“Suzuki’s
road-
friendly Grand Vitara
was voted Compact
4x4 of the Year 2007.
Don’t be fooled —
it’s perfectly at home
in the City...”
'SOFT-ROADERS' ARE AN ACCEPTED PART OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE these
days, particularly in the road-friendly class that includes vehicles such
as the Nissan X-Trail, Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe. Suzuki's Grand
Vitara is another that fits comfortably into this group. Most buyers of these
urban SUVs will never venture off road — certainly not on anything
more challenging than a wet and muddy field. But should you need to, the Grand
Vitara will be happy to oblige.
In fact, earlier this year it was voted Compact 4x4 Of The Year 2007 by Germany's
leading off-road magazine, AutoBild allrad. In doing so, the Grand
Vitara beat off the challenge of 19 other competitors, vindicating Suzuki's
philosophy of providing a combination of genuine off-road competence —
permanent four-wheel drive with a lockable centre diff (selected by a rotary
switch on the fascia) and low range gears for serious off road excursions
— and comfortable on-road performance.
The Grand Vitara is available as a three- or five-door. Three-door models
use either a 1.6 petrol or a 1.9-litre turbodiesel engine; the five-door can
be had with a 2.0-litre petrol or the 1.9 diesel unit. We tested the five-door
fitted with the 138bhp 2.0-litre petrol and automatic transmission. You may
not like the 'school run' but, like speed cameras and ill-thought through
'traffic calming' measures that often make the roads more — instead of
less — dangerous, it's an inescapable fact of on-road life. You'll want
to know that this specification Grand Vitara will certainly be on the shopping
lists of Mothers Who Do!
Mothers, understandably, prefer these high-riding vehicles for family 'taxis'
primarily because they feel their children are safer in a SUV than a 'normal'
car. So they, in particular, will be pleased to learn that Grand Vitara scored
highly in the latest Euro NCAP results, earning a four-star rating for adult
occupant protection and a three-star rating for child occupant protection.
It also achieved a three-star pedestrian rating — making it only the
third small off-roader to be awarded three stars, the highest pedestrian rating
so far awarded in this category.
While we're on the safety topic, a key element in Grand Vitara's NCAP performance
is its unique monocoque construction incorporating, as
it does, a 'built-in' ladder frame — a series of strengthening elements
incorporated into the body which provide the passenger cell with exceptional
rigidity and prevent deformation. Impact absorbing crush zones direct impact
energy away from the cabin. Pedals are also designed to minimise protrusion
into the footwell, and a head impact protection structure supplements the
curtain airbags.
Commendably, all models come as standard with a full complement of airbags:
front, side and curtain for front seat passengers; curtain for those in the
back. ISOFIX child seat anchors are standard on the rear seats. Front seatbelts
are height adjustable and incorporate pre-tensioners and force limiters. ABS
and electronic brake-force dist-ribution are standard, although there is no
ESP system as such but it does have permanent four-wheel drive.
And it's nice to know that pedestrian protection measures include an energy-absorbing
front structure for enhanced injury mitigation, and
a bumper that uses energy-absorbing materials to help reduce the possibility
of serious leg injuries.
The Grand Vitara 2.0 is priced at £15,675 (add £999 for the automatic transmission)
and for that you get generous kit that includes climate control air conditioning,
tinted glass, front and rear electric windows, reclining rear seats, an integrated
radio/CD player with steering wheel-mounted audio controls, tilt-adjustable
steering, heated and powered door mirrors, alloy wheels and front fog lamps.
Plus, of course, all the safety kit already mentioned.
And it's all packaged into a natty-looking body that during our week's test
turned quite a number of heads. Finished in a very attractive Kashmir Blue
pearl metallic, it certainly looked the biz with 'sculpted' wheel arches,
contemporary clamshell bonnet, front-end styling touches and cast-effect alloy
wheels with polished 'spoke' faces. Inside there's an inviting and liveable
cabin with the CD-player and its big easy-to-use buttons all neatly integrated
into a gently curved centre stack that also houses the knurled no-nonsense
rotary-style climate control switchgear.
Remote hi-fi controls are mounted on the steering wheel and the clear dials
— central speedometer flanked by a rev-counter to the left and, on the
right, by a fuel/coolant temperature/'gear selected' gauge. All three are
ringed by heavy silver-finish bezels, and Arctic white graphics ensure clarity
at all times. A digital display on the fascia keeps you advised of your average
mpg as well as the time and the temperature outside. Build quality is more
than satisfactory and the cabin looks tough enough to shrug off 'family' grade
wear and tear. In addition, there are enough cubbies (many with quality 'damped'
lids) and cup-holders to go round as well as three 12-volt sockets: two on
the fascia and a third in the boot.
There's plenty of space for passengers, too, who can enjoy excellent head,
leg and shoulder room and — thanks to generous glass areas — an
airy cabin affording good views out. Decent seats, upholstered in
a smart 3D-effect fabric, provide long-distance comfort (a 250-mile round
trip with no fidgeting is always a sure sign of supportive seats) and you
sit high for a typical SUV driving position with a commanding view of the
road ahead. In these days of melting icecaps and clammy British summers, decent
AirCon is an absolute must: thankfully the Suzuki's climate control air conditioning
is very efficient. Smooth-swivelling any-which-way eyeball air vents ensure
that cold (or hot)
air accurately reaches its target.
The steering wheel only adjusts for rake/height but this isn't a problem as
there's a good range of seat height adjustment for the driver along with a
roomy footwell that, should you ever need to, lets you drive in heavy boots.
The longer 5-door wheelbase means that there is plenty of room in the back.
Worth a special mention are the 10-position re-clining rear seat backrests.
Combined with amazingly generous, almost limousine legroom (really!) and a
centre rear armrest that's set at just the right height, they make travelling
in the back seats a pleasure to be fought over. Another nice quality touch
is that the rear windows drop fully out of sight into the doors.
And there's more than enough room for luggage. Fold and tumble the 60:40 split
rear seats and you get a flat-floored load bay that extends the 'standard'
398-litre boot to 758 litres. In addition there's a useful storage compartment
under the boot floor.
Access from the rear is via a wide side-opening tailgate that — a practical
touch this — opens easily to 65 degrees where it is 'checked' so there's
no risk of it swinging wildly open in windy weather. From a safety point of
view this also means that the tail lights can still be seen by motorists approaching
from behind while you're loading. Pull harder, and the tailgate will pass
the safety detent and open to its full ninety degrees. Also pleasing to use
is the clever three-section lug-gage blind that, when not needed, sits neatly
out of the way on the boot floor.
Once aboard you'll find that the Grand Vitara is an easy drive. In fact, it's
actually just the right size for today's roads and traffic conditions —
neither too big nor too small, yet sizeable enough to handle a variety of
tasks from school run kid-carrier to part-time removal van (helping a colleague
move home was a breeze) to easy-going everyday transport. The steering is
light and accurate and the Grand Vitara's all-independent suspension has been
specifically set up for UK roads. As such it offers a decent ride quality
with responsive handling that reacts remarkably well (for a tallish vehicle)
to the smart three-spoke wheel. The brakes are nicely progressive and offer
strong stopping power in that 'you-hardly-notice-them' kind of way —
push the pedal and you stop without further ado.
On motorways it's refined, reassuringly stable and perfectly happy to keep
up with quick 'average speed' traffic, cruising at 75-85mph with no problems.
You definitely don't need 'low-pro' rubber on a SUV — the Grand Vitara
runs chunky 65 profile 225 section Bridgestone tyres and they do a great deal
for comfort. City drivers will be pleased to know they take the sting out
of speed humps and kerbs when there's no other way through.
The 2.0-litre engine revs willingly and coped easily with the numerous steep
hills on our test route while returning an average of 28.6mpg — close
enough to the official combined figure of 30.1. The four-speed automatic transmission
works fine, and there is a power switch that activates a simple 'sport' mode;
holding upshifts until further up the rev range for some extra tractability.
The Grand Vitara may 'only' have a top speed of 106mph, but it will easily
run very close to its maximum if you let it. For the record, it takes 12.5
seconds to hit the benchmark 62mph from standstill.
If you're looking for a well-priced compact 4x4, then you don't have to look
much further than Suzuki's Grand Vitara. It looks perfectly at home on city
streets, is comfortable and refined and provides practical and personable
on-road motoring. Should you choose to venture off-road, then it's equipped
with all the right off-roader features — permanent 4WD, locking centre
differential and a low-range transfer 'box, as well as the short overhangs
necessary for good arrival and departure angles — to put on a good show
over harsh terrain. The best of both worlds: a 'soft-roader' that performs
satisfactorily both on and off the road.
 Suzuki Grand Vitara 5-door 2.0 Automaic | £16,674 Maximum speed: 106mph | 0-62mph: 12.5 seconds Overall test MPG: 28.6mpg | Power: 138bhp | Torque: 135lb ft CO2 228g/km |
