2009 Suzuki SX4 to have standard GPS

Suzuki has announced that it will offer in-car navigation as a standard feature on the 2009 Suzuki SX4 Sport sedan and front-drive SX4 Crossover hatchback models. This is the first time a manufacturer is including integrated GPS navigation in an entry-level vehicle in the United States.

The navigation system is based on the Garmin Nuvi 700 series portable navigation device (PND). The Suzuki version, called T.R.I.P (Travel, Real-time traffic, Information, and Play) will offer a 4.3-inch touch-screen display with preloaded maps and millions of points of interest (POI), such as restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and gas stations. Suzuki has customized the POI database by adding recommended destinations such as music venues, surf spots, and other activity-focused attractions.

Buyers will be able to upgrade to a more premium navigation system, adding Bluetooth capability and Microsoft Network service—which offers real-time traffic, weather, and gas prices. Suzuki will launch a community Web site to share and download destinations and recommendations among other SX4 owners.

The system will be integrated into the audio system, which automatically lowers the volume of the radio or CD when the navigation system is giving a verbal instruction. Additionally, the Microsoft antenna is integrated into the vehicle’s antenna to continuously receive new data with the premium version.

The Garmin device can be removed from the dash-board docking station, and Suzuki advises that it could be replaced/upgraded in the future by the car owner with another similar Garmin unit. The Garmin Nuvi 700 series has performed well in our ratings (available to online subscribers) of portable devices.

Suzuki decided to add this system after hearing feedback from current SX4 owners that navigation is the most desired feature in their next vehicle. In-car navigation systems from the factory can cost $1500-$2000, or be a part of an even more expensive technology package.

Suzuki has not yet released pricing for the 2009 SX4 line, but says it will have a base price of under $16,000, signaling a potential price increase. The SX4 Sport starts at $14,270 and the SX4 Crossover at $14,770, plus $625 in destination charges. For comparison purposes, you can buy a portable Garmin Nuvi 700 series device for around $600, so with a possible increase in base price, you may be paying for the system, after all. (Suzuki will not announce pricing until closer to on-sale date this summer.)

The docking station concept is an exciting one, as it could allow users to choose the level of GPS they want and potentially upgrade it in the future, allowing for new features to be brought to the car. It is conceivable that docks could become the navigation equivalent of iPod connectors, allowing consumers to choose the device and upgrade as desired. Of course, this would require the adherence to standards. With Garmin accounting for half the U.S. market, it is a possibility. Toyota is experimenting with a dock application in the 4Runner SUV. Although Toyota offers a DVD-based navigation system on the 4Runner, the Urban Runner model includes a removable TomTom portable navigation device.

Clearly, consumer interest in GPS-enabled devices is on the rise, and we expect to see more creative solutions in the future.

What solutions would you like to see? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

—Liza Barth

Midsized SUV crash test results - Nissan Murano Top Safety Pick

Nine out of 10 SUVs in the latest tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) provide good frontal crash protection. However, the ratings in the side crash tests are mixed, once again reinforcing the need for consumers to carefully review the safety equipment and safety ratings for models under consideration for purchase. (These tests and over 200 others can be viewed in the Consumer Reports crash test video player.)

In this group, the 2009 Nissan Murano was the best performer, getting good ratings for front-, side-, and rear-crash protection. The Murano earned the Top Safety Pick designation, joining a growing list of midsized SUVs to earn that accolade. (However, read "Nissan recalls SUVs for air bag fix.")

At the other end of the spectrum, the Jeep Liberty, four-door Jeep Wrangler, and Kia Sorento are the worst performers in the side test. The Liberty, its mechanical sibling Dodge Nitro, and Wrangler earn the second lowest rating of marginal for protection in side crashes. The Sorento earns the lowest rating of poor.

In 2001 only half of the midsized models that were tested earned good ratings in the IIHS frontal offset test. In the latest evaluations, only the Hummer H3 falls short, and it earns an acceptable rating. The H3 is one of only two midsized SUV designs the Institute has recently tested that doesn't earn a good rating in the frontal test. (The other is the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, and related GMC Envoy, Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7X).

As manufacturers introduce improved designs, the Institute sees more SUVs qualifying for Top Safety Pick by earning good ratings in all three tests and having electronic stability control (ESC).

"Performance of some of these models in the side test was surprising," said Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan in a statement. "SUVs should have an inherent advantage in such crashes because drivers and passengers ride higher up than in cars. People often think they're safer in an SUV, but many cars perform much better in our side test than some of the SUVs in this group."

Midsized, four-door SUVs
The February crash-test group is listed below in rank order, with the specific air bag configuration tested and applicable model years listed.

Nissan Murano
Front - Good; Side - Good
Front and rear head curtain air bags and front torso air bags.
Front and side: 2009 models

Mazda CX-7
Front - Good; Side - Good
Front and rear head curtain air bags and front torso air bags.
Front and side: 2007-08 models

Mazda CX-9
Front - Good; Side - Good
Head-curtain air bags for all three rows and front torso air bags
Front and side: 2007-08 models

Mitsubishi Endeavor
Front - Good; Side - Good
Front and rear head-curtain air bags and front torso air bags.
Front: 2004-08 models, side: 2007-08 models

Suzuki XL7
Front - Good; Side - Acceptable; Rear - Marginal
Head-curtain air bags for all three rows
Front: 2008 models, side: 2007-08 models

Hummer H3
Front - Acceptable; Side - Acceptable
Front and rear head-curtain air bags.
Front and side: 2006-08 models. (Head-curtain air bags optional in 2006-2007)

Jeep Wrangler
Front - Good; Side - Marginal
Without optional side air bags
Front and side: 2007-08 models

Jeep Liberty & Dodge Nitro
Front - Good; Side - Marginal
Front and rear head-curtain air bags
Front and side: 2008 Liberty models and 2007-08 Nitro models

Kia Sorento
Front - Good; Side - Poor
Front and rear head-curtain air bags
Front: 2007-08 models, side: 2003-08 models

See how these SUVs perform in the crash test videos.

—Jeff Bartlett

Chicago - Show me the green

The Chicago Auto Show seems to fall in a tough place on the calendar, that is, after the Los Angeles and Detroit shows where combined 60-80 vehicles may have been unveiled. Each event has a typical theme: LA is usually on the leading-edge of the Green movement and high fashion; Detroit tends to combine American muscle, technology innovation, and memorable design; Chicago is often a blend of truck news and also-rans (minor updates and decidedly unsexy models).

Disappointingly, the pattern holds true this year. The show itself isn't to blame, being a hapless victim of timing and circumstance. I place the blame on the manufacturers. Hear me out...

Reflecting back on the announcements after one last tour of the show floor, there were more than a fair share of mild updates and rebadged models. These may be all important to their respective companies, but not fodder for fueling consumer (or diehard automotive) passions.

Trucks did rule here in Chicago, with several interesting announcements although little that rocked my automotive world. The Chevrolet Traverse looks great. The Ford Works computer system is quite impressive. The GMC Sierra is welcomed to the hybrid revolution. The GMC Denali XT concept is, well, different.

What I wanted to see was inventive, thrifty trucks and SUVs. Rather than just targeting full-throttle, off-road assault monsters, I was looking forward to more vehicles that could commune in nature in a reasonably environmentally responsible way.

Turns out Detroit was the show for that, with the Ford Escape Plug-in, Hummer HX, Jeep Renegade (shown above), Land Rover LRX, Saturn Vue Plug-in, and Toyota A-BAT concepts. No question the Hummer H3T rocks in its own conquer-the-Earth way, but the HX concept from Detroit alongside it rocks harder. Fit it with a clean diesel engine and consider it the brand's savior.

The show season isn't over until New York next month. Just hope we don't have to wait until the next Detroit show to be tantalized with vehicles that combine fun and "green" in the same exciting package.

Meanwhile, I need to reread the Suzuki Equator materials to learn more about how it has an "exclusive" grille.

—Jeff Bartlett

Read our complete coverage of the 2008 Chicago Auto Show.

Small SUVs and SUV alternatives tests and videos

For our test group in the December 2007 issue we drove vehicles in the very popular small SUV category. These vehicles perform adequately, but can’t compete with the top performers in this segment: the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Forester, and Toyota RAV4.

The full road tests from the magazine have been posted at ConsumerReports.org, along with videos from our auto staff experts. These videos highlight our tests of each vehicle, plus our experts demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of each model.

"Small SUVs" features the Ford Escape, Jeep Patriot, Kia Sportage, and Saturn Vue. We also took a look at two SUV alternatives: the Kia Rondo and Suzuki SX4. Watch the videos.

—Liza Barth

From the logbook: Suzuki SX4

Driving our new SX4 reminds me of the Spring break road trip I took with my college buddies 21 years ago. Three of us drove to the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a “space blue over liberty white” Subaru XT coupe. It had a tiny backseat, adjustable height suspension, a slow reacting 111-hp turbocharged engine, on-demand all-wheel drive, and a moveable and brightly lighted instrument cluster that made the designers of the Asteroids video game jealous.

The SX4– adds two rear doors, doesn’t bother with the over exuberant displays, but retains the on-demand all-wheel drive system. It also has a 143-hp four-cylinder engine. And compared to the Subie, the SX4 comes standard with ABS, side- and curtain air bags. We bought one with the Sport package and four-speed automatic transmission ($17,994), which includes stability control. Admittedly, many of these safety features were as far away for most automakers as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 were to Atari.

Like the earliest Subarus, the SX4 brings back the compelling idea of affordable AWD. To see how this new Suzuki is holding up, take a look at the first impressions our car experts have scrawled so far in the SX4’s logbook:

“Well equipped for an $18K car.”

"The engine’s 143 hp seems optimistic; it gets boomy and buzzy in hard acceleration."

"Automatic transmission’s programming is really bad; it up shifts way too early and then hunts on even minor highway grades."

"Very stiff ride."

"It’s nimble with a wonderful driving position and excellent visibility."

"Simple controls are well-sized for convenient use."

"Nice fit and finish in the class with tight gaps, cloth inserts, and quality feel for most controls."

"Comfortable seating in front; [seating] is good in the rear, but leg room is so-so."

"Twelve-gallon tank translates into a really short cruising range."

"So many acronyms--AWD, ATC, ESC--for so little money."

"Why is the headlight indicator on when the lights are off?"

"Plenty of head room [according to our tallest tester]."

"Overall, this is a cheerful little runabout and a pleasant surprise."

"If only the [Dodge] Caliber was as good as this SX4."

Certainly the four-door SX4 would provide three college students a more comfortable transport to Spring break beaches than the old XT, though without the distracting (but occasionally entertaining) dash display light show. Check back for more insights on the SX4 as testing continues.

--Mike Quincy