Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Concept Cars, Hatchbacks, Suzuki
Chicago Auto Show: Road Race Suzuki SX-4
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Suzuki didn't even bother holding a press conference at the Chicago Auto Show this year, but the little car company that could loves to tune its cars for us, and a new one was present at McCormick Place. The Road Race SX4 was dialed in by the well-known craftsmen at Road Race Motorsports in Santa Fe, CA. Based on the 5-door SX4, this tuner car features a Road Race SRI intake system, a piggyback ECU to eek out a few more horsepower from the car's 2.0L four-cylinder, a catback exhaust and aftermarket pulley system. The car sits atop sport springs from Road Race and front and rear anti-roll bars keep thing in check. The SX-4's all-wheel drive is also now tasked with rotating a set of 18-inch Enkei NTO+3 wheels wrapped in Toyo rubber. The car's exterior, meanwhile, is awash in a two-tone paint job. The roof racks have been deleted for a smoother look, though a Carbontrix front sport lip and vented carbon fiber hood were added to up its street cred. The interior benefits from a Carbontrix shift known and Suzuki's own Suzuki Workds Techno fiber trim kit.
With the tuning scene dying down a bit, the purpose of an exercise like the Road Race Suzuki SX-4 may be called in question, but we doubt Suzuki cares.
Related posts:
Suzuki Concept-X2
Detroit Auto Show: Suzuki Concept X
Suzuki will debut two more concepts at SEMA
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rrr 4:25PM (2/08/2007)
Isn't this car just a rebadged Pontiac Vibe? I know Suzuki has somekind of a deal with Chevy............their SUVs are identical to Chevy's.
Instead of selling these Chevy's that no one wants, they need to sell some of the cars they sell in Japan.
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JapDot 4:30PM (2/08/2007)
The idea of this car is great: low cost, all wheel drive, people mover. It looks good in photos too. In reality it has a kind of odd toy like profile. The roof is a little too bubbly and the front end is too short. The two tone paint tames the odd look a bit. The second generation should be a winner.
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Daffy Duck 4:30PM (2/08/2007)
No. They aren't. The Vibe is the sister car to the Toyota Matrix.
And this car is a pretty sweet deal in stock form, being the cheapest car you can get with AWD in the US.
And who says the tuning crowd is dying down? I just think it is changing a bit. I think you are going to see more people chipping their cars and eschewing the added aero mods. If anything, the tuner crowd is going up market.
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judd 4:41PM (2/08/2007)
I still want my Swift Sport. That's all I am asking for.
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ryan 4:44PM (2/08/2007)
That car is just the cutest car
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david 4:53PM (2/08/2007)
reminds me of the seventy year old blonde at church last sunday that had too much make up on. you know, tries to put bright red lipstick on and misses her lips and gets it half way up to her nose. a car only some moron like rrr would drive.
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ryan 4:58PM (2/08/2007)
"6. reminds me of the seventy year old blonde at church last sunday that had too much make up on. you know, tries to put bright red lipstick on and misses her lips and gets it half way up to her nose. a car only some moron like rrr would drive.
Posted at 4:53PM on Feb 8th 2007 by david"
-I love how you mention going to church then call someone a moron, THAT is funny!
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NoNameDenton 5:12PM (2/08/2007)
Would be a great car with more engine power for the actual car, like a turbo or two
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Tony 5:28PM (2/08/2007)
First things first... there's no hyphen in SX4.
Secondly, the lower ride height, tinted windows and blacked out top do a world of good to this design... Road Race has tuned this vehicle to enhance the lackluster base SX4, such that you get the benefits without breaking the bank, and keeping the value of the SX4 intact.
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Markman 5:58PM (2/08/2007)
looks good. I like the SX4. The more aftermarket stuff the better. Now lets get some power.
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sheikhness 7:03PM (2/08/2007)
i think its fugly. the stock one is ok but this "tuner" looks awful.
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Solar 9:55PM (2/08/2007)
I like it. I'll take one without all of the stickers.
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JAYLO 2:41PM (2/09/2007)
I am glad to see a practical interpretation of a tuned car. The SX4 is a tough car to make look good and Road Race did a great job of cleaning it up. I am sure it performs well too since they are no joke in the Mitsu World. Suzuki did well by employing their services. Lets see them work over a Swift!
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Swift_Moves22 6:34PM (2/13/2007)
"Isn't this car just a rebadged Pontiac Vibe?"
No this is a 100% Japanese engineered car of Japanese design, sold in Japan. Truely the car is a highly modified Suzuki Swift.
The exterior styling cues (of the stock car) are from the famed italian design studio Italdesign, not a Suzuki design.
"Would be a great car with more engine power for the actual car, like a turbo or two"
- Road Race design DOES have a version of the SX4 which puts out over 300HP from the 2.0 litre engine that comes stock on the SX4
Additionally..... Suzuki is bringing to market a the SX4-"WRC" which is turbo driven and puts out 320 HP. It will be for sale in the USA and other markets of the world in late 2007 or 2008.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0603/S00077.htm
Even though the SX4 is a new car on the market there are already several companies making aftermarket performance parts for it. Excpect to see many more very soon since Suzuki is actively ecouraging aftermarket participation on this car
Road Race also has another version of a performance SX4. That one is putting out in excess of 300 HP
Check out these pics of it.
http://www.worldcarfans.com/rsslink.cfm/article/2061130.012/suzuki/suzuki-zuk-concept-at-la-auto-show
"I know Suzuki has somekind of a deal with Chevy............their SUVs are identical to Chevy's"
Suzuki doesn't have a deal with Chevy, they do have a Co-Venture with GM in that they share a production plant in Canada, otherwise known as the CAMI plant.This plant is owned 50% by Suzuki and 50% by GM. And just as GM has been selling Rebadged Suzuki cars, ei -> Chevy Metro = Suzuki Swift, Chevy Tracker = Suzuki Sidekick, so have they once again shared a platform. In this case, the Theta platform, for which Suzuki has the new XL7.
One big difference between the Suzuki version of the Theta and GM versions is that the XL7 out powers all of the GM versions.
This is because Suzuki didn't want to put the GM built engine in a Suzuki vehicle. So Suzuki obtained manufature rights to the engine and built their own version of it in Japan where they were able to refine it and tune it up for greater HP and economy. Another intersting thing is that the Suzuki version of the engine so far as reported 22% fewer malfunctions/problems than the American manufactured version which is going into the GM versions of the Theta. lol
You can also see clear Suzuki influence on the interior of the XL7 as compared to American versions.
Most if not all Reviews of all the versions of the Theta platform SUV's feel that the Suzuki version is the best of all of them.
The XL7 is however, the ONLY suv that Suzuki shares a platform with GM.
The other Suzuki suv is the new Grand Vitara, which is 100% JAPANESE, no GM in it. They are designed and built in Japan and shipped to the US.
2 more Suzuki models are on their way to the US... but more about that later. lol
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Ryan 4:37PM (3/29/2007)
Here is RRM website for the SX4 Products and Picture Gallery:
http://www.roadracemotorsports.com/suzukiparts.htm
And from:
http://wardsauto.com/ar/suzuki_small_cars/
The SX4 for the U.S. market is longer, wider and 2-3 ins. (5-8 cm) taller than other hatches in the segment, Honda says, providing command seating and giving it a more substantial presence on the road.
About 30% of the CUV is common with the Swift, the engineer says, including much of the frame, suspension, seats and components from the parts bin such as switches and door handles. The design concept also takes cues from the Swift.
The powertrain differs. For the U.S., the SX4 shares the 2.0L DOHC 4-cyl. engine in the Grand Vitara in Europe, putting out 143 hp and 136-lb.-ft. (184 Nm) of torque.
The powerplant is smaller, for packaging in the small car, but is less powerful than the 2.3L DOHC I-4 that was in the Aerio and produced 155 hp at 5,400 rpm and offered its peak torque of 152 lb.-ft. (206 Nm) at a low 3,000 rpm.
Officials argue the SX4 still is more powerful than most of its competitors:
Honda Fit’s 1.5L SOHC inline 4-cyl. engine channels its 105 hp and 105 lb.-ft. (142 Nm) of torque through a 5-speed automatic transmission.
Toyota Yaris has a 106-hp 1.5L DOHC I-4 generating 103 lb.-ft. (140 Nm) of torque.
Scion xA and xB have 103-hp 1.5L engines producing 101 lb.-ft. (137 Nm) of torque.
Chevrolet Aveo’s 1.6L 1DOHC 4-cyl. yields 103 hp and 107 lb.-ft. (105 Nm) of torque.
Kia Rio’s 1.6L DOHC I-4 generates 110 hp and 107 lb.-ft. (145 Nm) of torque.
The Nissan Versa’s 1.8L 4-cyl. was making a class-leading 122 hp and 127 lb.-ft. (172 Nm) of torque until the advent of the SX4. The SX4 also betters the Toyota Corolla and Matrix and Honda Civic in terms of power.
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