It's cool that it was available in AWD with manual, even if only a handful are out there. It's also a crying shame that the much better Aerio couldn't be had that way. I've driven a FWD Aerio with a manual, it was a hoot! I have a friend with an AWD SX4/CVT, I've driven it too, it has some good qualities, but fun to drive is not one of them.
I wonder if the 2.3 from the Aerio would bolt in?
In reply to HappyAndy:
The Aerio is listed at 155hp and the J20B in the later SX4 is listed at 150. I don't know that I'd bother. That said, maybe the J20B head on the 2.3 Aerio block is worth looking in to? Or just, you know, turbo the J20B and call it a day.
Plus the SX4 looks way better than an Aerio. Man those are ugly...
I will add that when I was looking, I was thinking of it as a micro SUV rather then a car. Still a little sad I just couldn't get comfortable in it.
In reply to neon4891:
I really wish they put a telescoping feature on the steering column. Overall I still think the car is comfortable though.
If the fuel econ meter in my car is to be believed (and I know they usually aren't 100% so grain of salt) as of last night I'm getting 30.1 mpg so far with this tank. At about 1/2 a tank and all commuting or putting around surface streets, I don't feel too bad about this. Most of the time I'm getting 28 to 30 it seems.
pres589 wrote: In reply to HappyAndy: The Aerio is listed at 155hp and the J20B in the later SX4 is listed at 150. I don't know that I'd bother. That said, maybe the J20B head on the 2.3 Aerio block is worth looking in to? Or just, you know, turbo the J20B and call it a day.
The J20 in the SX4 is the best one. A proper tune would make a huge difference, and put an end to the rod bearing problem at the same time.
Yeah I thought they were cool
Reviving this for some more recent feedback.
I'm looking at an 08 hatch version with the 5 speed and Selectable AWD for my son as a first car. We know the owner and it's well maintained, 2 sets of tires, and in good shape inside and out. It's approaching 180k miles.
Any thoughts now that they've aged a bit more? The price would be in the $2500-$3k ballpark.
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