Suzuki Vitara

Not wanting to make a song and dance about things, however, if you have a look it was actually Suzuki that launched the SUV with the Vitara way back in 1988 – that was long before the Nissan Qashaqai and even the Toyota Rav4.

The problem that Suzuki now encounters is although SUVs are selling like hotcakes the choice is phenonomal so this new Vitara needs come up with a few USPs to even match what its predecessor has achieved in this sector. Is the new Vitara a match for the Skoda Teti or the Peugeot 2008 read on to find out.

Suzuki’s latest iteration of the Vitara is certainly not going to wow too many enthusiastic drivers, however the Vitara comes in a very competitive price point. With that in mind, Suzuki is only offering two engines on the Vitara range, one petrol and one diesel unit.

The petrol engine is a 1.6-litre four-cylinder unit producing 118bhp and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox while there’s a six-speed automatic available as an option.

As we mentioned, it is more about getting there than arriving at speed but just for those of you who are interested, the Vitara will reach the benchmark sprint in 11.5 seconds when powered by the petrol engine and if you add all-wheel drive to the set-up then this will see the Vitara reaching 62mph from a standing start in 12.0 seconds.

The Vitara feels good nipping in and out the urban jungle but if you are venturing on longer journeys then make sure to plan overtaking manoeuvres well in advance as you will have to work the gearbox. The petrol unit could do with a little more oomph.

Suzuki claims that take-up of its diesel engine should be around 25 percent of all Vitara sales but it could be more. The oil-burning unit feels livelier thanks to having twice the amount of torque than the petrol unit even though they produce the same amount of power – 118bhp. This also means that it is friendlier to drive and what I mean is that you do not need to work the gearbox as hard as you do in the petrol powered model.

The diesel car will reach 62mph from a standing start in 11.5 seconds while the ALLGRIP model will reduce the sprint time by 0.1 of a second. 

Other than the little Swift, Suzuki is not renowned for making sporty cars and this is true of the latest version of the Vitara. That in itself is not a worry as this car will be found running around town and going from A to B. So it may be an SUV in name but the Vitara is perfectly competent. It is unexciting but that goes with the territory.

The Suzuki is relatively agile but is not as good to drive as a Peugeot 2008 and the steering feels a little vague, however, the light steering should prove useful when parking in cramped town centres. If you do have the desire to drive enthusiastically then you will notice that bodyroll is minimal for this size of car. The ALLGRIP system enhances cornering grip but to be honest there is no real need to ever push the little Vitara that hard. This car is all about doing things simply.

If you are thinking of buying the Vitara for its driving prowess then think again, however, buy it as a practical family car and then this SUV will do everything asked of it.

Unfortunately the cabin is not as refined as some of its rivals, engine noise is audible especially if you opt for a diesel unit. Tyre, road and wind roar also seeps in to the cabin so the interior could be better insulated. Up front the seats are reasonably comfy although they would be improved with more bolstering for your back. It is fairly easily to get a good seating position, as there is decent amount of travel in all directions. Ride comfort is good as the suspension soaks the majority of rough surfaces.

Jump inside the Vitara and you will notice a U-shape design around the gear shift lever while the moulding on the dash is colour coded to the exterior of the car. Our car was in a shade of turquoise and with the same colour on the dash, it looked too much in fact you could go as far as saying it was garish. Apart from the in-your-face dash, the cabin is pleasant place to spend time in although it does look plasticky and it certainly is at the value end of the market.

Three trim levels are available on the Vitara. Highlights for the entry-level SZ4 include 16-inch alloys, DAB radio, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, with limited speed limiter, aircon, front and rear electric windows and projector headlamps.

Move up to the SZ-T and this grade adds silver painted alloys, rear privacy glass, Smartphone link audio and navigation system.

Opt for the flagship trim, SZ5 and your Vitara receives LED projector headlights, 17-inch polished alloys, suede seat fabric, keyless entry with start button, adaptive cruise control, radar brake support and panoramic sunroof. 

The Suzuki Vitara has always had plenty of space on the inside and this version is no different. Both leg and headroom are more than ample while there is a load space of 375 litres with the rear seats in place. Suzuki has made the rear bench with a 60/40 split meaning awkward items are much easier to load and unload. If you need even more space then the luggage space will expand to 710 litres when the rear bench is folded flat. There’s also the additional bonus of having an adjustable boot floor, a handy hideaway for storing smaller items.

Up front, there is plenty of storage space for your nik-naks. The door pockets are of a good size while the glovebox should be adequate for most.

If you tick the option of ALLGRIP then you’ll be pleased to know that Suzuki has been refining its off-road capability for decades. The on-demand system drives through the front wheels for the majority of the time, only sending power to the rear axle when it detects or anticipates slip from the front wheels.

The ALLGRIP system allows you to switch between Auto, Sport, Snow and Lock modes on the move. Auto does what it says on the tin whereas Sport optimises responses for sharper cornering and performance. The Snow mode flicks the Vitara in to four-wheel drive by default while the Lock mode uses the differential to release the car when stuck in snow, mud or sand. 

Whether you opt for a petrol or diesel unit, according to the claimed figures, neither engine is going to leave you out of pocket. You should average around 53.3mpg for the front-wheel drive petrol with manual gearbox, and 70.6mpg for similarly set-up diesel. Add the ALLGRIP system and economy will slide by around 3mpg on both versions. CO2 emissions come out well and range from 106g/Km to 131g/km. With a starting price of £13,999, the Suzuki Vitara looks very good value for money. 

Suzuki has a very good reliability record and the Vitara has fared well in customer surveys. Even if there are problems, the Japanese minnow is quick to react and solve the issue – take the Celerio as a casing point.

With all that in mind, the engines in the Vitara have already been debuted in the S-Cross and Swift and have suffered no reported problems. We expect the new Vitara to continue the good reliability record that Suzuki has had to date.

When comparing to rivals, the Vitara is a little off the likes of Skoda’s Yeti and the Peugeot 2008 but at this price point many buyers will not be put off by a few cheap plastics. 

Suzuki uses ultrahigh tensile steel in the body of the Vitara making it very robust in the event of an accident. If the Vitara is involved in an accident then it comes with seven airbags as standard to keep occupants safe. It also comes with electronic stability control and tyre pressure monitoring. EuroNCAP has not tested the Vitara at the time of going to press but the Japanese maker expects to achieve the top five star rating.

If you purchase the flagship SZ5 model then it comes with Radar Brake Support (RBS) fitted as standard. RBS works when travelling above 3mph and monitors objects and vehicles in front of the vehicle. If it detects the risk of collision, and the driver isn’t reacting quickly enough, it will warn them via a buzzer and if required, apply the brakes automatically.