than a hint of brio to a Wednesday commute or weekend journey. Both SX4 4-doors deliver the essence of Suzuki performance in a practical package.

SX4 SportBack
Sharing the 5-door utility of the SX4 Crossover with the more precise handling of the SX4 Sport, the 2013 SportBack is the essential ingredient for those whose active lifestyles typically take place on the beaten – rather than unbeaten – path.

Well received by both Suzuki enthusiasts and those simply looking for practical, well-designed transportation, the SportBack can deliver an entire host of attributes to each segment of its audience.  As with the Crossover, SX4 sedan and SX4 Sport, the SportBack enjoys a full 2.0 liters of displacement connected to either a 6-speed manual or CVT. MacPherson struts in front supply tenacious roadholding, while in back the SportBack's torsion beam keeps the rear in your rearview mirror. Relative to the Crossover and sedan, the SportBack enjoys a lowered ride height, performance shocks, stabilizer bars and 50-series all-season Dunlops.

In 2013 the SportBack receives a revised front fascia outside and interior enhancements.

Technical Specifications – 2013 Suzuki SX4 Crossover

Wheelbase: 98.4 inches
Overall Length: 163.4 inches
Overall Width: 69.1 inches
Engine: 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC engine
Horsepower: 150 hp @ 6,200 rpm (manual) ; 148 hp @ 6,000 rpm (CVT)
Torque: 140 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission, Manual: 6-speed manual transmission
Transmission, Automatic: Continuously Variable
Brakes: 4-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution

Technical Specifications – 2013 Suzuki SX4 Sedan/Sport

Wheelbase: 98.4 inches
Overall Length: 176.8 (Sedan), 177.6 (Sport)
Overall Width: 68.1 inches
Engine: 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC engine
Horsepower: 150 hp @ 6,200 rpm (manual); 148 hp @ 6,000 rpm (CVT)
Torque: 140 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission, Manual: 6-speed manual transmission
Transmission, Automatic: Continuously Variable
Brakes: 4-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution

Technical Specifications – 2013 Suzuki SX4 SportBack

Wheelbase: 98.4 inches
Overall Length: 162.8 inches
Overall Width: 68.1 inches
Engine: 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC engine
Horsepower: 148 hp @ 6,000 rpm (CVT)
Torque: 140 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission, Automatic: Continuously Variable
Brakes: 4-wheel disc brakes and four-wheel ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution

¹See suzukiauto.com or your local Dealer for more information on warranty highlights or the New Vehicle Warranty Information booklet for full warranty disclosure.
²Requires compatible smartphone app and active data service.  Drivers and/or passengers could be subject to data service overage charges should the drivers and/or passengers exceed the limits of the data service plan.
³Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (i-AWD) cannot be relied upon to prevent accidents, due to abrupt steering, carelessness or dangerous driving techniques.  Always drive safely
⁴Electronic Stability Program^® (ESP) is a registered trademark of Daimler AG, which should remain on when driving except when freeing the vehicle from the mud or snow, cannot be relied upon to prevent accidents due to abrupt steering, carelessness or dangerous driving techniques.

About Suzuki
The Brea, Calif.-based Automotive Operations of American Suzuki Motor Corporation was founded in 1963 by parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) and currently markets its vehicles in the United States through a network of automotive dealerships and numerous other motorcycle, ATV and marine distributors. With global headquarters in Hamamatsu, Japan, SMC is a diversified worldwide automobile, motorcycle and outboard motor manufacturer. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has operations in 201 countries and regions. For more information, visit www.media.suzukiauto.com

SOURCE American Suzuki Motor Corporation