Long Term Report: Suzuki SX4

The more I drive it, the better I like it, though for a while I was thinking that our Suzuki’s rock solid reliability had taken a dent.

All the vital bits were fine – it started, it went, it stopped. But if I or one of my passengers fancied a change from what was on the radio, we could forget it… it was Radio 4, or silence. A couple of weeks ago, the screen that deals with the satellite navigation and media ceased to function. Turn on the ignition, and there was a white screen with a little black dot on it, by which was the simple instruction: ‘Press dot’. Having done that half a dozen times, after each of which the dot hopped to another part of the screen, I began to wonder why Garmin would be installing their own version of the original computer ping-pong game. The screen remained thus, so although the radio came on automatically with the ignition (a habit I could actually do without) and could have its volume changed or be switched off, almost nothing else worked – no satellite navigation, no auxiliary input, no reversing camera, no change of radio station. Only the CD player obliged; this is as usual automatically initiated on insertion of a disc. Having contacted Suzuki, I’m told that this is part of the ‘recalibration process’, and if I pressed the magic dot at least a dozen times, all would be well. So it proved, and my only remaining complaint is why on earth there’s no mention of the process in the Garmin manual. I’m told the problem shouldn’t normally occur, but a short paragraph in the manual would help those for whom it does. More perplexingly, there is no way to prevent the radio firing up when the ignition is turned on, though the volume can be kept at zero.

So much for the bad bits. On the plus side, one very useful asset that we’ve been enjoying is the surprising amount of space available in all seats and the boot. The S-Cross is a couple of inches shorter than a Focus hatchback, yet rear seat legroom is generous; I can sit behind my own hedonistic driving position, and knees won’t even touch the front seat. However, probably due to the Suzuki’s big sunroof, head room in the rear isn’t so bright; mine just touches the roof. Open the boot, and a yawning cave awaits your luggage. It manages a set of golf clubs at the widest point, and even in five-seat guise, copious cases can be fed into the 430 litres (15 cubic feet). Folding down the rear seats is easy, and thanks to the movable boot floor, this can be raised level with those folded seats. In the next issue I’ll be reporting on how the S-Cross fared across the channel, where the boot’s dimensions will prove a welcome asset.

Whats Hot:	For a car thatís shorter than a Ford Focus, the interior and boot are surprisingly spacious.
Whats Not:	Garmin manual is sadly lacking ñ no details of the recalibration process, and no method of preventing the radio starting up when the ignition is turned on.

 

Date arrived:	5th November 2013
Mileage to date:	5,447 miles
Fuel consumption:	67.2mpg (official combined) 55.3mpg (on test)

Peter Cracknell