I’ve been using the SX4 since 6 months now and feel competent to comment about it now.
Looks:
The best looking car in this class today.
City is nice but an old model today, Verna looks very girlish and too rounded. I will not go into Ford and GM as I feel the other drawbacks of those brands far outweigh any good looks.
Comfort:
It seats 4 in comfort and 5 for short distances less than an hour is fine. The best part is the height of the car - you remember the Ambassador every time you get in or out. Its just perfect. This is very much important if you have elders in the family.
Driving pleasure:
It is ever ready to go and in city traffic you need to change gears less than other cars. On the highway 130-140 is perfectly fine and feels under control, and I’ve not found a good road in Kerala to go faster than that.
Fuel economy:
Below 10 with AC in city conditions. 1-3 KM/litre more on long distances with AC. Since my driving is not much more than 10000 kms per year, this is not a problem for me. If you are looking for better than this look elsewhere.