Suzuki Grand Vitara 2005 Review

The V6-engined Grand Vitara is the big seller among the Suzuki wagons. But there is also the cheaper, just as capable, four-cylinder Vitara.

For $27,900, this is a proper four-wheel-driver.

The Vitara has never been the biggest, flashest of compact SUVs. But it does have a full chassis, it does have a two-speed transfer case and it does go where others struggle. It does have a swag of gear from ABS brakes to airconditioning.

Heading down the highway, the Suzuki wagon is not as quiet, not as refined as most of the soft-roaders. There is an occasional skip and jump from the rigid, and live, rear axle plus a bit of engine noise and a little road noise.

At 100km/h in fifth, the two-litre engine is turning around 3500rpm.

Front seats are OK and there's room in the back for another pair of adults, all good for at least a two-hour stretch.

The cabin is quite neat and tidy, with little confusion over buttons, knobs and instruments. The interior is screwed together with care.

It is a narrow, upright cabin, so a long, long haul with a couple of big adults may test friendships. Conversely, the Vitara's shape and size make it handy in shopping car parks or down a bush track.

The rear cargo area is not huge, although it has decent height.

Yet there is little the Suzuki cabin misses, from air to vanity mirrors to electric windows and airbags for driver and front passenger.

Up front, there are a number of cubbyholes, including a tray beneath the front passenger seat.

On the test car, the five-speed manual gearbox and 94kW engine were both a little coarse. The transmission was notchy, the engine appeared not as smooth as class rivals but this may change with more kilometres beneath the wheels.

And while that five-speed change never improved – in particular the slot into first – the engine sounded quite right on a gravel track.

It is here the Vitara hits its straps. It is small, light and happy to run hard. The suspension, deemed a tad too irregular on lumpy bitumen, hits a sweet spot.

Off the dirt and the muck, there is a lever for the transfer case from two-high to four-high to four-low – simple, strong and straightforward.