2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara Reviews

It didn't help my calls for a complete assessment of its purchase appeal when time after time the kids and I found something else to love about the sporty four-wheel-drive.For me, it was the small things that made the difference.For instance, the stereo volume control button on the steering wheel.This enabled me to either play referee to the battling siblings or drown out the arguing.As a height-challenged person, there were two outcomes I relished in the silver 2.7-litre V6.First, I didn't need a ladder to hoist myself up into the driver's seat. Second, it was amazing at how different other drivers behaved when I was behind the wheel of a vehicle a little more imposing than my little hatchback. For a while there, I felt six feet tall.Driving at night was an eye-opener in more ways than one – the lights even on low beam had an incredible span, far better than any car I had ever owned.The Grand Vitara was surely a pleasure to drive. Plenty of room for the tribe, comfortable and a smooth ride.It had great pickup and removed the stress in the daily commute from the Fleurieu to the city.Advertised as a mix between bold and sleek, the V6 stunner was a head-turner, easy to get around in the city and shopping-centre car parks as well as smooth on the country roads.Storage was great, with the rear seats of the five-seater able to not only be folded forward but into the leg area behind the driver, creating even more room.Compartments of all sorts were everywhere; some I had to get my 12-year-old to work out how to open and shut.Truth be told, I had to really scratch around to find reasons to justify not to run out and buy one the next week.And it really is affordable to get behind the wheel – with prices for the three-door manual starting from $23,990, up to $32,990 for the five-door automatic.LOVE IT LEAVE ITSuzuki Grand VitaraLOVE ITThe volume control. No more leaning over and taking eyes off the road.Lights – driving at night was a whole new experience.Roomy for the kids and great storage.LEAVE ITFuel costs, if you are not prepared for them, are a bit of a shock. A full tank emptied at 420km, which raised a few questions in terms of long-distance driving.A bit more road noise than expected in a new vehicle.

The first evidence came this year with the Euro-style Swift, one of this year's star cars and an all-round top drive.Now we have tested the latest Grand Vitara and know Suzuki cannot go back.The four-wheel-drive flagship is much more refined, much better in all conditions, and still priced to compete in the compact class.Earlier Vitaras, and even the basic baby, Jimmy, were all right, but not close to the class leaders.And they concentrated more on doing the job in the bush than being the kind of suburban-style four-wheel-drives that have cashed-in during the worldwide growth in this class.This Grand Vitara has the refinement and comfort that was missing, but will still go seriously into the outback. It looks a lot nicer than before, not just a box, and cabin design is better.Suzuki has also spread the enjoyment with three and five-door wagons and a choice of engines, from a 1.6-litre four to a 2.7-litre V6.The price spread is smart, too, from $23,990 to $32,990, and you can add options, including alloy wheels, cruise control and a hard cover for the rear-mounted spare.The Grand Vitara is not a total success — we're not fans of the V6 or the park-bench back seat — but there's a lot to like.We first enjoyed the newcomer at a couple of press previews that put it through all sorts of conditions, from stop-start city running to mud and sand.The Grand Vitara surprised us as much as the new Swift had.A full-scale test just proved the points. Suzuki has adopted a similar approach with the Grand Vitara to that taken with the Swift.It has stepped outside its Japanese comfort zone — and the development targets for earlier models — to create a vehicle that is more than just a bush-baby price fighter.Competition in the four-wheel-drive world has never been tougher and Suzuki knew it had to change its approach to compete with everything from the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail to the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson.Even the Subaru Forester and Outback are included in the compact four-wheel-drive class, and some people will also shop the Grand Vitara against Jeeps in the medium class.Toyota is preparing an all-new RAV4 for Australia early next year that threatens to rewrite the rules.Until then, the Grand Vitara is about as good as it gets in the class and the company should have no trouble hitting its target of 5500 cars a year.The car has fully independent suspension for the first time, and a four-wheel-drive system that handles serious off-road work.Airconditioning and CD sound are part of the package and the cabin has all the right equipment.The Grand Vitara has twin front airbags and anti-skid brakes, which should be compulsory in every car, though it has only rear drum brakes.ON THE ROADSUZUKI has jumped to the front of the class with this Grand Vitara. It beats the RAV4 and X-Trail because it has the strengths of each without the weaknesses.The Suzuki offers the best of both worlds — the suburban strengths of the Toyota and the Nissan's ability in the bush.It has commendable quality, is good value and there is a nice spread of models.Suzuki expects most buyers to have a family focus that will take them into the five-door wagon, with the V6 being the top choice in the engine room.But the company has spread its bets by continuing with the short-wheelbase three-door for younger buyers and weekend fun runners.But don't think it is perfect. We tested the V6 automatic, which is meant to be the hero car, but found a coward in the nose.The 2.7-litre V6 is not nearly punchy or responsive enough, and we often had to use the shift lever to stir things along.Part of the problem is that the engine takes too long to hit its straps and maximum torque is way up at 4500 revs.On top of that, 135kW is not that great when you have at least 1640kg to haul and probably more with a family and luggage inside.The automatic, though a five-speed, is also slow to respond. And when it does, it often makes a violent kickdown shift.The upside to the weakness is pretty good economy. It averaged 11.1 litres/100km during our time, but that is also a result of using a light foot in order to avoid the jerky shifts and planning well ahead for less-intrusive overtaking moves.Our only other complaint is the parkbench rear seat. It is far too upright and thinly padded for adult comfort.So, with that out of the way, it is easy to say that the Grand Vitara rides really nicely, handles well, is beautifully built and copes easily with any conditions.It is easy to park, has excellent headlamps and is easy to load. The sound system is good and the airconditioning excellent.We were surprised by the firm-but-compliant ride, which means it does well on the bitumen and keeps its tyres planted when you head into the bush. It would take a serious off-roader to find a challenge the car could not overcome.It is also easy around the city, which is why it's going to sell better than earlier Vitaras and sit comfortably in showrooms beside the Swift.THE BOTTOM LINE14/20A GREAT improvement in Suzuki four-wheel-drives, but the edge is blunted by a lacklustre V6 engine and automatic.

It has always been a good thing, if a little squeezy inside, but one of the few compact 4WDs that's noted for its off road prowess.There's plenty of stories going around about big 4WDs getting stuck up to its axles, only to be pulled out by a passing Suzuki.The new 21st Century Grand looks set to continue this tradition, with a "built-in" ladder chassis and selectable, low range four-wheel drive.But after putting the top of the range V6 through its paces, I can't shake the feeling that some of the Zuke's legendary "go anywhereness" has been sacrificed in the name of better road manners.Like the previous model, the Grand Vitara is available in short and long-wheel base ver- sions, with a new, seven seat XL-7 version said to be on the way.The four cylinder, three-door model misses out on low range and is obviously aimed at the young female buyer who couldn't give two hoots about going off road.Both the four cylinder and V6 five-door, five-seat wagons get high and low range gearing.Although this time around you dial in low via a dash-mounted, knob instead of the traditional transfer lever.For the first time too, the new Grand can be driven on the road with four-wheel drive engaged, thanks to the inclusion of a centre differential.Our test vehicle was the top of the line V6 fitted with a five-speed manual transmission, priced from $30,990.A five-speed auto is optional for another $2000.Gone are the round goofy lines of the previous model, replaced with a sharper, cleaner more modern look.Inside, the look is fresh and modern too with large easy to use controls.Fit and finish are good, seats are comfortable but but the steering wheel is nothing fancy and crusing control is missing.It's still a bit of a tight fit inside, particularly rear head room with the elevated seating position.However, it is, after all, a compact 4WD.The V6 is the 2.7-litre unit from the previous stretched XL-7.However, there are some differences, most significant of which is that peak torque is generated at 4500rpm instead of 3300rpm.Torque is the stuff that gets a vehicle off the line quickly and makes easy work of steep hills.The lower in the engine rev range that it is generated the better.The 2.7-litre engine delivers a total of 135kW of power at 6000rpm and 250Nm of torque at 4500rpm.Fuel consumption is a claimed 11.1 litres power 100km for the manual and 11.6 litres power 100km for the auto, from a 66-litre tank.That's a little less than the XL-7 – but then the Grand weighs almost as much at 1595kg.We didn't get a chance to empty the tank, but these figures sound about right (trip computer only displays current usage).On the road the Grand Vitara is a smooth operator with good road holding ability and hardly any corner roll.The engine sounds promising, with a raw note under hard acceleration, but you need to keep the revs up to get the best out of it.Off road the Grand is limited by ground clearance which is a minimum 200mm.Although there is plenty of underbody protection, it is prone to bottoming out on rocky descents.This is not an issue in dirt or sand, but could be of concern to owners not wanting to damage vehicles.Two airbags and ABS are standard but it might be an idea to check out the options list, because alloys and fog lights are not.

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.