Item: Used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 2013-present
Rating: 3
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/tiguan/estate/used-review/n726">Volkswagen Tiguan</a> is a bit more expensive than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> SX4 S-Cross, but it can justify that because of its high-quality interior, slick gearbox and well-weighted steering. It's also practical and offers a large range of engines.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/yeti/estate/used-review/n621">Skoda Yeti</a> is also a fine choice. Like the Tiguan, it is available with plenty of different engines, offers enough space for five to travel in comfort and handles rather tidily, too.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/suzuki/vitara/4x4/used-review/n882">Vitara</a> is another small SUV from Suzuki. It features the same engines and drivetrain as the SX4 S-Cross, but it is a little bit higher off the ground. Again, it’s rather nice to drive for an SUV.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/suzuki/sx4">Find a used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

<a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter here</a>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Diesel engines are fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). To ensure that this can regenerate (burn off trapped soot), frequent motorway journeys are necessary because this process is only triggered when the exhaust is hot enough. Check how the previous owner has used the car if you are unsure because lots of urban journeys will clog up the filter, potentially leading to an expensive repair bill.

Other potential problems with the DPF come if it has been shut off part way through regeneration. The result is contamination of the oil system with fuel, which leads to the oil level rising gradually over time. This can cause damage to the engine, so it’s worth checking the oil level or have the car inspected if you're unsure.

The SX4 S-Cross wasn’t included in our latest reliability survey. However, the Vitara (another Suzuki SUV that uses the same engines and drivetrain) came in 11th place out of 33 other small SUVs. Suzuki as a brand came in 4th place out of 32 other manufacturers, which is a fantastic result.

If you'd like to see the full reliability list for small SUVs, head to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2017-what-car-reliability-survey/n16181">What Car? Reliability Survey</a> pages for more information.

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Hatchback

Suzuki is well known as a motorcycle manufacturer, but the car brand has been enjoying decent success in recent years, thanks to a line-up of neat, well-equipped and keenly priced models.

Its expertise focuses on smaller cars, although its high-riding SUV range is also hugely credible, especially the Ignis and Vitara, which are both rated highly by What Car?’s testers and which have enjoyed success at the What Car? Awards as a result.

Well priced, decent to drive and full of useful tech, Suzuki’s cars also generally stand out for delivering good fuel economy. The Ignis, Celerio and Baleno have all stood head and shoulders above the competition during our True MPG testing.

SUZUKI

SX4 S-CROSS

For buyers looking for a tidy-handling small SUV with the option of four-wheel drive and plenty of kit, the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross is worth a look.

Used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 2013-present

Despite some models having four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox, no version of the SX4 S-Cross is particularly thirsty. The 1.6 petrol in front-wheel-drive form claims a combined average of 51.4mpg and will cost £115 in annual road tax, while the four-wheel-drive version is only a little more costly at 47.8mpg and £135 tax.

The diesel is the cheapest to run, with 68.9mpg and £20 tax or, for the four-wheel-drive variant, 64.2mpg and £30 tax.

Facelifted (post-2017) cars received two new turbocharged petrol engines, the first being a 1.0 with an average of 56.5mpg and £30 tax, and the second a more powerful 1.4 with 50.4mpg and £115 tax.

All cars registered after April 2017 will be subject to the new flat rate of £140 per year for road tax.

Servicing costs are in line with rivals, and you can even take out a service plan that covers three years worth of maintenance costs for either a single one-off payment or buy monthly installments. Suzuki also offers fixed-price servicing for any models that are more than three years old to help you to keep costs down.

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For buyers looking for a tidy-handling small SUV with the option of four-wheel drive and plenty of kit, the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross is worth a look.

An early SX4 S-Cross from 2013 with average mileage will set you back £6000, but if you up the budget to £7500, you find plenty of lower mileage examples in mid-range SZ-T spec.

You’ll need around £12,000 to get a facelifted SX4 S-Cross with the new generation of turbocharged petrol engines. Nearly new examples with delivery mileage are priced from around £14,000.

To keep up to date with used <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> SX4 S-Cross prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you're getting the best deal.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">Check the value of a used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross with What Car? Valuations</a>

Unless you cover lots of miles, there isn’t much point going for the diesel. The petrol engines in the SX4 S-Cross are more refined and are still quite economical. The turbocharged 1.0 and 1.4-litre petrol engines are only available in later models and are still quite expensive to buy over a pre-facelift 1.6.

The SX4 S-Cross isn't a premium SUV, so there’s no reason to go for it in top-spec form. The mid-range SZ-T comes with plenty of kit without costing the Earth to buy.

Our favourite <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> SX4 S-Cross: 1.6 SZ-T

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Running costs that won’t break the bank </li> <li>Generous kit</li> <li>Pokey engine and tidy handling</li> <li>Spacious interior</li> <li>Boot big enough to cope with family life</li></ul>

The car-buying public has fallen in love with small SUVs, or crossovers as they’re often called, with thousands turning away from conventional hatchbacks in favour of something that rides that little bit higher.

The original baby SUV is the Nissan Juke, which remains a popular choice, but there are plenty of better rivals to consider instead. We’d recommend you look at either the Ford Puma or Skoda Kamiq, because they offer&nbsp;a great blend of practicality and value that keeps them&nbsp;clear of the opposition. Equally, if you’ve got more money to spend, the Audi Q2 and Volkswagen T-Roc&nbsp;are both fine choices.&nbsp;

Small SUV

Some SX4 S-Cross models are four-wheel drive, so while it's unlikely to have been used off-road, have a look underneath to check for any damage.

The interior has a number of cheap plastics that scratch easily, which isn't great, given that this is a family car and has to stand up to a certain amount of abuse. Some owners have complained about interior squeaks and rattles, so find a stretch of rough road to try and find out if the example you’re looking at has any.

Also check the alloys for any kerb damage, because higher-spec cars come with bigger rims that are more susceptible to being damaged.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/suzuki">Suzuki</a> has long since made rugged off-roaders, but they haven’t always made family-friendly ones. However, the SX4 S-Cross definitely falls into the latter category, offering the choice of two or four-wheel drive in a car that’s not far off the size of a family hatchback.

Capable of traversing city streets just as well as it can a muddy farm track, the SX4 S-Cross competes with the likes of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/renault/captur/hatchback/review/n20">Renault Captur</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/yeti/estate/used-review/n621">Skoda Yeti</a>.

You have the choice of a 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines in pre-facelift examples, while two turbocharged petrol engines (1.0 and 1.4) were added to the range in 2016 to replace the 1.6.

The diesel is a little bit noisy, particularly at idle and when accelerating, while the petrol engines are smooth, even when worked hard. The 1.6 petrol comes with a five-speed manual gearbox, which means that it isn’t quite as refined on the motorway as a later 1.0 or 1.4 would be, since those came with six-speed 'boxes. However, the 1.6 has peppy performance and quite good fuel economy anyway, so it’s no great shame.

To drive, the SX4 S-Cross is remarkably agile, with four-wheel drive versions managing to hold a tighter line in corners than the front-wheel drive cars. Body roll is kept in check, but that does come at the expense of ride quality.

The car isn’t particularly brilliant at staying settled over poor road surfaces; sharp, mid-corner bumps tend to unsettle it and thumps from potholes and motorway expansion joins can be heard more than in rival cars.

The steering doesn’t let you know a lot about what the front tyres are doing, but it is at least precise, consistently weighted and light enough to make parking easy. All models suffer from intrusive wind and road noise.

Interior quality isn’t up there with the Yeti because the SX4 S-Cross uses a lot of hard plastics, making it feel cheap. The infotainment system fitted to mid-range SZ-T and above can’t match the slicknes of rival systems, either, but it is at least quick to respond and simple to operate - although the touch-sensitive sliding volume control isn’t very easy to use while driving.

Space for the driver is plentiful and there are lots of storage areas. Rear seat room isn’t so generous; two adults can sit in the back (although the panoramic glass roof on top-spec cars robs head room) but three is a push due to the large hump in the centre of the floor. Boot space is near the best in the class, with an extra storage space under the boot floor.

<a href="http://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/suzuki/sx4">Find a used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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Used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross 2013-present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used Suzuki SX4 S-Cross hatchback?