WHEN I set out to review this car, I imagined myself as a family-orientated, budget-conscious and "practicality over style" kind of man. I imagined myself to be of average financial status with a family of four.

This was my checklist: a car that can fit my family; give me the most mileage on a single tank of petrol; has a boot that can take my child’s tricycle, my wife’s shopping bags and more; is comfortable and safe; that's not too much of a hassle to drive and maintain; and that's not too expensive.

There are a couple of options for the man like me. There are a couple of Toyotas, a few Hondas, a Mitsubishi or two and a couple more from other car makers. This market is one of the most competitive markets in the automotive sector with car makers constantly producing cars with a lot more for the same price range.

Enter the Suzuki SX4 sedan.

The SX4 is a 1.6 litre VVT car capable of producing just over a hundred horses with 140Nm torque peaking in at 4000rpm. These figures are nothing phenomenal but neither are they catastrophic.

What it means is, the car is decent and will not disappoint the man I imagined myself to be. True enough, when I got behind the wheel of the car, the car turned out to be capable. It can overtake, pull up to speed fairly, maintain speeds of 80-100 km/h easily and regular things like that.

A man like me would not be caught dead speeding or weaving in and out of traffic, ever. Although at one point, I did have to pull a little right-left-right move to avoid being caught in a predicament. The car handled itself well during that move. It is all thanks to the engineers at Suzuki. They decided to “lavish” the car with a torsion beam rear suspension and Macpherson struts at the back. The torsion beam means the car is 15 percent more rigid making for a more stable ride. The SX4 is also more comfortable than some of the cars in the same category. It gave an almost luxurious feel to the drive.

The interior of the car is anything but bland. Fully automatic air-conditioning system keeps everybody in the cool without any effort. The premium factory audio system is zen-like stylish and keeps you entertained with audio quality that is just short of blissful. The centre display shows you the time, outside temperature and other information like average fuel consumption and trip distance.

The instrument cluster is clear and crisp. The dials are given and extra dash of style with chrome garnish. The three spoke leather clad steering wheel comes with audio control and an SRS airbag. The centre console also gets a brushed metal finish for that bit of finishing similar to icing on a cake. The plush and well-supported seats are wrapped in quality leather unlike some of the others in its class.

Suzuki has kept to its trademark high-roof design. The SX4 gives a lot of head room even for the tallest of people. At the driver’s seat, the high seating position gives good all-around vision but it also tricks you into feeling that you are driving a car that is a lot higher than it actually is. At times, you might even be thinking that you are driving a van. Thank god for the car’s good handling.

In terms of cargo space, Suzuki has managed to produce more than 500 litres in the boot. You can be certain yours kids’ toys, computers, clothes, even that brand new 42” LCD TV you have always wanted, will definitely fit inside. The seats can be folded 40:60 for even more space should you need it.

For safety, the car comes with 2 SRS airbags and ABS with EDB to make sure the car stays on the road as it should even under severe braking conditions.

The SX4’s biggest selling point perhaps, would be its pricing.

At sub $60 000, the car is loaded with features and comes with comfort and luxury that is lacking even in some cars which are more expensive.

This would definitely appeal to the family oriented, budget conscious and practicality-over-style man. From some angles, the car does look good, but it could still use some after-market makeover products to further enhance the look and appeal to a wider audience.

The new SX4 will definitely give its competitors a run for their money. Those who are looking for a car below $60 000, with decent performance and space, you should seriously consider going down to the Suzuki showroom for a test drive.