Suzuki has a sports-minded heritage. This heritage topped with a goal to excel and be one of the world’s most capable automaker, Suzuki Auto yet again enters a motorsports challenge. For this year, Suzuki has an entry in the World Rally Championship (WRC). The vehicle they entered is the SX4 WRC. The vehicle is said to be pattered from the five-door SX4 Crossover and was first introduced in the Geneva Motor Show last February 2006. The people behind Suzuki developed this vehicle to be driver-friendly. It is a World Rally Car that features superb controllability even when subjected to different range of rally conditions. A creation of Suzuki Sport, which is Suzuki’s motorsports division, one can expect only the best from the SX4 WRC.

The vehicle has undergone various extensive testing programs in different road conditions and driving surfaces. In order to bring the tests for this vehicle a notch higher, Suzuki Sport entered the vehicle to two events that both occurred this year. These are the Rallye de France as well as the Wales Rally GB. These two events are said to add on the surface types on which the SX4 WRC will be tested. The former has a reputation for being one of the most challenging when it comes to tarmac events. The latter, has a varied array of surface types that will sure to test the SX4 WRC’s capacity. The SX4 WRC features a 2.0 liter turbocharged J20 engine, a full-time 4WD drivetrain as well as a five-speed sequential gearbox. Its 1,997 cc engine has the capacity to deliver 320 brake horsepower involving 4,000 and 4,500 rpm. As for its maximum torque, it can go up to 590 N-m at 3,500 rpm.

As for the powertrain, the SX4 WRC boasts of a carbon three-disc clutch, which has an electronically controlled center differential topped with a mechanical differential for both the front and rear portion. It has a balanced chassis with a rigid structure that makes way for the front and rear MacPherson struts to function at their finest. It has Reiger shocks rather than Suzuki shocks that delivers dynamic vehicle handling. For more information on shocks, visit the Bilstein shocks website.