The old Suzuki Vitara model had a great name in its time. Claimed by many to be the first of the compact crossovers on the market, it attracted and kept a loyal coterie of drivers for many a day.
The reasons were simple. For starters, it was taller than your normal estate or hatchback at the time. That meant there was a great driving height which, once sampled, was to become such an attraction for so many other brands over subsequent years. It also had a good choice of engines, especially some ultra-frugal diesels.
It was comfortable and roomy despite being a relatively compact crossover (there was a larger Grand Vitara version too).
But it wasn’t completely untarnished. There were some difficulties with the water pump. But that aside the car’s plusses far outweighed the odd blemish. I know people who had a Vitara and swore they ever had a minute’s trouble.
I’ve always said that if Suzuki cars, in general, and the likes of the Vitara in particular, wore a different badge (they have had a close alliance with Toyota and have shared technologies) they would have been far bigger sellers.
As things transpired, rivals took their own cues and joined the crossover in their hordes. Quickly overtaking the Suzuki.
For a variety of reasons, the Vitara name faded from memory. But it is hard to keep a good thing down.
The Vitara named returned some years back – not to any great welcome at the time it must be said.
It was a different Vitara to what we had come to expect from the initial rounds of the car bearing that name.
The new version was criticised, and not without reason, for being quite poorly festooned in the cabin especially. What were regarded as poor quality materials dominated and provided a downbeat initial reception.
Suzuki did their best to retrieve the situation by fairly quickly coming up with an improved second edition. But it took longer than that to rebuild confidence.
Sorry for the long history lesson so let’s fast forward a few years to the present where I found the latest offering.
It certainly shows signs of improvement and, in the case of the tested 1.4-litre Boosterjet Allgrip petrol with a mild hybrid system, there is a good smattering of relevant technology to make it a viable proposition.
I don’t suppose it would be a class leader but it now has the benefit of a redesigned front fascia and a bigger infotainment screen, to mention two elements.
An electric version is out this summer and is an all-new model so there will be a lot of emphasis on things moving fast for the brand.
Meanwhile the latest petrol/hybrid AllGrip version of the car is a good example of a building on a good platform. My test car was quite solid – maybe too much so for some people’s liking while wind and road noise were readily detectable if I topped the 100kmh mark.
For all that I have to say it was a much better drive than I had expected though maybe the steering was a tad too light.
The All-Grip system adds traction and confidence if you have to negotiate slippery conditions. It is well worth its presence given how we are being constantly reminded of severe swings in the weather. The engineering behind the All-Grip system is simple and clever. Basically it bestows the benefits of all-wheel drive. For example, power can be delivered to the wheel(s) most in need of it but most of the time you will be front-wheel driven.
The car I had on test costs €37,135. It has a 6spd manual transmission and it looked well in bright red with a back roof. Funny how people still love a red car. Several commented favourably.
There is decent room fore and aft and it felt more brisk than its official time of 0-100kmh in 10.2 seconds.
The car is built at Magyar, Hungary. There’s a good spread of spec including the ALLGRIP 4-mode 4-wheel Drive system just mentioned. There is also a good package of mostly mandatory driver and vehicle support (dual sensor brake support, Lane departure warning and prevention, vehicle sway warning, rear cross traffic alert, driver monitoring system, intelligent speed control. There is also keyless entry start, rear parking camera, front/rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, front foglamps, double sliding panoramic sunroof, removable double height luggage area floor, hooks that are handy to tie down items.
The Vitara on test also had DAB digital radio, 9ins multimedia display, wireless smartphone link with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay; USB socket, sat-nav, four speakers,17ins alloys.
Wheel arch extensions are intended to add a bit if muscle look while the chrome front grill and lower front bumper trim add to the look of the car.
All in all it marks a decent step up but it would need to with rivals including the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, Ford Puma, Skoda Kamiq, Volkswagen T-Cross, and even the likes of the FIAT 500X and/or the Nissan Juke.
A good effort but it has a fair bit to make up too. Whereas buyers were more loyal back in the good old days, they are a much choosier bunch these days and brand loyalty might not always be as strong.
