Suzuki Vitara

Suzuki Vitara Models

There is a full line Suzuki Vitara models, from the entry-level two-door Vitara JS with two-wheel drive and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine to the loaded Grand Vitara Limited with four doors, four-wheel drive, V6 and automatic transmission. In between is a line of four-door models with four- and six-cylinder engines.

Suzuki's nomenclature uses an X to denote four-wheel drive, so JX and JLX models come with four-wheel drive.

The least-expensive model is the two-door Vitara JS. It comes with a convertible soft canvas top with a plastic rear window. It's powered by a 1.6-liter 16-valve four-cylinder engine that produces 97 horsepower to drive the rear wheels. Two-door JLS and JLX trim levels come with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that produces 127 horsepower. They also come with air conditioning as standard equipment.

The Suzuki Vitara 4 Door model comes standard with the larger 2.0-liter engine.

Grand Vitaras include a 155-horsepower V6.

The top of the line model is the Grand Vitara Limited, which includes a hard cover for the external spare tire, privacy glass, fog lamps, leather upholstery, and a choice of either stark white or black exterior colors, plus gold badging.

Driving the Suzuki Vitara

The V6 engine is responsive; a small tip of the throttle and the Grand Vitara lunges forward. The Escape and Tribute offer more power with their 200-horsepower V6, but the CR-V (146 horsepower), and the RAV4 (148 horsepower) have less. While bricklike aerodynamics and a hefty curb weight take the edge off as speeds rise, the Grand Vitara's 160 pound-feet of torque makes for responsive performance in city driving. With four valves per cylinder, the V6 revs smoothly and builds power quickly. Peak torque arrives at 4000 rpm, peak horsepower at 6000 rpm. Yet the Grand Vitara JLX+ can get 19 mpg in the city, 21 on the highway.

The five-speed manual gearbox shifts smoothly with a light and direct feel. The tall shift lever with its rubber accordion boot is one of the few reminders that you're driving a truck. The clutch pedal engages a little high in its travel, but the pedal effort is light, so it works well in stop-and-go traffic.

Suzuki has done a great job of making the Grand Vitara's body structure strong and rattle-free. It seems sturdy enough to take serious on- and off-road punishment. Yet the Grand Vitara is fairly quiet, without a lot of rolling noise from the drivetrain or suspension. The engine and transmission have a slight whine that grows as speeds increase, but it barely requires the driver to speak up.

Given our druthers, the Grand Vitara's steering is the first thing we'd change. Off-roaders need some play on center to absorb kickback from large bumps. But perhaps the Grand Vitara has a bit too much of that play. On the road, its steering slack is noticeable, and takes some attention to keep on the straight and narrow.

Suzuki's available four-wheel-drive system comes with a low range for extremely heavy muck. The full-time all-wheel drive systems from Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, and Subaru do not offer a low range. The Grand Vitara is surprisingly capable off road, thanks to nearly eight inches of ground clearance and a short wheelbase.