Sippin' Suzuki SX4

Buyers post 1st July are taking a longer look at diesel options in the compact family car sector and Suzuki are attracting attention with their 1.6 diesel engine in their SX4 range.



The SUV-look SX4 was first launched back in 2006, designed to appeal to those with an outdoor lifestyle and who want their car to reflect that image. To tick all their boxes, their car of choice must be roomy, stylish and solid, as well as being a good performer.

However, I also see the SX4 as a second family car, ideal for the school run and for loading up at the supermarket.

This 5-door diesel option to the SX4 sport crossover range is priced from €19,995 excluding delivery and related charges.



The list price has now reduced by €2,000 and with a C02 emission of 136 g/km, the car fits into Band B with a €150 annual road tax bill which won't break the bank.

The new 1.6 90PS DDiS engine — supplied by Peugeot who are acknowledged to be among the best diesel engine makers in the world — comes with 215 Nm of torque giving quite a lively performance.

Mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and driving through the front wheels, the combined cycle returns a frugal 5.3 L/100kms (53.3 mpg). This latest version clocks up 0-100 kms in 12.2 seconds and has a potential top speed of 175 km/h.



While lively enough, this diesel engine is also quiet, as you'd expect from its source. So there's absolutely no need to turn up the radio volume as you drive. While quite a tall car, it proved a nice tidy drive along twisty roads and was mannerly on the motorways.

Suzuki has reversed the trend of putting diesel engines into lower spec cars, so the SX4 DDiS comes only in the higher GLX specification.

Out on the road, you get the impression of driving a much bigger car. The sense inside is one of space in this five-door hatch. You'll fit five adults, just about. And the comfy seats hold you in snugly all the way up your back offering great support. Rear ones are a tad higher giving those in the back a better field of vision and come with a 60:40 split. Tumble them forward to create an almost fully flat floor and boot space of 625 litres.

Even six-footers will have no bother with head, shoulder or leg room, even in the back.

Sitting high behind the wheel, you can enjoy a good view of the road ahead. All round good visibility makes it an ideal car for city or suburban runs. I especially liked the high windscreen and the big A-pillar windows which allow you good vision out the front sides.

Dials are nice and well spaced, white on black with the 110 km/h mark at the very top while the radio has a big central volume knob, good sized individual buttons with numbers in white. There’s also the obligatory CD player and MP3 connectivity, a decent glove box and fine sized door bins.

Doors open wide and the high ground clearance also helps with getting in and out.

But one annoying thing I found was the piercing sound when you lock or unlock the car using the remote. It's a far louder bleep than in most cars.



Occupants are protected by a number of safety features including front, side and curtain airbags, plus front seat pre-tensioners. The SX4 scored four out of a maximum five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests. In this DDiD version, the SX4 is only available in FWD.

Equipment levels are similar to the SX4 1.5 GL but adds manual air condtioning, heated door mirrors, 16-inch alloys, roof rails, front fogs and wheelarch extensions. GL models have electric power steering, front electric windows, electric door mirrors, remote control locking, air conditioning, pollen filter, radio/CD player, remote audio controls and tinted glass.

Suzuki cars are covered by a 3 year/100,000km new vehicle warranty, by Suzuki Assistance, providing 24 hour Irish and European roadside assistance, recovery and associated service for 36 months and by a 12 year perforation warranty.

Trish Whelan.

More Modus

Renault's original Modus was unfortunate in losing out in the popularity stakes to the more popular Nissan Note which was actually based on the same concept and made on the same platform.



The longer Note struck a chord with buyers both here and across Europe as it was more visually appealing and offered more luggage space.

Here, I must add that the entry level Modus review car I test drove some years back, ferried three big six-footers as well as myself from a rugby dinner, with absolute ease. And I heard no complaints from the back about room space either. Maybe they were just appreciative of having a designated driver!

The car under review is the 1.2-litre version with five speed manual transmission costing 15,650 euros. The price is Ex-Rosslare and includes VAT and VRT.

Punters can choose from either the Royale or Monaco versions, whichever suits their lifestyle, or go for an ecological 1.2 petrol or a 1.5 dCi diesel engine. The 1.5 dCi 106hp Royale II has a low C02 reading of 124 g/km as has the Monaco similar version.

Now in its mid-life upgrade, the car has undergone drastic changes which should prove more attractive to buyers. Firstly, there is now a Grand Modus. Anyone with even a smattering of French knows that, when translated, Grand means Big, or Large. And in Ireland, this is the only one which is being sold.



The new car has a 93mm longer wheelbase than the standard model, with a bigger amount of metal and glass. Now more than 4 metres long and with a bit over 0.4 cu m of luggage space with all seats in use. As the seats can move backwards or forwards, this space can be varied to suit your requirements.

In the looks department, Modus can now be described as looking 'cute' and quite cheerful. People paused to get a better look and two small children asked if they could sit in it. They loved it, bouncing up and down on the front seats and being able to see out without cushions due to the high seats and low side windows.

That amount of glass helps hugely with visibility as do the good sized side mirrors with blind spot cover. The big glass area also makes the cabin light and airy. The only downside is the amount of dark grey in the cabin only relieved by a smattering of light silver.

A-pillar windows are so big they seem part of the actual windows with just a narrow strip divide between them and so provide great side-view visibility.

Seats are comfy and hold you well. Everything on the dash is nicely placed, with the information screen in a central position, as in the Toyota Yaris. The pod is shielded against glare and gives your speed in big, bright orange digital numbers. All the information is contained in a large semi arc.

But, while the radio buttons are of a decent size, finding alternative radio stations to those already slotted in, is not intuitive. I had to consult the manual and even then it wasn't an easy thing to do. Renault have stuck with that circular control for volume etc for far too long. It's too small by far and means you have to be very precise with where your finger goes.

There are two overhead drop-down boxes situated in the centre of the roof, so they don't affect headroom. Ideal for storing away things like books, tissues or colouring markers to keep the young ones happy in the back and the youngsters will be able to use the pop-up plastic trays on the backs of the front seats.

Other storage areas include a decent glove box, good sized door bins on both front doors, a handy lidded storage area on the driver's side of the dash top, and there's the option of a smallish drawer for under the front seats.



The review car proved surprisingly capable over the course of a very long test drive period. It's a nice, smooth performer. That said, it won't set the world alight as it's not that kind of car. No, it's most likely to be the second family car used for the school run, ferrying the kids around and for shopping, as it performs well in traffic. The ride is good overall and the longer wheelbase helps here over the current version, making it almost into an MPV.

Body coloured bumpers with black protective strips help fend off scratches in the supermarket car park.

This child-friendly car comes with Isofix attachment systems in the two outer rear seats and one in the front passenger seat.

As time went by, I became very fond of the Grand Modus. It's a good transporter for four or five people or for a growing family.

Take a good, long look at it. And then a good, long drive.

Trish Whelan.

Tiguan treat

There's a big battle being fought to be the top dog in the compact SUV segment, one which is picking up the slack in the downturn of full-size vehicles of that type.



This is why in recent times there has been a plethora of new entrants, many from makers who haven't been in this particular end of the game, like Ford, Citroen, and Peugeot. This has made it more difficult for the traditional players in the segment, like Toyota with its RAV4 and Suzuki with its Grand Vitara.

Volkswagen was one of the earlier newcomers, picking up on its success with the large Touareg by bringing in a smaller version based on the Golf platform. The Tiguan has been a significant success for the brand, challenging successfully the RAV4's place as biggest seller in the segment across Europe.



It has the essential elements. The style proportions are very good in SUV terms, but in a non-aggressive design suited to the tenor of these times. Inside there is chunky seating, solid furniture and fittings, and accommodation front and rear which is more than ample for five occupants.



The surface of the dashboard and binnacle trim is soft touch but pleasingly solid to the tap. The primary instruments are familiar analogue dials with the centre information patch and lighting in the VW blue that makes for very easy reading at night.

The centre stack and its essentials are a move upwards for Volkswagen, especially the large touch-screen entertainment/communications system that also handles sat-nav when fitted. No less than eight air vents are fitted in the centre and at either ends of the dash, offering a very wide choice of heating/cooling options.

The steering wheel is chunky without being too big a handful, and the short leather-gaitered shifter very pleasant and precise to use.

The review car was the Town & Country specification, powered by a version of VW's dual-charged 1.4 petrol engines with an output of 150hp. In its various iterations, this is one of my favourite power units of the moment. And though the main seller in Tiguan here is the diesel one, it was a good opportunity to get the feel of the 1.4 in this application.

The car came with a number of high end features, including an electronically operated parking brake with a hill hold facility, and cruise control. The airconditioning was of the ordinary variety rather than full climate control.



Obviously it is a flexible car in terms of people/cargo usage, and the flipover arrangements of the rear seats are simply operated (I only mention it because it remains a matter of some mystery to me that the systems for this in some cars are still of the knuckle-scraping variety).

The Tiguan is a good drive whether on highway or twisty back road, on the latter showing very neutral handling and steering characteristics that made it an easy car to use on tricky cross-country journeys. Pleasant progress is also aided by the characteristics of the engine, which uses both turbocharging and supercharging to get high output from a small displacement. Maximum torque comes on at a mere 1,750rpm, thanks to this system, and the 0-100 km/h is doable in under 10 seconds.

Over a week of quite mixed driving, though a fair chunk of it going the distances, I got an average of 8.3 L/100km, which happened to be almost spot on to the official combined fuel consumption figure. In fairness, not wildly economic, but not over the top for the size of car either. It puts the official CO2 figure at 199 g/km.

That it is a VW and has the iconic respect which that brand enjoys right across its product range, means it will sell in respectable numbers and provide Volkswagen fans with a viable option in the mid-size sector.

Brian Byrne.