- Doors and Seats
3 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
2.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
122kW, 225Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 9.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Baby Grand
For: Pleasant engine, real off-road ability, solid on-road feel.
Against: Limited luggage space, auto version lacks sparkle, no airbags.
How it rates: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
It is possible that Suzukis use of the word grand is an acceptable way to describe its largest four-door off-roader after all, it sounds a lot better than the Pretty Good Vitara but it is perhaps drawing a long bow when it comes to the two-door version. Simply, with two fewer doors, a shorter wheelbase and a truncated price-tag, maybe this should be the Mini, rather than Grand, Vitara.
Okay, thats enough of semantics. What you get with the three-door version is basically a 2.0-litre Grand Vitara with 280mm chopped out of the wheelbase, making it overall 380mm shorter than the four-door, hence the lack of space for a pair of back doors.
This is the type of vehicle Suzuki builds so well: a small 4WD wagon, not necessarily aimed at the serious off-roader, but with true bush-bashing ability, thanks to part-time 4WD with the choice of low ratios, plus big wheels and good ground clearance.
All the same, at $24,990 in five-speed manual form, it is also going to attract many (mainly younger) on-road drivers looking for something a bit different to the usual gang of conventional hatchback cars. The word fun gets bandied about a lot when talking about small off-roaders, but it is easy to see the attraction of a relatively cheap vehicle as an entry to driving the great outdoors.
Compared with its rivals, the Grand Vitara three-door (can we just call it a GV3 from now on?) is well priced and well equipped, being priced just under most of its rivals with the exception of the four-door Kia Sportage.
Included in the price are things like air-conditioning, power windows, remote central locking, a CD player, and even cup holders for front and rear passengers.
Dont go looking for airbags or anti-lock brakes because they arent available. In fact, it is hard to find any passive safety features not required by legislation, so if you are the nervous type in that regard, perhaps it would be worth looking elsewhere.
The good news is the smaller three-door shares its 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with lesser versions of the four door, although there is no reason the 2.5-litre V6 shouldnt fit under the bonnet as well. Still, with 94kW of power, the four seems to deliver the goods, and 174Nm of torque doesnt go astray either.
Or does it? Fitted as our test car was with the optional (for a reasonable $1500) automatic transmission, the Suzuki four seemed to be light-on for pulling power low in the rev range, where an automatic needs it most. Keep the throttle floored and there is handy acceleration, with a steady build-up of power towards the tachometers upper limits, but using light throttle openings and early up-changes the engine struggles to shift the GV3s 1260-odd kilograms.
There is no shortage of refinement, however, because this is no light-weight, stripped out buzz-box, but a substantial-feeling vehicle. Engine noise is ever-present, although subdued, but transmitted tyre roar is kept to a minimum, making this a surprisingly comfortable highway speed cruiser.
The ride barely seems to suffer, as could be expected to happen when almost one imprerial foot is removed from the wheelbase. Just the opposite, in fact: the GV3 seems to have less of the four-doors longitudinal "porpoising" as it moves uneasily on its suspension over undulating humps. Shorter, sharper bumps are dealt with firmly, if in reasonable comfort.
One area where this shorter Suzuki does revel is around town. Combine the high seating position of an off-roader with a stumpy body that fits into tight spaces, add a small turning circle and because it is also a wagon, it is easy to see the extremities from the drivers seat you will be finding gaps and parking in spaces where so-called real 4WDs (that is, barely scaled-down trucks) fear to tread.
Less endearing is the lack of cargo space in the back. Swing open the tailgate, with its full-sized spare wheel attached, and there is room for a few bags of shopping only and certainly nothing like a suitcase or golf bag.
The rear seats fold forward to extend available luggage room, but this doesnt leave a flat floor. Remove the headrests, however, and the seats fold flat in the opposite direction, so even if theres no room to carry a tent, at least there is somewhere to sleep.
Speaking of the back seat, it isnt too bad a place for occasional use by taller adults, who will find ample head-room but limited space for legs. Anyone looking at using a back seat more regularly would be better suited to the four-door Vitara. But then, there is a host of other worthwhile rivals, including the Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V.
One thing neither of those competitors do well, however, is go off-road, and even in three-door form the Grand Vitara is certainly up to that task. Its separate chassis construction promises toughness, and there is also a handy 195mm of ground clearance. The transmission can be shifted into high 4WD (from 2WD) on the move, or after stopping there is a full set of low ratios available for really serious stuff.
From the drivers seat it is all rather conventional, with plenty of good-old grey plastic, quite comfortable seats and nothing too much out of the ordinary, except for a stereo that is difficult to use and covered in lots of small buttons.
So while grand might not be the best way to describe this small 4WD, it is definitely a Not Bad At All Vitara; perhaps not as sexy looking as something like a Honda HR-V, but in many other ways better to drive both on the road and off, and quite sensibly priced and equipped against its main rivals.
Suzuki Grand Vitara 3-door
Price: $24,990 manual, $26,490 auto.
Engine: 2.0-litre, DOHC, 16-valve four cylinder 94kW at 6000rpm and 174Nm at 4500rpm.
Transmission: Five-speed manual or four-speed auto. Rear and four-wheel-drive.
Steering: Rack and pinion, 3.7 turns lock-to-lock. Turning circle 9.4m.
Brakes: Discs front, drums rear.
Suspension: Front: Independent by MacPherson struts with stabiliser bar. Rear: Live axle with coil springs.
Wheels/tyres: 6.0 x 16-inch steel wheels, tyres 215/65.
Dimensions: Length 3865mm, width 1710mm, height 1690mm, wheelbase 2200mm. Kerb weight: 1,260kg.
Fuel economy: 10.6L/100km (auto). Fuel tank 56 litres.
Rivals:
Toyota RAV4 3-door, $25,260
Kia Sportage SE, $25,490
Honda HR-V Sport, $25,850
Mitsubishi iO, $26,990