Suzuki SX4 goes green for 2010

Yes, yet another car maker trumpeting their eco credentials, this time Suzuki with the changes they’re making – and showing at Frankfurt next month – to the SX4 crossover / softroader / hatchback thingy. And it looks like Suzuki are busy tweaking all round, with updates to the Grand Vitara and the Jimny SZ4 recently, and updates to other models including the Swift coming to Frankfurt.

Actually, the little Suzuki is not a bad car at all. It drives well and is pretty well built, even if it could do with a bit more power. Well it gets that – just – in this revised version, together with some tweaks to make it more eco-friendly.

The SX4 gets a new front bumper assembly, grill and some new skid plates. The whole look gets a bit of a refresh and some aerodynamic tweaks. The interior also gets freshened up, with a new design instrument cluster, new controls for the climate and a bit of work to reduce vibration and harshness.

The 1.6 litre engined version gets VVT (variable valve timing) and cylinder head mods, resulting in improved economy and a 10% drop in emissions. There will also be a new 2.0 litre SX4 DDiS engine version, offering 18% lower emissions and negligible particulate emissions – which is good news – although the 2.0 litre DDiS SX4 will be late to the party.

No word on pricing yet, but I’m sure we’ll get that before Frankfurt.