For quite some time now, the Maruti Suzuki SX4 has been touted to feature an oil burner under the hood. Ever since the SX4 sporting a diesel engine under the hood has been out in the open, many new car launches like the Fiat Linea and the Volkswagen Vento have happened, leaving Maruti Suzuki as a mere fringe player in the rapidly growing and lucrative
C segment of the Indian car market. Not to be outdone by it’s rivals, Maruti responded by continually refreshing the SX4 to keep the butch sedan relevant to the changing times. First, with a midlife cosmetic makeover and then, with a engine that got variable valve timing.The car, which was capable of running rings around the New Honda City on all counts, simply didn’t sell well enough, for a Maruti that is, in spite of the constant refreshes. The constant fly in the ointment being the fact that the SX4 never had the hugely successful Fiat Multijet 1.3 liter diesel engine under it’s hood. This, despite the hatchback version of the European SX4 selling with the Fiat Multijet engine. Finally Maruti seems to sense that the only way forward for the SX4 is with a diesel engine powering it and what better than the Fiat Multijet engine, the fixed geometry turbo version of which Maruti Suzuki produces at it’s Haryana diesel engine manufacturing plant for domestic consumption.
Our very reliable birdie from Maruti Suzuki tells us that the Maruti Suzuki SX4 will feature the 1.3 liter Fiat multijet engine producing 90 bhp of power and 210 Nm of torque. The engine, which uses forced induction through a variable geometry turbo also does duty in the Fiat Linea Diesel, the Fiat Grande Punto Sports, the Tata Indigo Manza and the Tata Indica Vista 90 HP. Considering the fact that the SX4 weighs just as much as the Linea does, the grunt generated by the VGT Multijet Diesel should be just enough to ensure sprightly performance and the traditionally excellent fuel economy. The Maruti Suzuki SX4 will be launched in the first quarter of 2011 and if you’re in the market for a butch and frugal diesel sedan this side of INR 10 Lakhs, you might just want to hold on to your purse strings for a while longer.