[Piyush Kanthak]

Beautiful thread, I too own a 2007 SX4 ZXI, ours was one of the first in Bangalore. 15 years have passed, and she has not given me any problem till date. I have also done several mods to the car like ambient lighting, dash cam installation.

I love my SX4, unfortunately due to my slip disc pain in the leg, my doctor has told me not to drive a manual car, moreover it's too big to park in the city.





We will be upgrading to a new car this year.

This is seriously a good car, mechanically sorted. Don't know how will I be able to let go of her.

[Tuborog]

Wow! I owned 2010 SX4 VXI Silke Silver for ~10 year and 95k kms. OP has summed up the car very well. One thing I will add is the top notch ride quality. I liked it better than A6 (not kidding). It took me a lot of effort to move to a new car, and still looking at one brings back those great memories. That engine was a gem. I drove the car in Gurgaon floods, drowning complete tires and still worked like a charm. No issues later as well (drove for another 4 years and ~40k kms). Body roll was a mood killer, but upside on ride quality was phenomenal.

In my 10 yr ownership, none of the repairs/servicing costed more than 15k. Never needed to visit a service center in between scheduled services. A formidable car. Never had any issues and I would say one of the best cars Maruti ever produced.

I really wish I could keep that car, but sometimes breaking up with your soul mate is the only option.

I bought the car at good discount and sold it on an pretty good value, so practically, this car most VFM product I had owned.

Today, I am going to spend my time thinking about the good times I had with the car. Thanks for the nostalgia OP!

[Siddj38]

This reminds me of our 2008 sx4 which we let go in 2021 due to NGT.

It was a beautiful black, 83K kms driven car which gave absolutely no issues. It was was daily driver in college for 4 years where I have some awesome memories.

Hope you can hold onto the car for a long time to come.

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by revsperminute

Massive respect for keeping your old man on the road. From the looks of it, he is being treated very well. Brought back some memories, this one. We owned a SX4 briefly in 2008 in Kolkata. I was 6 back then yet I remember begging dad to get our car equipped with the “Terra” OEM body kit. We sold the car within a year since my dad was obsessed with the Civic at the time. Well, who can blame him but I still ogle at Terra SX4s anytime I spot one on the road.

Good luck mate, the car seems to be in good hands.

Thank you for your kind words. Great to have people here in this blog who have had an experience with the Sx4 previously. I do wish the same for having the body kit. My dad never agreed drilling a hole in the trunk for a spoiler so this was never our option but now that the car is old. I wish it could resemble the tv commercial car!

[Raghu M]

That's an old man by no means. The car looks lovely and has been well kept. The interiors are pretty cool for a car of that age. You and the car compliment each other very well. You should try modelling!

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Thanks for sharing! This car IMHO happens to be one of the best all-rounder packages to have ever rolled off the Maruti line in India. Back when it was released, the car was an absolute attention grabber especially the ZXI models with the 'Star' alloy wheel design.

The Ciaz is definitely a worthy contender in terms of size but lacks the sexiness of the SX4, oh how I wish we get a SX4 2.0 in the coming years!

I still remember, as a kid my family used to own a Swift and then came along the SX4 and I used to pester my dad almost everyday to upgrade! Thanks for sharing once again, this post reignited many sweet memories!

The concept of having a Sx4 2.0 will always be a fan moment. Ironically there was 2.0 litre model offered as Sx4 Sport. It was available both in Sedan and hatchback models. I was lucky enough to see one upclose. Comes with a body kit different from MGA, lowered suspension and a set of 17inch wheels with same design with thin profile tires.

[marathp]

That’s a great story! I too own a 2009 July Zxi and can relate every bit of it. In fact, I couldn’t find a better alternative (in terms of overall performance, reliability and stance) to SX4 in 20+ Lac category yet. It’s a great car with hassle free ownership.

[Meer]

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

Conclusion
There are many things I do hate about this car but the hassle free ownership experience makes this one of my most daily driven car. It is comfortable and gives good high speed stability with its wide chunky tires. The steering wheel does feel a bit heavy in low parking speeds but none the less it gets the job done. It is a man amongst the cars.

Great thread momsonlydriver and penned beautifully, thank you for the details and the pictures, they do full justice to the car (almost like an ode to a hero) and also brings back lovely memories for ex-owners of this amazing workhorse!

I got my SX4 in early 2008 and like you mentioned the toss up was between Dolphin shaped Honda city and SX4. The car served me very well and agree with all the pros and cons you mentioned. I got a nice FFE (header to tip SS) and CAI and engine growl became so addictive. Explored South India and Central India in it and once even did a 10 hour run from Bengaluru to Pune. The car was versatile and very very practical inspite of it quirks. It was a sedan with crossover GC

I had to let it go in 2015 after 7 years as wife wanted an automatic and I had moved on to the Civic.

Taking liberties to attach a few photos: First photo is from the last day / my farewell to SX4, post detailing at 3M in Pune, still looked the same as the first day I saw it. Next is my long drive to Mysore from Pune, photo taken on the hairpin ghat to Ooty, the car did it effortlessly with 4 adults and 1 kid. And final one with my garage for few years with Civic and SX4.

How I wish I could keep all my cars forever! Guess thats what most BHPians would think.

[mah45]

Nice article, true Nostalgia..
I owned a SX4 ZxI French Eclair from 2010 for 6.5 years.
It was a pride to drive around that car those days.

Fantastic car, bucket seats for awesome comfort..
And I remember we had a Ben 10 pillow for my son in the back..so, most of the long drives he used to stretch and sleep peacefully

Although it didn't have modern gadgets, I used to feel it had the build and power to beat its rivals, ie Honda City..
And the French Eclair dark brown colour used to sparkle when wiped clean.

I changed the tyres to Michelin when it reached 40k, and it added a whole new riding experience and comfort.
I was looking around to upgrade the music system etc, but due to various reasons had to part with it in 2017... mainly due to the fact that we were relocating..

Still missing it..

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by Piyush Kanthak

Beautiful thread, I too own a 2007 SX4 ZXI, ours was one of the first in Bangalore. 15 years have passed, and she has not given me any problem till date. I have also done several mods to the car like ambient lighting, dash cam installation.

I wish you all the best for the coming future and hope you recover better. Would love to see your mods here!

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

That's an old man by no means. The car looks lovely and has been well kept. The interiors are pretty cool for a car of that age. You and the car compliment each other very well. You should try modelling!

Thank you sir. Modelling appears to be a glamorous professional but it is not. Everyone is a model in their own personal life and that’s what I believe!

[Hawk]

INTRO

Hello guys just wanted to ask a question before starting this story . Are cars for you something that take you from a point A to B or something which you are now emotionally attached with ? We humans are really weird , our heart can love everything but we can never ever accept the reality that good things do end no matter how much you love it . Hey , but that's life !!!

So , this is my story and this revolves around how I went from thinking that cars are not just metal objects and that you can get emotionally connected to them.

THE ARRIVAL

All this started in 2013 , We had no car then but we did have a Yamaha enticer. Many people of my generation wouldn't even know that such a bike existed.

The bike isn't used much now and is a garage queen since a few years.


Dads office was really near and we really didn't need a car because we travelled really less . One fine day we had a small accident with the bike , My parents had gone to see some flats and there the bike lost traction on some gravel road and at that moment of time it was decided that we need a car so that now we could travel safely. A used car was decided which we would sell after 1 year and will only be used to practice. I was in 3rd grade and hardly cared about it and got to know about the car few days before delivery day.

My dad with his friend started looking for all the possible cars and came across a 2008 SX4 VXI which had 25,000 on the odometer. The seller was in the military and was thinking of getting a new Hyundai verna . Well everything in the car was really sorted and finally the price was settled at 4.5 lakh rupees. and she was brought home.

I still remember the first day it came home and I saw it in the parking lot , that moment I was like " Wow we own a car " . When I opened its door for the first time it was like I was opening a present on my birthday. Just the sheer feeling of touching and sitting in the car made me really happy . It was a whole new world for me . It was like " Hawk in wonderland " .

WHY THE SX4 ?

Well , we did own cars during our stay in the USA back in 2007. We owned a Hyundai Sonata for a while and then every Indians favorite car in the USA the mighty Toyota corolla ( Preowned). All were automatic cars , hence in India a manual car was preferred so that he can learn to drive a manual car and also learn to drive in the chaotic roads in India .

Other reasons were-

• The reliability of the Suzuki brand
• The huge boot space
• Really roomy cabin
• High ground clearance
• Performance and ride quality were spot on for our use.

Also , I belong from Uttarakhand and at that time the road to our home town were mostly gravel and you can easily say that it could be called a off-roading course . These roads could put the off-roading experience courses around NCR in shame .

It has never ever broken down on us , it once even got stuck in a ditch and once even got in a hit and run accident. Everytime it protected us and never failed us. The SX4 was a pure Suzuki unlike the tin boxes they sell today. The only issue we faced was during our 15th year with it when the ignition mechanism was not properly working and had to get repaired. Some more things such as power windows etc failed but only because the mechanisms were rusted inside. Core Mechanically and electronically the car still works great and smoothly.

The SX4 tackled everything we threw at it , all the roadtrip's were strictly only to Uttarakhand and after every road trip she would have a dent or two . The high GC and suspension setup was really useful in tacking the roads of Uttarakhand. This was way back in 2013 , Now the roads are butter smooth in our area and honestly in many places of Uttarakhand the roads are now drivable. I would even say Uttarakhand has some of the most beautiful routes to drive on.

SOMETHINGS ABOUT SX4 AND HOW I LEARNED DRIVING

Since I became a car nerd , I started appreciating cars and also got to know about the history of the SX4 . This car was made for rallying and tunning. This was the baby of a joint venture between Fiat and Suzuki , and was sold in many places with different names. The SX4 was born as a Hatchback , then he grew to a sedan in his teens and finally a grown obese man in the form of a crossover , but just a little brain exercises for this obese man (ECU TUNES) and he would become a sprinter. The SX4 name was dropped and the S-Cross name was taken for its final alteration. The SX4 was also offered with AWD system abroad and Suzuki even took it to WRC.

The yellow just pops !!!


Well , now back to topic. Till few months back SX4 was just a Car on which I had a little crush. Well what changed in these few months ?

Well I got the permission to be behind the wheel. It started on a closed road with the XUV 700. Yes the first car I drove was a automatic and had 200 BHP.
Also , every time I have driven a car the first thing I have done is put the seatbelt on. I have made this a habit from starting to first wear the seatbelt and then start the car.

So , When I first got behind the wheel everything came naturally to me and I was driving a 2 TON , 200 BHP monster in under 30 minutes like a proper driver and if you think this was a feat let me tell you the story ahead.

So , one fine day after many follow ups . Dad was ready to teach me manual and like every Indian parent he had low expectations. well what happened next was a feat that surprised my dad and will go down in my family history.

I got inside the OG SX4 . Put on the seat belt , lowered the manual hand break , and started the car. This time it felt different , there was something different about the car , I think it was the sheer nostalgia I got and all those memories with it. Moving on , Dad told me to slot the gear and start driving and he was just getting ready to tell me that how manual is difficult to drive and BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Well the complete opposite happened , I didn't stall it and I drove the car the whole time without stalling it. I just learned how to drive a manual car in under 15 minutes and gave bragging rights to my dad in front of the whole family in future family events. Well I also now have some bragging rights in front of my friend circle . Well now we come to the final chapter.......

THE EMOTIONAL CONNECT

Well what is love ? Many members of this forum are older than me (I will be 18 in 3 months) or twice my age and would have many different answers to this question. Well my answer you ask ?

Well , when you are with someone you love . You forget all you're worries , stress and pain. Not being with them makes you anxious . You miss them even when they are with you. That is pure love for me...…

Well all these things started happening to me. Every time I drove my SX4 the crush just became bigger and bigger. I got to know new things about her and yes I finally fell in love with her.

Everytime I drove it, I remembered all the places she had taken us and all the time we had spent in it. I remembered my whole childhood when I drove it. All those ride back from school to home from PTM , The small sudden drives to go get street food, All the drives with my dog in the backseat and so many more. Sometimes its the small things which make you happy.

Well , now I was in love with driving it. So as any normal teenager I started sneaking out with car keys and just did short trips to the grocery shop and here and there (I hope my dad doesn't read this). I was enjoying myself more driving the SX4 than the XUV 700. I just loved its heavy steering and the engines throaty notes. Those gear changes at 3500 RPM were pure bliss. A 15 year old car with no fancy tech had cured my clinical depression better than therapy or medication.

Well every love story has a villain , right ? Well in this one the main villain was NGT and its 15 year old car bans. Every moment I drove it I felt happy but in the back of my mind I always had the thought that she will need to go one day.

Well , after my whole experience. Cars are not metal object. They make you feel alive no matter of which segment it belongs to. Yes , you fall in love with them and that is what makes us human. The ability to feel love for things which make us happy, Which make us feel alive. I still remember getting emotional on the thought of her leaving and getting the flashbacks of the days gone by, all those beautiful memories I created over the course of 75,000 KM.

And because of this emotional connect with our car we did not sell it and we rather transferred it to someone in our family in Uttarakhand so that we can at least see it a few times when we visit Uttarakhand.

So, that was my story of how I made a emotional connection with my car and actually had feelings for it. This wasn't a full review of the SX4 , this was just my story of how a teenager learned to drive a car and made a emotional bond with it.

Cars are no different then humans , if you take care of them. They will take care of you in you're hard times.

Me with the beautiful mountains in the background with the SX4 by my side.


My favourite picture of her on a roadtrip to Joshimath (She is a little dirty)

OUTRO

Well in the end she had 99,000 clicks on the odometer and she went away to a new home where we knew she would be cared for and maybe we will see her few times a year.



Strangely the day we went for the PDI of our XUV 700 that day she had her 14th birthday. The car we had got for only 1 year instead stayed with us for almost all her life she had in NCR.

Well now what's next ?

Maybe another manual Japanese car or how about a red Germán hatchback with some tunning potential ;-) .

Well time will tell about what will replace it. One thing though I am sure about is that , finding a replacement will be tough for us.

I would really like it if other members of this forum will share such emotional connection stories with their automobiles :-D .

Adios , signing off
Hawk

[huntrz]

Wonderful thread. Didn't expect a SX4 ownership thread in 2023. I do own one 2013 model. I went through many teambhp SX4 ownership threads before buying it. I absolutely adore this car. Not because I own it but it is very tough to replace this car for me due to its attributes- its high GC, 50L tank capacity, low end grunt, superb japanese reliabilty and easy maintainence of Suzuki and its superlative dealter network for support during outstation trips(After experiencing a friend's fiat breakdown in the middle of Sholapur highway enroute to Pune long back). All of these qualites are very difficult to get in a single sedan car today with VFM pricing.

My previous car fiat had started troubling me with engine issues in less than 7 years and add to that Fiat's notorious service and spares shortages. But SX4 ownership has been nothing but bliss. Can't go back to unreliable cars just for the european design and handling blah blah. No offences to any european brand car owners, my personal experience hasn't been great with fiat. Nothing beats a fuss free ownership. I was contemplating GM and ford cars as well while buying SX4, now that they have left their customers in lurch, I feel happy for choosing Suzuki. Have done numerous outstation trips and it never disappoined in any way. Negotiating ghat roads in this car during Yercaud trip was real fun. Only gripe is that I hate its tall chrome laden grill that they gave in the final generation of the car. The grills in the older versions looked much better.

[ajay.singh.83]

Thank you for kicking this off ! I have a 2011 SX4 ZXi that I have been carefully and just recently got restored and it's been quite a journey at that! All part of the learning process !

I was hunting for chrome parts too, but just difficult to find and coordinate as well. Finally only managed to test and fit ciaz door handles outside, which just about fit right.

Need to change the AC controller, but unable to find in scrap and new one is over 25k !

Will share more but for now, here is a video of the work done -

https://youtu.be/HB0J6phLa5c

[momsonlydriver]

Originally Posted by ajay.singh.83

Thank you for kicking this off ! I have a 2011 SX4 ZXi that I have been carefully and just recently got restored and it's been quite a journey at that! All part of the learning process !

I was hunting for chrome parts too, but just difficult to find and coordinate as well. Finally only managed to test and fit ciaz door handles outside, which just about fit right.

Need to change the AC controller, but unable to find in scrap and new one is over 25k !

Will share more but for now, here is a video of the work done -

https://Youtu.be/HB0J6phLa5c

I do remember spotting this video on the internet. I too want to get my wheels from silver to gun metal grey. I would like to know about the Ciaz door handle in chrome fitting the Sx4. As the Sx4 here does not come with keyless entry. If possible can we get to see the pictures for the door handles?