Suzuki Grand Vitara 2009 Review

Suzuki Grand Vitara - Road Test

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.0/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

It could be argued that the latest iteration of Suzuki's three-door Grand Vitara represents a $30,000 drivetrain in a $10,000 chassis... Certainly all the mechanical and electrical components that go into making the vehicle operate, perform efficiently, smoothly and intelligently -- harmoniously even. However, this slick drivetrain is mated to a body undeserving of such mechanical aptitude.

While the engine of our test Vitara hummed, the body jarred. While the engine surged, the body rattled... Indeed, a case in point was the third, rearmost, door. With even a moderate slam, the thin sheetmetal shivered and visibly rippled -- not what we expect from a once-classy Japanese manufacturer renowned for Honda-esque levels of quality.

But through it all, the all-new 2.4-litre variable valve timing (VVT) four-cylinder engine shone, encumbered as it was with a lackadaisical four-speed automatic transmission.

The new engine, which supersedes the weedy 1.6-litre previously used in the three-door, provides a useful 122kW at 6000rpm (up two-thirds on the older motor) and 225Nm at 4000. While the engine's new, both the four-speed auto and the five-speed manual transmissions are carryovers from the previous model. Lack of ratios notwithstanding, can the transmission handle two-thirds more grunt? Suzuki is evidently satisfied it can.

On-road performance was brisk without being frantic and acceleration more than adequate. However, running up to hills or wanting a downchange to pass a slower vehicle was often frustrated by a lazy kick-down. It was easier to manually move the lever through its staggered gate.

The steering was nicely weighted and the tilt-adjustable column got the wheel at the right height, although the driving position overall was compromised by a less-than-ideal driver's seat -- more of which below.

The engine note was audible, but never intrusive -- busy, but not buzzy. The lazy-man's automatic transmission option adds $2000 to the showroom price.

It also canes fuel economy. Suzuki claims 8.8L/100km for the manual and 9.6 for the auto; in real life, the auto will deliver between 10.5 and 12L/100km. The three-door's fuel tank holds 55 litres, whereas the five-door gets 11 litres more.

While we're comparing three and five-doors, the three-door auto weighs a chunky 1459kg at the kerb; its five-door (and 0.44m longer) stablemate weighs 108kg more and increases luggage space by almost 50 per cent. The three-door can pack in 964 litres of stuff.

The three-door's looks are stubby, foursquare and butch, mostly thanks to its wheel-at-each-corner stance, slightly flared wheelarches and vast B-pillars. These last are a handicap to the driver, as they confound over-the-shoulder visibility on both sides of the car and seem unduly stout for the task of holding the roof up.

Overall, the Vitara family's styling is very contemporary and has been constantly and subtly updated over the years; it's immediately recognisable but it doesn't automatically date its forebears the way a Honda CR-V does.

From the rear of the three-door Vitara, the bulky transversely mounted exhaust muffler is clearly visible -- it looks like a tacked-on aftermarket part. We assume the stubby wheelbase and almost non-existent overhangs must make the under-floor packaging a designer's nightmare, but with the rear wheel hanging off the tailgate, you'd think there must be some useable space in which to tuck it away.

Inside the small luggage area, there's an odd storage space in the floor -- it's carpeted, so won't do well with wet items and it's too shallow for anything of any size. Indeed, about the only thing it will accommodate is a weekday newspaper -- weekend issues are too big to fit. Incidentally, that full-sized 16” steel spare wheel at least gets a hard cover, not the flimsy zip-up plastic cover that Honda and others provide.

Inside the cabin, there's a severe shortage of oddment stowage -- another place where Suzuki now lags behind not just its Japanese rivals but also the Korean manufacturers.

While the control layout is standard Japanese fare, and economics are pretty good (apart from obscure heating, ventilation and aircon controls), the cabin is severely compromised by a dreadful driver's seat which offers next to no lumbar or lateral support and feels offset to the pedals.

At least there's very good foot-space in the front, and reasonable legroom in the back.

The three-door Grand Vitara is a four seater -- there are only two headrests and two safety belts in the rear, and the rear seat is a 50/50 split-fold item, unlike the 60/40 three-person rear bench in the five-door.

Access to the rear seat requires a bit of gymnastic contortionism and only the left-front seat has a tilt-and-slide lever, so back-seat passengers are encouraged to use the left door. Sadly, Suzuki has seen fit to equip the Grand Vitara with paranoid dual-stage central-locking, so actually getting into the vehicle was a constant battle with the frustrating system.

Once aboard, there are audio controls on the steering wheel, but Suzuki doesn't fit a cruise control system at this level of Vitara -- although the driver does get a good trip computer with a sensible spread of data-sources (instant and average fuel burn, range, average speed, exterior temperature and two trip-meters). A nice touch are the six (count 'em!) windscreen washer jets.

The cheap feel of the cabin extends to visible movement of the armrest when the window controls are exercised. Yet in the face of this flimsiness, Suzuki hasn't stinted in the safety department -- front, side and curtain crashbags, ESP stability Control, traction control and ABS anti-lock brakes with Force Distribution and brake assist.

Confirming our assertion that the engine is let down by a body that fits like a cheap suit, the stability control system is as close to ideal as this vital piece of electrickery can get. It delivers a decent amount of leeway, and lets the driver know he or she has overstepped the mark, but once activated reacts fast enough that few drivers will have already attempted to correct the situation themselves.

The three-door Grand Vitara offers the same offroad ground clearance as its five-door siblings and the same approach angle (200mm and 29 degrees). The rampover angle is marginally better (20 deg v 19) in the short-wheelbase version, but the departure angle is far superior -- 36 degrees versus 27.

Unlike almost all of the vehicles in the compact SUV segment, the Vitara retains a true two-speed transfer case with low ratio selectable via button rather than the traditional high-low lever. This fact alone makes the Vitara a much more competent offroader than it would at first appear. It scuttles up and down sections that confound Honda's underrated CR-V, and thanks to its nimble steering and small stature, can fit through gaps and around obstacles that leave so-called 'real' 4x4s floundering in its wake.

In short (excuse the pun), off the road, the Vitara auto's very good indeed. The manual will be even better.

Complaints about body refinement aside, if you need a short, reasonably cheap and very competent 4x4 with a good turn of speed, and don't need to carry many passengers or much luggage, the Grand Vitara deserves a look.