Suzuki Grand Vitara (1998 - to 2006)
7 petrol,2.0 diesel)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
The Suzuki Grand Vitara is a serious four-wheel drive that has struggled to rid itself of the wide-wheel and bodykit image Vitaras were saddled with in the early nineties. In many ways Suzuki themselves didnt help its cause by introducing a frivolous three-door soft-top version, invoking the spirit of what many people consider the worst car in recent history, the Suzuki X-90. These associations do a fine car no favours. Find a good used Grand Vitara and youll have a reasonably stylish 4x4 that will embarrass many more established off road favourites when the going gets muddy.
Theres a vague division in the market for four-wheel drives at the moment. Proper off-road cars such as Range Rovers or Toyota Land Cruisers have tough ladder-framed chassis which are far more rugged than those that use a car-based monocoque arrangement, such as the Toyota RAV-4 or the Honda CR-V. If the market were divided into those two camps, things would be easy. Unfortunately you get vehicles like the Land Rover Freelander, with its serious name and off-road pretensions which are monocoque bodied, and vehicles like the Suzuki Grand Vitara that seem quite lightweight, but boasts a full ladder frame and low-range gearbox.
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There have been no short cuts on the safety front either. Proof of this can be seen by the fact that Suzuki immediately meets the latest stringent USA model year crash standards; the Freelander needs modifications to do so. Twin airbags are standard of course, as is the now almost compulsory high-level rear stop light. The three-door models may have sold less, but in many ways are more interesting.
Badged in this country as GV2000 models, they are identically priced and specified, but the two body types are built in different factories. The Soft-Top is made in Suzukis Canadian plant (a joint venture with General Motors) while the Estate comes from Japan. The front section of the Soft-Tops canvas hood above the front seats can be folded back or removed separately if required, enabling the driver and front seat passenger to enjoy open-top motoring targa-style. If you want to go the whole hog, the rear section has been designed to be unzipped and folded down to create a full Cabriolet-style 4x4.
Be warned however, its not a quick job. Once youre roofless, however, the car does become a very flexible load carrier thanks to 50/50 split rear seats that can be independently folded for loading versatility or `somersaulted forward to provide maximum storage. The Estates load area is equally flexible. The rest of the 3-door interior is described by Suzuki as fashionable yet functional. Functional would be the pertinent word; grey plastic abounds but it all works well enough.
Theres certainly plenty fitted as standard; a radio/CD player with remote control, power steering, front electric windows, power mirrors, central locking, twin front airbags and tinted glass.
Grand Vitara prices start at just over £4,400 for the best model in the range, the 2.5-litre V6. For this sort of money, expect to net one of the early 1998 R-registered cars, and expect to pay about £400 more for an automatic model. A more recent 2000 V-plated manual five-door V6 will command around £5,600.
The diesel models start at a similar amount, and this will buy a 1999 T-registered 2.0TD manual. With the diesels, the automatic option commands a premium of about £400. The three-door Grand Vitara starts at around £4,750 for a 1999 T-registered Soft Top.
Hard top models go for around £500 more. Insurance for diesel Grand Vitaras is Group 11, with all petrol-engined models falling into Group 12.
The Grand Vitara is largely reliable, but as with most proper 4x4s, youll need to check for damage caused by off road work. Have a good look at the underbody, and check the suspension, sills, ramp and departure points and also wheelarch liners for signs of damage. Also inspect the paintwork and body for damage from branches etc. It would also pay to reject cars with whining differentials, noisy gearboxes, a chattering set of valves or a loud camshaft unless you plan to undertake the repairs.
One bugbear of the range is seizing brake callipers, especially if the vehicle has been laid up for some time. Other than this, just insist on a fully stamped up service history.
(approx based on a 1998 Grand Vitara V6) If the previous keepers been off-roading in their Grand Vitara, check the exhaust system, as at around £500 for a replacement, its not a repair to be undertaken lightly. A new clutch assembly will be around £200, and a replacement headlamp is about £130. Front brake pads and rear brake shoes are both around £55 a pair, whilst a new radiator retails at £250. A new alternator is only slightly cheaper at £240, whilst a new starter motor weighs in at a pricey £350.
Drive the Grand Vitara solely on the road and youll be enjoying about half of the full ownership experience. To understand its raison detre, its best to undertake a bit of off-road activity. For a start, you get the box-section steel ladder-frame structure for strength and durability and the low ratio gearbox, for impressive ability in the mud. In fact, the only thing the Grand Vitara lacks is permanent four-wheel drive.
Suzuki says you wont need it (though Land Rover owners, of course, will beg to differ). Instead, a new Drive Select system has been developed; rather than having to stop to engage four-wheel drive, as was necessary before, you can now do so at speeds of up to 62mph. The Grand Vitara five-doors other unique feature for this sector of the market is a V6 engine (though you can also opt for 2.0-litre Turbo Diesel version or two-litre petrol in the three-door models).
The V6 in question is a specially-developed 2.5-litre 24-valve 2493cc unit with multi-point fuel injection, putting out 142bhp. It doesnt make the car a ball of fire (the maximum speed is a mere 103mph) but in an off roader of this type, thats not a problem. No, the key selling point here is torque; pulling power to get you up the steepest of slopes.
Pulling power to make constant gear changing around town unnecessary (it pulls in fifth from almost walking speed). That the top Vitara is now at last an easy vehicle to live with is also confirmed by the changes which have been made in terms of steering, suspension and overall refinement. Steering first; the new rack and pinion set-up is light-years ahead of the old recirculating ball system this company used to inflict on its customers. The car now goes immediately where you point it.
The ride too, is far better than anything Suzuki have yet produced (though its still not perfect over rough surfaces). The engineers have also learnt how to control body roll and not before time. The three-door GV2000 models are even better on road. Driving an original Vitara at speed along a bumpy country lane was an experience akin to sitting astride a bucking bronco.
In comparison, the GV2000s ride is a revelation, thanks to a new five-link rigid axle with movement controlled by separate springs and low-pressure gas shock absorbers. This is now something you really could use as an everyday car. Refinement is also in a different league from Vitaras of the past, with much effort having been made to eliminate the main areas of noise, vibration and harshness. What it boils down to is that this is one of the very few affordable off roading vehicles that you could easily live with as an only car.
Of course, it wont handle quite like an everyday car; youre too high off the ground for that. Its not bad, however, providing you dont fling the Grand Vitara around too much; the addition of a front stabiliser bar has done little to control body movement. Where the Grand Vitara Soft-Top doesnt feel quite as happy is on the motorway. Its susceptible to side winds and the fabric hood reminds you all the time what youve bought.
In the wet, thanks to the PVC rear window, you can hardly see anything behind. Still, this isnt a motorway car and in any case, there are plenty of compensations. The Estate is quieter, of course, with better visibility through the tailgate glass, but it too gets buffeted about.
A used Suzuki Grand Vitara is a good way to acquire a reasonably priced, usefully sized proper 4x4. The three-door models veer towards the style over substance leanings of Suzukis past, but the five-door cars are excellent buys. A V6 five-door estate has a lot going for it. If you can track a good one down, it wont disappoint.
