Grand Vitara proves there’s unburied treasure out there

BY AL VINIKOUR For Sun-Times Media December 14, 2011 3:49PM

2012 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA
ULTIMATE ADVENTURE

ENGINE: 166-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder

TRANSMISSION: four-speed automatic

DRIVETRAIN: four-wheel drive

FUEL ECONOMY: 19 city/23 highway

BASE PRICE: $22,299

AS TESTED: $24,569

WEBSITE: suzukiauto.com

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I have to admit that when it came to naming a group of SUVs, Suzuki wasn’t at the top of my list. But I have an advantage. Eventually they all come to me for evaluation and this gives me the opportunity to reconsider anything I’ve said or written, auto-related. And I’m here to tell you that after I had the opportunity to drive the 2012 Grand Vitara, I was a convert.

First of all, Grand Vitara is a good-looking vehicle — both inside and out. For 2012, Grand Vitara comes in four trim levels: Base (two-wheel drive only), Premium, Ultimate Adventure and Limited. The latter three can be equipped with either 2WD or four-wheel drive. In other words, if you do want to take your vehicle off-roading, you can.

Grand Vitara can strut its stuff on the worst terrain while maintaining its manners on asphalt. For RV owners, a Grand Vitara equipped with a manual transmission or with the four-mode full-time four-wheel-drive system can flat tow them. At a recent off-road facility in Texas, I was able to really put the vehicle to the maximum test and it handled it with ease. Granted, most people who buy an off-road vehicle seldom use it that way; but if someone truly wanted to take the Grand Vitara onto rough terrain it won’t think ill of you for doing it.

Grand Vitara’s 2.4-liter, 16-valve DOHC four-cylinder engine, rated at 166 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, isn’t the quickest jet in the fleet but it’s one of the most solid. Except for the Base model that’s equipped with a five-speed manual, the other trim levels come with a four-speed automatic.

Compared to competitive vehicles that are equipped with five-, or even six-speed automatics, Suzuki’s four-speed seems antiquated, and perhaps it is. Mileage doesn’t seem to suffer that much. The 2WD manual gets 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway; the 2WD with automatic gets 19/25; and the 4WD models get 19/23. With a 17.4 gallon fuel tank you’re going places.

I liked driving the Grand Vitara. It was large enough to carry everybody and everything I needed (or wanted), but was small enough to whip around like a 4WD sports car. The overall length is only 177.2 inches (wheelbase is 103.9 inches). Behind the front seat there’s a cargo capacity of 66.3 cubic feet (26.6 behind the second seat).

The cockpit layout is just that — a cockpit. The instrument panel is handsome and the gauge clusters are really slick, composed of three brushed-aluminum housings that protrude nicely toward the driver. The center console gets a bit crowded in front of the gearshift lever and center stack. The radio information readout has red letters. I hate red letters. They’re difficult to read on sunny days and they’re blurry at night. Fortunately the speedometer and other vital gauges haven’t suffered the same fate.

One of the biggest features for the 2012 model is a new rear tailgate that eliminates the spare tire and carrier. Beginning in spring, all Grand Vitara models except for the top-of-the-line Limited will have this revised rear view. A tire inflation kit will be included with all new Grand Vitaras. Do I think this is a good idea? I’m not sure at this point. The industry has been putting less importance on spare tires since it initially went to the “doughnut” decades ago.

Safety always has been one of Suzuki’s strong suits. Active technology includes antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and stability control with traction control. There’s a host of passive safety features as well. Energy-absorbing materials are found throughout to minimize damage in the event of a collision.

Grand Vitara is a lot of vehicle — especially for one that has a base price beginning at less than $20,000. Grand Vitara remains the most capable off-road SUV in that price range. My test vehicle was a loaded Ultimate Adventure, and even with a few extras like floor mats and special paint it topped out at only $24,569.

Take the money you’ll save through ownership of a Grand Vitara and you can pay cash for a boat you can haul around. Let this be a lesson. The next time you make a wish list of vehicles, start with ones you’d never considered before. There’s a lot of treasure out there and it’s not all buried.

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