Introduction

My day begins by deleting all the spam text messages I receive on my cell phone. Now, while some of those messages are about curing baldness and obesity, and some about enhancing your manhood, most of them are about new residential projects. Projects, which with their conveniences, will shame amusement parks, spas and even five star hotels. However, all these projects are always far away from the main city be it Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai or any other prosperous metro.

For good reason too. The property prices in the main cities today are obscenely high. I mean, for a flat that even a rodent might reject for its small size, it’s awful construction and design, and no modern amenities at all, the extortionists demand over a crore rupees (on the conservative side). That’s ridiculous!

Naturally, like me many city dwellers have moved away to these new residential towns, but sadly, the employers stay put in the expensive city surrounds. So, the commute for the regular salaried Indian has gone up significantly.

And this, finally, brings me to the car on test here, the diesel version of the Maruti Suzuki SX4. It costs between Rs 7.9 and Rs 9.1 lakh and given the long commute most individuals undertake these days, it makes perfect sense on paper. It’s good looking, has Maruti’s sales and service backup and comes with a proven diesel engine that’s already done wonders of the Swift Dzire sedan; albeit the SX4 gets a more advanced turbo as a bonus.

Highlights

- New SX4 diesel comes in three variants – Vdi, Zdi with airbags and ABS, and Zdi with leather seats. The latter is the most expensive at Rs 9.2 lakh ex-showroom

- Looks and interiors of the SX4 diesel remain unchanged

- The engine is a 1.3-litre, four cylinder, common rail direct injection, turbocharged diesel that makes 90bhp and 200Nm of torque

- The turbocharger is a super turbo or variable geometry turbocharger which makes the car easy and less jerky to drive

- Fuel efficiency from the 1.3-litre engine is impressive and the SX4 diesel can return upto 15.4kmpl

- 0-100kmph takes 13.1 seconds and the SX4’s top speed is about 165kmph

Looks & interiors

If you were expecting a minor face-lift to go along with the new engine option on the SX4, you’d be disappointed. The car looks just like it did before inside and out. So, it’s still unconventional on the outside, but remains run of the mill inside.

The styling might not be to everyone’s liking, but there’s no denying, the SX4 has road presence. And now with some really nice paint options on the car, it stands out in a crowd even more.

The interiors meanwhile are the same as before apart from the addition of faux dark wood finish at places. The quality levels aren’t as good as the Volkswagen Vento, but its insides are decently finished. There are no real gaping gaps and the feel and look of the plastics is at par for the car’s price. The SX4 is ergonomically sound as well, which means the seating position feels natural and all the controls for the driver fall easily to hand and are logical in operation. But, yes, the interiors of the SX4 certainly fail to stimulate your senses; it’s pretty run of the mill here.

The visibility though, thanks to a high seating is good nonetheless. The seats are accommodating and comfortable too, and there’s good room all round as well. The SX4 is also well equipped, spacious and an awful lot practical for the segment it operates in, especially given its high ground clearance and a decently sized boot.

Engine & gearbox

The engine on the SX4 diesel is a 1.3-litre common rail direct injection number with a variable geometry turbocharger. Now, most modern common rail diesel engines suffer from turbo lag. What this means is that the turbo which provides an extra dose of performance to the car only starts working after 1800-2000rpm. So, if one continues to drive in a higher gear at slower speed and with revs below 1800rpm, the car just doesn’t seem to have any drive.

However, once past 1800rpm and with the turbo now working, there’s a sudden burst of performance which catches the driver unawares and can lead to a jerky drive. Something we have witnessed in the diesel versions of the Swift, the i20 and even the lesser powerful cars like the Polo.

The new SX4 though with its superb turbo or a variable geometry turbocharger cuts out these drawbacks. So, one has drive from the word go (at revs below 1800rpm even) and there’s no mad pull coming in even with the turbo singing in all its glory. This engine meanwhile is coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox which is precise and with requires less effort and movement on the driver’s part to slot in. It can get a tad notchy at times though.

The drive

Begin driving the new SX4 diesel, and the first thing that strikes you in the good ride quality on the car. The SX4 does well to keep most road irregularities like pot holes, broken surfaces and even road joints isolated from its passengers. This is truer for slower speeds than high.

The drive though with the new engine could have been better. It’s the same Fiat engine that powers the Swift, Dzire and the Ritz, besides the Fiat and Tata hatchbacks in the country. But, thanks to a variable geometry turbocharger it produces higher power and torque figures, just like it does on the Linea and the Manza. The end result is a quicker 0-100kmph compared to the Swift Dzire as well as better driveability.

But, at 13.1 seconds, the SX4 is one of the slowest cars in the run upto 100kmph in this group. Only the Linea is slower. The same holds true when it comes to driveability. Moreover, if you like driving, the SX4 again isn’t the most entertaining drive. It’s more involving and fun compared to the Verna, but both the Vento and the Linea with their better steering feel, body control and predictive handling, make a better case for themselves.

Having said that, dynamics don’t make or break a car; it’s the overall package that matters. And on that count, the SX4 makes for a fantastic diesel sedan to buy. It is competitively priced, decently equipped, is adequately spacious and practical, and has acceptable performance and great fuel economy in its favour as well.

Verdict

An SX4 diesel was waiting to happen. And now that it is here, a lot of C-segment buyers will find it enticing to buy. If you are one of those, here’s why you should buy one – It’s spacious, efficient, has comfortable seats and a comfortable ride. It has all the equipment and more that’s available in its segment, and best of all you can get is serviced anywhere given Maruti’s huge service network. The engine itself is a proven performer too.