Everyone in my business has a few favorite cars that they recommend over others in their various segments, and in the subcompact/compact class I often point to the little Suzuki SX4 hatchback. Somehow this little runt has won over my heart. It’s not as innovative as Honda’s Fit, per se, but it’s cute 4×4 styling, top-tier features and high-quality interior make me feel like I’m driving something worth a great deal more than its $17,395 starting price.

Yes, it’s more expensive than a Fit, or some of the other subcompacts, but to be fair it’s sized more like a compact and features more standard features than most of its Japanese, Korean, European and domestic competition. For instance, the base hatchback include gets body-colour bumpers, door handles and mirrors, air conditioning, power windows with driver’s express-down, power mirrors, power locks with keyless entry, a four-speaker CD/MP3/WMA compatible audio system with pre-wiring for XM satellite radio and speed-sensitive audio control, an info display with a clock, outside temperature gauge, fuel consumption and range, a tachometer, a tilt steering wheel, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat with a cargo cover for hiding valuables, tinted glass all-round, an electric rear hatch release, a variable intermittent wiper, fixed intermittent rear wiper, plus an engine block heater. Also, new for ’09 are standard driver and front passenger seat armrests, plus a passenger side seatback pocket. Even more important are these standard safety considerations, such as dour-wheel disc brakes with ABS, Brake Assist (BA) and EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution), plus a bevy of airbags including dual front, front seat-mounted side-impact and side-curtain bags for both rows. The front row features seatbelt pretensioners too. All SX4s get a 3-year or 60,000-km bumper-to-bumper warranty and powertrain coverage of 5 years or 100,000 km.

The JX hatchback replaces the 15-inch steel wheels with 16-inch alloy rims, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel featuring stereo controls, cruise control, heated mirrors, as well as wheel arch extensions, side skirts and black roof rails for that mini-SUV look. The JX FWD hatchback with manual transmission has been dropped, by the way, so the only way you can get a JX either with an automatic transmission and FWD for $19,995 or AWD with a manual at $ $21,195 or automatic at $22,295.

Additionally, all top-line JLX models get AWD, plus automatic climate control, a proximity sensing keyless entry and push-button start system dubbed SmartPass, a six-CD audio upgrade with eight speakers and a subwoofer, heated seats (a new standard JLX item for 2009), cooler looking black and silver roof rails, sporty fog lamps, and all-important electronic stability control. Most important, the JLX gets standard ESP stability control, all for $23,195 with a manual and $24,295 for the automatic.

So, how does it drive? Great! It’s a substantial feeling little car, meaning the SX4 hatch feels more solid than most in this class. Perhaps it’s the all-wheel drive of my JLX tester, or maybe just the car’s general construction; it’s really well made, and in the automaker’s Hamamatsu, Japan facility… no more rebadged Daewoos for Suzuki. The 2.0L four-cylinder makes for impressive performance with 143hp available at 5,800 rpm and 136 lb-ft of torque from 3,500 rpm, easily enough to get you up to highway speed and beyond without breaking a sweat. The standard transmission is a five-speed manual, while the automatic features four forward gears. Suzuki might want to address the latter item being that competitors are starting to show up in the compact class with five-speed automatics, while some will even offer six-speed autos to optimize fuel economy and performance. Still, the auto is relatively smooth and still allows for decent acceleration. The manual is a really slick shifter, very precise and surprisingly good for this class.

Fuel economy is quite good for the 1,212-kilo (2,647-lb) base FWD hatch with a manual transmission, at 9.2L/100km in the city and 6.5L/100km on the highway, whereas the AWD version, weighing in at 1,349 kg (2,976 lbs) in fully loaded automatic guise achieves 9.9L/100km and 7.1L/100km respectively, on regular unleaded fuel.

The SX4’s all-wheel drive system is pretty sophisticated, featuring three driver-selectable modes including FWD, for better fuel economy, “auto” which sends torque to the rear wheels when needed, plus “lock” that locks in the rear wheels for added traction and then retreats to “auto” mode when topping 18 km/h. It’s an easy system to use and very effective in inclement weather, and with the latter in mind, the brakes are good too.

Inside, the SX4 is much more upscale than you might expect, and far above most in the compact class. The seats are comfortable and surrounding area quite roomy, especially for taller people who will find headroom surprisingly accommodating. There a lot of cargo space behind the 60/40 split rear seats when upright at 457 litres (16.2 cu ft), which is equal to the average midsize sedan and slightly more than the SX4 sedan, plus when folded the SX4 Hatchback yields 1534 litres (54.3 cu ft).

Styling is a big reason why people choose specific cars, and the SX4 Hatchback really has this in spades. Let’s face it, there aren’t many really good looking compact models, but something about this particular model, especially in top-line JLX trim, just does it for me. I really felt good driving it, proud to be behind the wheel.