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- Low price
- Long features list
- Excellent warranty coverage
- Can actually go off road
- Competent road manners
- Standard stability control system
- Available manual transmission
- Available Hill Hold and Descent Control systems
- Stiff, jittery ride
- Poor fuel economy
- Poor rear visibility
- Cloth upholstery difficult to clean
- Seats could use more lumbar support
- Interior storage compartments inadequate
The Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV (*est. $18,499 to $26,599) was last redesigned in 2006, and it has received new engines for 2009. The Grand Vitara has long been considered a good small SUV value by reviewers and shoppers alike, and most reviewers find the base Grand Vitara a particularly attractive option. It features an extensive list of standard features and a long seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
The Suzuki Grand Vitara features a unique strengthening frame built into its unibody chassis, which improves rigidity during off-road driving. FourWheeler.com's Douglas McCulloch confirms that the small SUV is indeed capable when he writes, "We wheeled the new GV over some rocky trails in the hardscrabble hill country, including some fairly technical stretches of grille-deep water crossings, rocky wash-outs and steep hill climbs of loose dirt, and it handled pretty much everything we could throw at it." The Suzuki Grand Vitara is a rear-wheel-drive compact SUV with front drive axles added to make it a four-wheel-drive model. Most other compact SUVs, such as favorites like the Honda CR-V (*est. $21,245 to $27,245) and Subaru Forester (*est. 19,995 to $28,195), are born from car-derived, front-wheel-drive platforms. Two AWD systems are available for the Suzuki Grand Vitara; a single-mode, all-wheel-drive system or a four-wheel-drive system called Four-Mode that offers both low-range gearing and a traction-locking system. With the Four-Mode system, the Grand Vitara is much more capable off-road than most other compact SUVS.
Upgraded engines available in the 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara include a 2.2-liter four-cylinder base engine with 166 horsepower, or an optional 3.2-liter V-6 engine with 230 horsepower. Models with the four-cylinder engine can be ordered with either a five-speed manual transmission (depending on trim level) or a four-speed automatic, while all V-6 models are mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Properly equipped, the Grand Vitara compact SUV can tow up to 3,000 pounds.
This year's engine upgrades somewhat address the most commonly mentioned shortcoming of the Suzuki Grand Vitara: substandard fuel economy. The Grand Vitara now gets scores that range from a high of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway for rear-wheel-drive models with the four-cylinder engine and manual transmission, to a low of 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway for four-wheel-drive models with the V-6 engine and automatic transmission. These Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates are in line with the rest of the small SUV category, and they appear to be attainable. After driving a four-cylinder 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara, Truck Trend's Scott Evans says, "the (EPA) rating appears accurate. Over the course of my trip, I covered 806.4 miles, spent $80.57 on regular-grade gas, and got an average of 23.92 mpg in 90 percent highway driving."
Still, the four-speed automatic transmission bundled with the base four-cylinder is a source of criticism. During uphill highway driving "the transmission constantly hunts back and forth between third and fourth gear," says Truck Trend's Evans. He feels that the five-speed automatic Suzuki paired with the optional V-6 engine would solve this problem, but that's not an option right now.
Reviewers also note that the Grand Vitara is generally less sophisticated and refined than other, more carlike compact SUVs. ConsumerGuide.com reports "moderate road, bump and wind noise," the latter of which gets worse at highway speed. ConsumerGuide.com also notes that rear visibility is compromised by thick pillars. MotherProof.com's Colette Fischer weighs in on the interior from a mom's point of view. She loves her tester's keyless entry and start feature, which she finds to be a "fantastic time-saver" since she didn't ever need to deal with the keys, which she kept clipped in her purse. On the downside, she reports that the rear cup holders are too low, making them tough for kids to reach. And after a yogurt spill in the back seat, she found the cloth seat upholstery difficult to clean. "Yet more proof that cloth seats are to be avoided at any cost," she concludes.
We found several interesting reviews that helped us determine how the 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara measured up against its compact SUV competitors. At Four Wheeler magazine's website, we found an off-road testing report. A similar test of a rear-wheel-drive Grand Vitara was published at Truck Trend. Detailed reports of the 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara were found at ConsumerGuide.com and ConsumerReports.org. The Grand Vitara scores a Best Buy designation at ConsumerGuide.com. Edmunds.com supplies a comprehensive review with comparisons to the class leaders including the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 (*est. $21,500 to $27,810).
Our Sources
1. Four Wheeler
Douglas McColloch of FourWheeler.com tests the Grand Vitara and Equator off road in the Texas hill country and is happy with the results. McColloch was surprised to find that the Grand Vitara was able to handle just about anything included in the tests. He explains that the small SUV's "4-Lo Lock" setting is not actually a locking rear differential, but engagement of the antilock braking system and traction control system to provide split front-to-rear traction. Ground clearance and the lack of skid plates were the biggest limiting factors in the Grand Vitara's off-road performance.
Review: First Drive: 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara and Equator, Douglas McColloch, Sept. 2008
2. Truck Trend
Truck Trend editor Scott Evans drives a rear-wheel-drive, four-cylinder 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara on a long road trip. Evans found the base four-cylinder engine to be quite peppy, but fuel economy still disappoints. A fifth gear in the automatic transmission would help both highway driving and fuel economy, Evans describes the Grand Vitara as a small SUV for purist buyers who want real four-wheel drive with no frills.
Review: First Drive: 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara, Scott Evans
3. Edmunds.com
Although Edmunds.com has not yet road tested the 2009 Grand Vitara, editors praise its long list of standard features, superior off-road ability, low price and long warranty. They also like the cabin and describe the Grand Vitara as a capable vehicle under most conditions. Editors describe the Grand Vitara's new V-6 engine as "much improved" when compared to the engine offered in 2008 model, but feel fuel economy is still not up to the standard of the class leaders.
Review: 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Review, Editors of Edmunds.com
ConsumerGuide.com feels the Suzuki Grand Vitara is one of the best values in its class, where it wins a Best Buy designation. Editors like its long list of safety features, and praise its competent road manners and ample passenger space, but note highway passing on four-cylinder models requires patience.
Review: 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
5. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org purchases and tests almost every car on the market, including the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Analysis focuses mainly on reliability, ride quality, handling and safety. The safety section may also help to explain the workings of some of the Grand Vitara's new safety technology features, which may not yet be well understood by consumers.
Review: Suzuki Grand Vitara, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
MotherProof.com's claim to fame is that its cars are "reviewed by moms, for moms." Writer Colette Fischer reviewed the Grand Vitara in early 2008, and although the 2008 model does not include the new engines that are found in the '09s, this article is still relevant as engines were not a matter of concern for her. Fischer feels the Grand Vitara offers lots of valuable features at an attractive price, but found the cloth interior difficult to clean and the rear seat cup holders difficult to reach for children.
Review: Suzuki's Got Value, Colette Fischer, Jan. 2008
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