Auto News & New car review

When Suzuki launched the SX4, we couldn’t help thinking that the oddly shaped hatch had some aftermarket potential. Suzuki seemed to think the same thing and tapped Road Race Motorsports, the renowned SoCal tuning firm, to create a one-off concept for the Chicago Auto Show. Road Race decided that it could do better than just some wheels, brakes, a body kit and a few engine mods, so its created the SX4t, a turbocharged version of the all-wheel-drive hatch that could mark the beginning of Suzuki’s ascendancy into the aftermarket. Read the rest of this entry »

The Suzuki Equator midsize pickup trucks on display at the Chicago Auto Show are customized trucks, not the production versions that will arrive at Suzuki dealerships late this year. They do, however, exhibit the general shape of the truck, and it’s a reasonably nice looking pickup — even if it does look a lot like the Toyota Tacoma. Read the rest of this entry »

Suzuki forsakes its image as a small car manufacturer with the introduction of the XL7 crossover SUV. The 2007 Suzuki XL7 is all-new. Save for elimination of the hyphen the 2007 XL7 only shares its name with the old XL-7.

The new XL7 is longer, wider and more powerful than the outgoing model. If its look seems faintly familiar that’s because it’s based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent models from GM, though it shares no sheetmetal with them. The XL7 is assembled in Canada alongside the Equinox and Torrent. The XL7’s V6 engine is built in Japan, however. Read the rest of this entry »

Nowadays there are many choices among small SUVs. Most owners have no desire to ever go off-road. No problem, the front-drive Honda CR-Vs and Toyota RAV4s of the world do just fine. Some occasionally want to wander onto dirt roads, nothing serious mind you. An automatic four-wheel-drive system works fine, and there’s the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage for them.
Then there are those who really dig an SUV for what it was originally intended. They want to get down and dirty and go where low gear and a locked differential is a necessity, not a luxury. Their choices are limited to Jeeps and a few others. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a shame that more of Suzuki’s line-up isn’t as well designed and executed as the nimble little Swift hatchback. But we swear, this was not what we had in mind.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., the country’s largest automaker and majority owned its the Japanese parent company, has taken the wraps off of the ironically named Swift DZire today, initial spy shots of which we lamented several months ago. Rather contrary to its name, we’re left wondering what’s so desirable about a trunk that it’s worth butchering erstwhile attractive hatchbacks. Read the rest of this entry »

Competes with: Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra
Looks like: The Suzuki Aerio’s stylish, sporty cousin
Drivetrain: 143-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic; front-wheel drive
Hits dealerships: Fall 2007
MSRP: $13,000 - $18,000 (estimated)
Previously offered only as a hatchback in the U.S., Suzuki will add a sedan version of its SX4 compact car for 2008. While the SX4 hatchback is part of a small group of all-wheel-drive compacts that includes the likes of the Subaru Impreza, the SX4 sedan is front-wheel drive only. It arrives in dealerships in fall 2007.

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