ONE of the pioneers of the SUV set, Suzuki, has added more power and performance to the advantage it has over rivals, genuine off-road credentials.
The venerable Vitara, or more correctly Grand Vitara, will go where other compact SUVs dare not tread.
The penalty is more driveline noise from the dual range transmission and not quite the same refinement as the best of its single range rivals.
- IN A WORD
- MAKE: Suzuki
- MODEL: Grand Vitara
- COST: From $29,990
- ROAD TEST: John Parry
New for 2009 is a major overhaul of the two petrol engines and a tweaking for the diesel.
A lift in capacity in the petrol four cylinder engine from a 2.0-litre to 2.4-litre has boosted power by 19kW to 122kW at 6000rpm and torque by 41Nm to 225Nm at 4000rpm.
The 1.9-litre diesel's output remains at 95kW at 3750Nm and 300Nm at 2000rpm but fuel economy gets an 8 per cent boost to a combined 7.0 litres/100km.
A 3.2-litre V6 produces 165kW at 6200rpm and 284Nm of torque at 3500rpm, or 30kW and 34Nm more than the previous 2.7-litre V6. Fuel economy improves by 9 per cent to a combined 10.5 litres/100km.
On test were a 2.4-litre automatic Prestige at $37,490 (normal petrol auto $31,990) and a turbo diesel manual at $34,990.
The petrol auto is smooth and lively enough considering it is only four-speed and has no sequential manual mode. Gear shifts are crisp and on cue.
Fuel use is a combined 8.9 litres/100km, not too bad considering weight is close to 1.6 tonnes.
However the test car was noisier than expected with excessive transmission whine.
The diesel uses a 1.9-litre Renault engine and like some other small European diesels, is not available with automatic transmission.
The engine needs a few revs on board to get into stride but once up around 2000rpm delivers strong and elastic punch and is relaxed when cruising.
Fuel use is a combined seven litres/100km. The five-speed manual gearbox is slick, if a little noisy in the low ratios.
Both have dual range all-wheel-drive, which uses a torque sensing limited-slip centre differential to split the drive 57:43 front to rear.
A twist of a rotary dial shifts the transmission from four-wheel high range to four-high with the centre diff locked and then four-low with the centre diff locked.
However the reduction in low range is modest so first gear gets more of a workout than expected.
Retardation on descents in the manual diesel was adequate, less so in the auto petrol, although both are backed up by stability control and anti-skid brakes.
Ground clearance remains at 200mm, although wheel travel is modest so it is easy to lift diagonal wheels on offset humps and under-body protection is minimal.
Inside, there is a classy dash, comfortable seats and enough rear-seat leg and head room to keep most adults content. The front strut and rear multi-link suspension is compliant and well sorted.
Standard features include six airbags, stability control, traction control, brake assist, climate control, power windows and mirrors and an MP3-compatible CD player.
Ride is comfortable and controlled and the handling predictable with acceptable body roll considering the high-riding stance.
The steering is well weighted and the brakes have been upgraded to all-discs replacing the previous disc-drums.
Cosmetic changes include a revised front bumper and a new grille and alloy wheels.
