Suzuki Grand Vitara

Ottawa, Ontario – Today’s compact crossover/SUV segment is very different to what it was in the 1980s, mainly because it didn’t exist before Suzuki began selling its tiny Samurai here in the middle of that decade.

By today’s standards, the Samurai was more of an all-terrain vehicle with a roof, but the company kept adding refinement and power to subsequent models (Sidekick, Vitara and Grand Vitara), and eventually, it brought its first V6-powered Grand Vitara to market in 1999. By 2004, the Grand Vitara was a V6-only model (though the GM-badged Tracker clones still used the Suzuki’s old 2.0-litre four-cylinder), and that was how it stayed through a 2006 redesign that turned it into the vehicle you see here.

For 2009, changes are mostly limited to things you can’t see. After a five-year hiatus, Suzuki returns to its four-cylinder roots, creating a new base model Grand Vitara powered by an equally-new 2.4-litre engine that makes 166 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. (A new 3.2-litre V6 is an option; it replaces the old 2.7-litre six.)

2009 Suzuki SX4 Sedan

If now is the time for a small car you need to know all the options

Malcolm Gunn, Special to The Star

North Vancouver, British Columbia – When tall-but-small sedans like the subcompact Toyota Echo and the compact Suzuki Aerio first went on sale in Canada at the beginning of this decade, their tall bodystyles and tiny wheels looked rather odd, even comical. Actually, their tires and wheels weren’t any smaller than those of other small cars, but the cars’ tall height made them look small.

Though at first derided, these tall, small cars started a trend which continues to this day. Most small sedans now are much taller, with larger doors and higher seat cushions for easier entry and exit, more headroom for driver and passengers, and increased trunk space.

Suzuki replaced the Aerio sedan with the SX-4 sedan in 2008 and although it still has a tall roof height and a narrow body, it offers larger tires and a sportier appearance, particularly the uplevel SX-4 Sport model – this week’s test car – with its 17-inch tires, alloy wheels, and ‘aero’ bodywork.

2009 Suzuki SX4 Sedan

If now is the time for a small car you need to know all the options

Malcolm Gunn, Special to The Star

Published: Thursday, July 17, 2008

With a litre of gas closing in on the $1.50 mark, fuel-efficient cars of every stripe are in hot demand. That’s good news for Suzuki buyers who have the SX4 wagon with all-wheel-drive availability and its front-drive SX4 sedan counterpart to choose from.

Just when you thought you had wrapped your head around the fact the name Suzuki was associated with fuel-efficient commuter cars and not just well built motorcycles and outboard marine engines in the North American marketplace, along comes another first for the Japanese manufacturer.

Just when you thought you had wrapped your head around the fact the name Suzuki was associated with fuel-efficient commuter cars and not just well built motorcycles and outboard marine engines in the North American marketplace, along comes another first for the Japanese manufacturer.

Huntsville, ON. — Fuel economy is king right now for a lot of buyers on the market for a new vehicle – that much is obvious.

As such, automakers are constantly seeking to improve fuel economy any way they can – by using technology like variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation, or going so far as to adjust gear ratios and recalibrate gas pedals.