It has been a busy month for the SX4, with blasts on short notice to Pune and around Mumbai. In the city, its accentuated seating position provides good overall frontal visibility, which is boon in the traffic melees, where one never knows what crops up ahead, like a dim-wit biker who takes impromptu turn without indication, or a cabbie doing BMX stunts on the Western Express highway. The lack of rear visibility though makes parallel parking in tight spots a nightmare.
The sporty stance of the SX4 is accentuated by the swooping down front end. The overall driving feel with good steering and pedal positioning encourages spirited driving. Her stiff suspension set-up with wide rubber means no hairy moments, but the SX4 crashing into potholes at speed is rough on the spine. However the 16-inch wheels and high ground clearance save the day, ensuring that the car does not bottom out too often.
Low-end torque on tap just past 2000 rpm minimises gear shifting, rendering in-city commutes a breeze. Steering wheel mounted audio controls mean driver’s hands stay remain on the wheel even while
playing deejay.
The interior is roomy with thoughtful touches like the storage area below stereo console that holds cellphone, wallet and loose change. The stereo sound lacks depth and equaliser has built-in settings only for bass and treble. Some quality glitches despite, the SX4 is a good combo of style, performance, safety and comfort.
There’s an unfathomable whirring from the blower akin to a jet engine spooling up before take off, a niggle that clouds the SX4’s otherwise very desirable quotient.
