Suzuki Vitara 2015 News

The Suzuki Swift GTI — a cult car from the 1990s — is finally poised for a comeback.

Are you tired of getting stuck behind an SUV? If you can’t see through them, you may want to join them.Australia is going to be crawling with a new type of SUV from next year: city-sized soft-roaders. Or as we like to call them, faux-wheel drives.They have the same tall driving position as a full-size SUV (to better navigate the traffic rather than the great outdoors) and yet have the economy of a small car because often they don’t even have all-wheel drive. Handily, they also fit in the same size parking space as a Toyota Corolla.The Suzuki SX4 (now known as the S-Cross) in many ways pioneered this segment; Holden and Nissan followed with pocket-sized high-riding hatchbacks with unusual designs.But Mazda’s CX-3 is the first one that appears to look just right. Due in March, it will soon be joined by the Honda HR-V, Fiat 500X, Jeep Renegade, Renault Captur and the reborn Suzuki Vitara (a sign of the times, now with car-like underpinnings rather than a 4WD chassis).Most of these vehicles will be priced between $20,000 and $30,000, the heart of the new-car market — and put SUVs in the driveways of those who want one but, until now, couldn’t afford it.If you thought it was already difficult to choose a new car in the world’s most competitive market, it’s about to get even tougher.

The born-again Vitara is set to plug the gap between the new suburban S-Cross and the off-road Grand Vitara in Australia, starting below $30,000.It's just been previewed in advance of the Paris auto show, where it will be pitched as the Suzuki's new family-focused escape machine.Suzuki has released no mechanical information and just one image. The Vitara is expected to be front-wheel drive with petrol and diesel engines and, on higher-spec examples, optional on-demand all-wheel drive."This is (completely) a new car. The current Grand Vitara stays on, and this is a different car altogether," says Suzuki Australia spokesman Andrew Ellis."Suzuki is showing the European car at the Paris show but we're not expecting any major differences for Australia. We're expecting it in quarter two, next year."Ellis says the Vitara fits between the Jimny and Grand Vitara, although he concedes it's more likely to be pitched at a similar group to the buyers for the S-Cross."There is a gap there, and that's where the market is growing in compact SUVs. It sits below Grand Vitara," he says. "They have stayed pretty close to the iV-4 concept car from the Frankfurt show in 2013."The coming Vitara may yet share its platform and all grip drivetrain with the S-Cross. "We're looking at on-demand all-wheel drive, with (primarily) front-drive. So no low-range off-road gears," Ellis says.The Vitara comes as Suzuki accelerates its new-model program following the lean years immediately after the global financial crisis.It's already committed to the replacement for the Alto, the Celerio, in 2015. Now with the Vitara, Ellis says, "It's going to be a big year for Suzuki. There's a lot happening."