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The Suzuki Sidekick has almost everything a vehicle twice its sizeoffers. Everything except, well, twice the size.

We test-drove the 1993 Sidekick JLX four-door 4-by-4. As the nameimplies, the miniature (97.6-inch wheelbase, 158.7-inch length) Sidekick hasfour-wheel drive, like the big boys at Chevy, Ford, Chrysler and Toyota.

It has rear-wheel anti-lock brakes, power steering, dual remote mirrors,power windows and door locks and a swing-open tailgate with a clever, locking spare-tire case.

The Sidekick, imported from Japan, has just about everything real utility vehicles have, again except size and weight, two factors that preyed on ourmind during a week-long test drive.

When you`re on the road behind the wheel of a 2,700-pound machine, youfeel like a bantamweight taking on the heavyweight champ in the ring.

Visibility is great. The Sidekick has perhaps one of the largest expanses of glass on any vehicle in the industry other than an 18-wheeler. What thathuge glass provides for viewing is all those massive vehicles fore and aft andstem to stern.

In a Sidekick, a Chevrolet Cavalier looks intimidating. You feel likeDavid; everything else is Goliath.

Before you travel to the showroom, turn the key and take a Sidekick for a spin, you have to accept that when push comes to shove, the vehicle is goingto be the pushee or shovee.

What do you get by opting for a small utility vehicle? You get four-wheel drive for the Snow Belt. Our test vehicle came with automatic locking hubs. A pull on the transfer-case lever engages all four wheels for surer maneuvering through rain- or snow-covered highways. Score one for Sidekick.

You also expect rather good mileage from a lightweight powered by a 1.6-liter, 16-valve, 95-horsepower four-cylinder engine. With those vitalengine statistics you wouldn`t expect to leave an Infiniti J-30 eating yourexhaust fumes when you pull away from the light. You`d settle for highmileage.

But mileage was one of the disappointments of the test-drive. TheSidekick with five-speed manual transmission is rated at 22 m.p.g. city/26highway. Given the Sidekick`s size and weight, we thought we could enjoy 25/30, 25/35 or some other eye-popping mileage figure. And though the stickersaid 22/26, it seemed more than the normal time was spent reaching into thebillfold for a fin to provide petrol for each day`s journey.

The suspension is decent, but when the speedometer tickled 70 m.p.h. itdidn`t take a 2-by-4 to the side of the head to remind us we were flirtingwith the limit in road-holding ability. And regardless of speed, the Sidekick required us to move gingerly when the script called for a sharp lateral move. The center of gravity isn`t very high, but the Sidekick seemed to have apronounced lean when it changed lanes, even with the 15-inch radial tires.

The `93 JLX with manual transmission has a base price of $15,099. Withautomat ic, add $900. The freight charge is $330.

Standard equipment includes power brakes, chrome-styled wheels,intermittent windshield wipers, a rear-window wiper/washer, a rear-windowdefogger, a remote fuel-lid door release, a center-console storage box, a tiltsteering wheel, rear-door child-safety locks, fold-down split rear seats,deluxe carpeting and an AM/FM stereo with cassette.

Suzuki also makes a two-door Sidekick, built on an 86.6-inch wheelbaseand 142.5 inches long, and a smaller utility vehicle, called the Samurai,built on a 79.9-inch wheelbase and 135 inches long. The four-door Sidekick is about as tiny as we`d go in the world of Lilliputian utility vehicles.