Suzuki Grand Vitara 2006 Review

Road Test

The short-wheelbase Vitara offers many surprises and confirms some predictions -- for example, its miniscule overhangs, minimal gap between axles (2.44m) and permanent four-wheel drive make it an unsurprisingly competent vehicle off the asphalt. It seems much smaller than its five-door sibling, yet there's just 200mm -- eight inches -- difference in wheelbase and 465mm in overall length between them.

The new stubby three-door's snappy styling and impressive build quality appeal to discerning, style-conscious buyers. However, these buyers will soon learn to choose between taking along a little luggage or little passengers -- but not both. With the rear seats in position, the luggage space is virtually zero -- a week's groceries for two would stretch its capacity.

The three-door is very much the poor cousin of the bigger five-door -- for a start, Suzuki's 1600cc four-cylinder engine (73kW at 5900rpm and 139 Nm at 4100 rpm) and five-speed manual don't warrant either selectable mechanical or electric low-range ratios -- but it is a permanent four-wheel drive.

Electronic driver aids are limited to a set of grabby ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution and power-steering -- there's no hill descent control, traction control, anti-skid or vehicle stability program, not even cruise control. And take it from us, the Suzuki spec sheet looks a little barren against its rivals. Safety features extend to the brakes, twin front SRS crash-bags and side intrusion beams.

The first two ratios in the slow-shifting manual gearbox are eons apart: first is 4.55:1, second is 2.357:1, so revving the engine to 6000rpm in first on a steep unmade road and grabbing second gear sees the engine plummet to 3000rpm -- and fall right out of what little power is available.

In addition, the manual's gearlever was the biggest single source of NVH in the cabin -- noise, vibration and harshness so severe that holding the gear-lever for as long as it takes to change gear became physically painful after a long spell in stop-start city jams. At least the driver is encouraged to keep both hands on the steering.

Driving in high volume traffic wasn't helped by vast B-pillars which compromised over-the-shoulder three-quarter rear vision, although the A-pillars didn't restrict the driver's view into corners much at all.

The stubby Vitara is blessed with longer doors that it's lengthier cousin, to allow access to the rear seats -- and this became a major source of iritation during our time together. For a start, the longer doors preclude parking in tight spots and narrow garages will not allow the doors to open wide enough to actually get in and out.

Secondly, there is no tilt-and-slide release on the driver's seat, so allowing the juniors (and only two of them, not three -- this is strictly a four-seater) in and out of the back row means either manually adjusting both the seat back and seat slide, or letting them out of the passenger's side, where there is a tiny foot-operated tilt-and-slide lever.

Largely meaningless in the suburbs, this would be no bad thing in the city -- encouraging passengers to alight onto the footpath -- except that Suzuki have fitted the Grand Vitara with a two-stage remote central locking, so the left and rear doors remain locked unless they are deliberately unlocked. Sometimes it's the little things that irk the most.

To its credit, the Grand Vitara does run to a full-sized spare wheel, something that compromises many of its rivals; it also offers a good range of stowage compartments in the cabin which is also a comfortable place to be, with supportive seats, easy access and excellent ergonomics.

Two power-sockets up front mean you can run both the phone charger and the laptop and the panel fit and finish, inside and out, is impressive. A dash-top instantaneous fuel consumption meter gave its display in km/litre, rather than the lt/100km convention; once converted, the reading was an underwhelming 10.7lt/100km.

The three-door gets a 55-litre fuel tank, the five-door can take 66 litres on board.

The headlamps are also very good, and having no less than six jets to spray the windscreen keeps it clean, no matter how much mud gets kicked up.

Given its overall competence off-road, it's almost a shame that its other shortcomings will ensure that the smallest Grand Vitara almost never goes there.