Tough going for the latest SX4 Suzuki

SUZUKI'S SX4 crossover won't arrive here in 4x4 version until April thanks to the firm's European distribution plan, just as the snowiest winter in decades has drivers clamouring for four-wheel power.

Still, the front-wheel drive is available now.

Suzuki launched the SX4 in 2006 and regards it as the progenitor of the compact crossover. The 4x4 model is economical and easy to use, with 4x4 transmission selected by a simple rocker switch, with an "auto" setting to take out the guesswork. There are diesel and petrol engines and a petrol automatic. It is an everyday sort of car, demonstrating that smaller can be adequate for most of us.

Suzuki makes the new SX4 at a Budapest factory which also makes the Sedici for Fiat, the Suzuki Swift and Splash, and Agila for Opel Vauxhall.

The new SX4 front-wheel drive with a Suzuki 1.6 petrol motor offers significant improvements to the model's economy and refinement – and less significant changes to its face. The majority sold will be this 1.6 petrol with front-drive, with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed auto box. The 4x4 versions use both the 1.6 petrol and a 1.6 diesel from Peugeot. Last year's Fiat 1.9 diesel engined model has been dropped and Suzuki GB is evaluating demand for a 2.0 diesel, also from Fiat.

Suzuki's choice of engines has widened since Volkswagen took a near 20 per cent stake last year.

Suzuki's product manager Rob Lake (who launched the Qashqai at Nissan), says that the SX4 will suit 95 per cent of car users 95 per cent of the time.

It is a valid point. The SX4 is big enough to take four adults (it seats five), has hatchback versatility with lots of headroom and an upright stance to give the driver a commanding view and is short enough for easy parking. Lake adds that the SX4 is for "urban adventurers", with anti-scuff exterior trim to resists parking scrapes in town and off-piste moments on trips to the country in free time.

Prices open at 11,640 in base SZ3 trim which brings electric windows front and back, air conditioning, remote locking, power mirrors, MP3 audio, six airbags, roof rails, a leather-rimmed steering wheel with illuminated audio controls, upmarket backlit instruments and a tripmeter.

The main test drive was taken in the 1.6 petrol 2x4 in the next level SZ4 trim which adds 16in alloys, a protective strip of questionable use along the doors, keyless entry and ignition, climate control, front foglights and an additional audio speaker in the centre of the dashboard. It costs 12,255 and looks very much worth the extra 615 over the SZ3. (Note though, the SZ4 trim for the diesel does not include stop-start or the central speaker.)

The 1.6 petrol auto is 13,280 in SZ4 trim. The 1.6 petrol in top SZ5 trim with 4x4 will cost around 14,200 and the 1.6 diesel 2x4 will be around 13,500. Pricing for the 2-litre diesel 4x4 in SZ5 trim with six gears and 4x4 could be an additional 2,000 — rather too much for an SX4.

On a misty day, with roads both urban and rural mired in black ice, the SX4 behaved unremarkably, in the nicest possible way.

The attention to sound-proofing with thicker carpets and improved cladding under the engine has worked.

It rode the pitted asphalt reasonably smoothly, and was quiet enough to talk at near-normal volume. I confess we never tried the audio system to evaluate the worth of that middle speaker being a bit aurally challenged at the best of times. The back seats fold flat on to the base and then can be tumbled forward again (and lashed to the front headrests) to give a flat load deck.

The 1.6 petrol motor gets tweaks (a new block, low friction pistons, improved air intake, plus a more efficient catalytic converter) to gain 12 per cent in horse power, 8 per cent torque, 6 per cent in mpg and a drop of 10 per cent in CO2 emissions. It is not a car for the hot hatch enthusiast but manages standstill to 60mph in less than 11 seconds. You should expect to get more than 40mpg unless you spend all your time in city traffic. On Suzuki's figures, the 4x4 version is almost as economical. Choosing the 1.6 diesel could boost economy by 12mpg.

Suzuki's 4x4 system is similar to the Haldex unit fitted by Skoda. The driver can select 2x4 which runs in front-drive all the time. If slippery conditions are expected, you would select 4x4 auto, which transfers power to the back when the front wheels slip.

The third setting locks the transmission in 4x4 and should only be used in deep snow or mud. It gives immediate traction to scramble free.

Motor: At present only the five-speed 1.6 petrol in 2x4 drive is available. It develops 118bhp and 115 lb ft. Suzuki quotes mpg at 35.8 urban, 54.3 extra urban and 45.6 combined. CO2 is 143g/km.

Speed: A maximum of 115mph with 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds.

Price: From 11,640 for manual gears. The automatic is 13,280 in SZ4 trim.