Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Wed 12 Dec 2018 10:21
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - DieselMan1966

I'm going to look at one this afternoon with a view to parting company with the diesel corsa and migrating back to petrol. Mainly as the price difference is quite noticeable and as I do the majority of short town runs it won't have the EGR/DPF troubles of the newer diesels.

My mileage is dropping to around 16 - 17k per annum so I feel that now would be the time to return to petrol power. Any potential savings on fuel would be offset by the servicing as I believe the intervals on the SX4 are around 10k. I would be doing a small service at this time of year and the major one in June as the MOT is up in July

Am I correct in thinking these have a timing chain and a single mass flywheel?

Thanks

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 12 Dec 2018 12:51
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - focussed

The Suzuki M16A motor as used in the SX4 is chain cam.

There was an earlier 1.6 litre VVT belt cam which I don't think appeared in the SX4.

I doubt that DMF flywheels are used on petrols - so single mass.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 12 Dec 2018 13:00
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - SLO76
It’s a chain driven motor and a very robust vehicle in every way, I doubt a well maintained example will give any grief. Check the clutch carefully for wear though as many older owners are hard on them. Not sure if it’s a DMF or not as many modern petrol motors do use them these days but the characteristics of a petrol motor are less likely to damage them anyway and I’ve never heard of anyone complaining about a petrol SX4 other than the mediocre fuel economy which will struggle to get beyond 35mpg and depreciation is quite high especially on first gen cars which are rather dated now so don’t pay too much for it and stay clear of the Diesels which are again Fiat units.

I’d open up your search a bit to include other options that may be a bit better on fuel as your annual mileage is still quite heavy but it all depends on budget and also where you are located and what’s available nearby.



Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 13 Dec 2018 20:01
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - DieselMan1966

Many thanks for the replies, had a drive in it today and averaged 45mpg according to the on board computer. Done some number crunching and my weekly fuel bill would indeed be worse off to the tune of £3 per week at current rates.

As I seem to be driving a 50/50 mix of motorway and urban, as I based the test drive on that. I've heard too stories about the 1.9 units in town usage by taxi drivers who have Insignia's and Zafira's with the same engine having EGR/DPF and swirl chamber faults, I think the slight increase in fuel costs will be offset by the servicing. As according to the Suzuki website, £129 for a minor and £269 for the major,

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 13 Dec 2018 21:29
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - TrevL

User Reference: I've got a 2007 SX4 1.6 193000 miles, original clutch and battery, had to get a new rear exhaust box just recently. Highly recommended..

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 13 Dec 2018 21:31
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - TrevL

Forgot to add, overall average mpg 42. Ties in with your 45 mpg recorded (indicated less 5%)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 13 Dec 2018 22:58
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - SteveLee

My missis has an SX4 - it has been totally 100% reliable, nothing - absolutely nothing has ever gone wrong, it's now 9 years old and has done 90,000 miles.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 14 Dec 2018 09:01
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - badbusdriver

I have read that these are very sturdy and reliable cars. If i ever manage to persuade my wife to opt out of the Motability scheme, an automatic SX4 of this era would definately be on the shortlist of potential purchases due to it's combination of fairly compact dimensions, high seating position and the reliability.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 14 Dec 2018 10:32
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - daveyjp
A colleague has just bought one. He lives on the edge of the Pennines and with his village no longer included on primary gritting routes he wanted a no nonsense car with 4wd option and this fitted the bill.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 15 Dec 2018 14:05
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - KB.

If it's not straying off topic too far may I throw the, very similar, Vitara into the mix to see if anyone has thoughts?

Both seem to share many bits and, for me, the biggest difference looks to be visual. The current SX4 has a front end that jars with me every time I see it (which isn't very often as I only seem to see the Vitara and rarely spot an SX4).

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 15 Dec 2018 14:26
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - Avant

If I couldn't have run to a Q2 I'd have been very tempted by the Vitara 1.4 Boosterjet, probably more than the SX4 S-Cross (to be honest, I'm not sure why Suzuki sells two models in much the same market segment).

I think our regular member Ethan Edwards has one and likes it. From the road tests I've read, it seems to be both lively and versatile - 'all the car you need'.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 15 Dec 2018 15:08
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - skidpan

had a drive in it today and averaged 45mpg according to the on board computer.

Believe the dash and you could end up very disappointed.

I have had a couple of cars that have been accurate and one that actually read less than calculated but most have told blatant lies. One said 40 mpg wheras the car only averaged 32 mpg. Over 16,000 mile at todays prices that could cost you approx £600 a year.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 15 Dec 2018 18:13
Suzuki SX4 2013 1.6 Petrol, 35,000 miles any good? - Ethan Edwards

Yes I have a 1.4t Vitara S. Very happy with it. I looked at the SCross but it came with a sunroof that took too much headroom for me. No sunroof on the Vitara and as you said they are pretty much in the same sector. Though the trade considers the S cross to be a Quashqai alternative and the Vitara the Juke. Cannot see why myself. Anyway I concur Suzuki mechanicals if looked after seem bulletproof. That SCross seems to be a good buy imo. Oh the indicated mog being 5pct less actual...good rule of thumb.

Edited by Ethan Edwards on 15/12/2018 at 18:14

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide