Suzuki is celebrating the 20th birthday of its most familiar and trend-setting car with a new flagship version.
It might seem odd in these days of a credit crunch and high fuel prices, but the new Grand Vitaras come with a bigger, more powerful petrol engine.
But drive it and the clues start to slot into place. Suzuki has upgraded the engine and therefore the car without a penalty in terms of fuel consumption and Co2 emissions compared to the familiar two litre petrol model.
The new flagship is noticeably smoother, more driveable with a higher quality feel to match some of its ’soft-roader’ rivals, but without sacrificing any of its heritage as a small car (in 4×4 terms) with genuine off-road capability.
In reality, it’s a 4×4 for the price and running costs of an average family hatchback or saloon in the case of the five-door version (which starts at £17,499).
The shorter wheelbase three door now has a market niche to itself, with no direct competitor for the £14,499 price tag.
It’s difficult to know why other 4×4 manufacturers have dropped their three-door models when Suzuki still has a significant customer base among younger drivers and older ‘empty nesters’.
The new 2.4 litre, 165bhp engine is modified from the company’s 2.0 litre engine but it isn’t just a case of more cubic centimetres.
Suzuki has added a balancer shaft, to reduce vibration, and a range of other modifications to make the engine significantly quieter.
Together with the extra power and torque, it makes the Grand Vitara feel smoother, more relaxing to drive, with fewer gearchanges.
The 0 to 60mph time of 11.2 seconds hasn’t increased significantly but then neither has fuel consumption at 32.1mpg for the three door and around 1mpg less for the larger version.
Then there’s the higher quality interior, from the standard leather upholstery in the five-door to the new instrument display and stereo.
The mechanical and comfort features complement each other, effectively taking the Grand Vitara up a grade while still undercutting its rivals on price.
An improvement particularly noticeable on the smaller, lighter three door version involves the suspension.
On older versions, the downside of the beefed-up, long travel suspension was the lumpy ride and sometimes disconcerting handling through corners.
The new car, though, runs much more smoothly and feels distinctly more agile and confidence-inspiring.
While the Grand Vitara’s smoother looks and upgraded interior don’t look out of place on a city street, Suzuki has remained true to the car’s traditions when it comes to off-road ability.
The new car is now somewhat unusual in that it has a monocoque, ladder frame chassis for toughness and rigidity, as well as a low range gearbox and, of course, four wheel drive.
Together with its relatively light-weight and compact size, it has meant that even some of the original Vitaras are still popular with dedicated off-road enthusiasts.
Inside the new models, there is a new, clearer instrument binnacle with driver information display, and a smart new centre console with improved switchgear and the new six-CD stereo.
The shorter three-door still has plenty of room for adults in the back with luggage space between 184 and 516 litres, depending on whether the rear seats are up or folded down.
The five-door’s luggage space is larger, from 388 to 757 litres, reflecting its role as the family choice.
Another addition to the new car is a standard ESP, or electronic stability control, as standard to reduce the risk of skidding.
Anti-lock brakes with emergency brake assist and ABS are also part of the standard safety package, along with front, side and curtain airbags.
The upgraded stereo with remote controls on the steering wheel, tinted glass, climate control air conditioning, alloy wheels and tinted glass are also on the list.
The five-door goes even further, with those leather seats as well as electric windows at the back as well as the front, cruise control, sun roof, heated seats and high intensity headlamps.
By Sharon Walters
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