For Suzuki SX4, price is on point

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The 2008 Suzuki SX4 sedan with the Convenience package costs $16,370. Quite a good price for quite a good car. Included in that price is automatic air conditioning, an audio system that can accommodate an MP3 player and 17-inch alloy wheels. Plus a 100,000-mile warranty and a year’s roadside assistance

Although the materials in the interior couldn’t be described as class leading in terms of quality, they’re better than anything found in Suzuki cars up to now. The four-speed auto transmission seems a bit old-school these days, but it works well enough. Its 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels and develops 143 horsepower and 136 pounds-feet of torque, which is fine for most day-to-day situations: home to work to shops to home. It gets to 60 mph eventually (Suzuki doesn’t bother giving performance data, so there’s a sign) and claimed fuel consumption figures are 23 and 31 mpg, city and highway.

It has perfectly adequate rear head- and legroom and a decent-sized trunk. General visibility and the seating position is fine; the switchgear feels fairly substantial. It probably won’t impress any potential life partners (unless they’re kinky about parsimony) and experienced drivers will find it short on road-going thrills. But the 2008 Suzuki SX4 sedan with the Convenience package costs $16,370.

-- Colin Ryan