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2015 Suzuki Vitara SZ5 Review and Test Drive

04/12/2015

Having just spent a week driving a Mitsubishi L200, my first drive of the new Suzuki Vitara was a like a breath of fresh air. Small (downsized from the old Grand Vitara), light, nimble and stylish, the Vitara initially showed that you can have four wheel drive and a higher ride height while still retaining some driving pleasure.

The new Vitara comes with two engine choices; a 1.6 petrol or a 1.6 diesel, and for our week with the Vitara we had the petrol option.

Standing in a busy car park looking at the Vitara, it’s a good looking and distinctive car, especially in SZ5 ALLGRIP guise. The front light cluster, DRLs, 17 inch polished alloys and gloss black roof all combine to lift Suzuki above the other cars in this sector.

Inside the car is just as distinctive but not in the stylish manner of the exterior. The large screen infotainment system with DAB, satnav and Bluetooth connectivity is excellent but it’s let down by some cheap plastics colour flourishes that are a bit too in your face for my liking. Young children will probably love the designs and it has to be remembered that the family market will be the main audience for this car.

Giving the car to my wife to use for a couple of days, it really ticks all the right boxes for running around town, going to the shops, getting the car seat in and out of. It’s not difficult to see why the roads are full of Nissan Jukes and Renault Capturs, they really are a lot easier to live with for these tasks than the likes of our very low down Volvo S40 saloon, and Suzuki clearly want to capture a larger share of this market. The downsizing of this latest Vitara means that it slots into parking spaces more easily and is much more manoeuvrable for tight town driving.

This takes us back to what the Vitara is like to drive. Around town the Vitara really dispels the thinking that compact SUVs are boring and not as enjoyable as a small hatchback or supermini. The 1.6 petrol unit is zippy and handling on roundabouts and tighter corners is good with a lot less lean and roll than I was expecting. Unlike many other cars in the sector, the Virata is also available with four wheel drive – something that’s unlikely to be needed by 99% of owners. However, for those country dwellers it will be comforting to know that you can have good MPG for most of the year and then switch on the 4×4 system when the winter starts to throw it’s worst at you.

It’s when getting to the country and motorway driving that the 1.6 petrol Vitara falls down. While zippy around town the engine is just not powerful enough for today’s fast country and motorway routes. Keeping up with traffic means you are having to drive the engine a lot harder than people with modern turbocharged petrols or diesel models will be used to. If you are going to be doing this kind of driving then I would suggest that the extra torque of the diesel unit (untested by me) would be very useful as well as economical.

Overall the new Suzuki Vitara makes a great family car for town activities and will make you stand out in a car park full of Jukes and Mokkas.