Soul singer Aretha Franklin’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T was a word that rattled around in the ol’ brainpan as we waved a farewell to our SX4 long-termer on its return to Suzuki.

Respect is an assumption of good faith and competence. Depth of integrity, trust,complementary value and skill are necessary components. So, after six months and more than 9,000 km on the clock, did our plucky little SX4 measure up in the respect department?

The majority of our staff thought Suzuki’s designers got the SX4 just about right in the looks department. Though some called its façade “quirky,” most gave it credit for a face that stands out from the small car herd. Its tall, curving roofline was appreciated, too, for its help in the delivering decent headroom while the five-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels gave the little five-passenger hatchback a solid and planted look.

Inside, it elicited favourable comment for a bright and airy feel, thanks to a big glass area and that high roof (topped by useful two-tone rails for those occasional extra load items).

Log-book notes also praised overall build quality, with a nice choice of materials and tight, even gaps between various trim panels. Small bits of brightwork throughout the cabin added a pleasant upscale ambience. But the centre console drew some negative votes when bright sunlight washed out the displays too easily, making it hard to read the clock or check which radio station was tuned.

But, after sampling a front-drive base model SX4 ($15,995) prior to picking up the long-termer, our top-of-the-line $22,595 all-wheel-drive JLX model seemed decadent in comparison, with a full complement of standard equipment that included air conditioning, cruise control, stereo with six-disc CD/MP3/WMA and eight speakers, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel with built-in audio controls.

Some drivers noted that a front armrest would be a nice addition. Another gripe concerned the rear cabin’s stadium seating, which puts the back seats level with the cargo area and “makes the area seem tighter than the rest of the car.”

But visibility for all occupants is very good. At the rear, cargo space is a “smallish” 270 litres with the seat up, but expands to a commodious 1,079 litres with the seatbacks flipped down.

A big selling point for the SX4 is its available all-wheel-drive system, which is unheard of in a vehicle at our tester’s price point. Our test JLX came fitted with the optional four-speed automatic transmission (a five-speed manual is standard) a the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine common to all base, mid-range JX and top-line JLX models. Even though this engine puts out 143 horsepower (more than the Civic, Corolla and Sentra) many of our logbook entries reported “sluggish” acceleration. Other similar notations were that the engine “gets busy when pushed,” while another felt the SX4 had “no guts” at highway speeds.

Our SX4 came up short in another powertrain-related respect — it proved quite thirsty for fuel. One driver recorded “pretty poor range” on a highway run — only 376 km since the last fill — at 115 km/h with three people and a bit of luggage on board. No doubt the SX4’s all-wheel-drive and somewhat portly 1,270 kg weight played its part here too.

All told, we put 902 litres of regular fuel into the tank and spent $881.18 in the process. Overall, that worked out to a fuel consumption average of about 9.9 L/100 km (28.5 mpg).

Apart from those running costs, the only other financial outlay was $79.99 for the SX4’s routine 10,000 km service, essentially an oil and filter change with a couple of no-charge warranty items tended to at the same time.

But with its amiable road manners, well-planted feel, “flingability” in the corners, nimbleness in city traffic and easy parking the SX4 earned more overall respect than disrespect. More off-the-line “grunt” and improved fuel economy would silence those complaints we respectfully suggest.