its ranges.

The SX4 is an addition to Suzuki's 4x4 stable but it's a different kettle of fish from your average off-roader, since it's packaged as a hatchback rather than a jeep or an SUV. It may be 100 per cent Japanese-built but there's a strong Italian connection, thanks to Suzuki joining the GM-Fiat partnership.

The SX4 off-road hatchback follows in the tyre tracks of the Fiat Panda 4x4, whose two-wheel-drive model was named European Car of the Year in 2004. The SX4 is essentially the same car as the Fiat Sedici, which is made in Europe and is proving itself as a practical, budget 4x4 in off-piste alpine areas. But does such a snowmobile make any sense in the broiling heat of a Hong Kong summer?

In a spin around Central, the SX4 doesn't really stand out from the crowd, but it's a handsome package with a few subtle exterior features hinting at its off-road potential, so it's a bit of a Q-car in this respect. Roof rails, fog lamps and HID headlamps all suggest there's more to the five-door hatch.

On the vertically challenging roads around the Peak and through the bends down to Shek O, the SX4 does a good job of eating up steep slopes, thanks to Suzuki's switchable four-wheel-drive system. In two-wheel-drive mode, the SX4 drives like any other hatchback, returning the most efficient fuel economy of all three drive settings.

But when it's flicked to automatic 4WD mode - the standard setting

for everyday driving - the car automatically increases torque to the rear wheels when it senses any slip from the front wheels, smoothly and imperceptibly.

There's also a locked 4WD mode, which is less economical, but deft at getting you out of trouble in low-traction driving conditions.

On a dry, sunny day there's little difference between the two 4WD settings, but after a typhoon or thunderstorm such as those that have lashed the city recently, it's good to know that there's plenty of grip at hand should things get tricky. And, if you accidentally leave the 4WD lock on, the transmission reverts automatically to the 2WD or 4WD mode at speeds over 60kmh - a sophisticated touch that's a far cry from the rudimentary LJ, SJ and Jimny models.

More proof that Suzuki is ahead of the game is the list of features that come as standard (see At A Glance), from ABS, front MacPherson struts and disc brakes to interior features such as six airbags, a leather steering wheel and an eight-speaker CD system. The SX4 has decent kit for a HK$150,000 car, and good legroom for four adults too.

Where the SX4 does falter, however, is when you're revving up those steep inclines: the 1.5-litre VVT engine - capable and rugged as it seems - is not the most refined, and when you push it hard you begin to realise why there's an eight-speaker CD system as standard. The noise isn't unbearable, it's just a bit of a letdown when you consider how seamless and modern the 4WD drive-train is. It's also disappointing that Suzuki scrimped on the rear drum brakes, too.

But if there's still a touch of the 80s Suzuki jeep about the 1.5-litre, the good news is that if you want to go faster, and perhaps make less noise, the car manufacturer has launched the two-litre, 145 brake horsepowered SX4 Sport, with side skirts, a rear spoiler, a chromed-muffler and 17-inch alloy rims. Suzuki has dropped many crossover options for the Sport, dispensing with the roof rails and reducing ground clearance from 175mm to 160mm, and says it should be quieter and more refined than the SX4.

But if you like the crossover concept - a budget 4x4 that you can take to the shops - the 1.5-litre SX4 is as viable as any hatchback, but with added versatility. Earplugs, however, are an essential extras.