Suzuki Grand Vitara
Suzuki's first foray into South Africa was many decades ago. Their little SJ puddle jumpers were available with two engines, gnat or sewing machine powered. They were initially guffawed at. Then something mysterious happened. The okes discovered that it was the little car that could. While heavy V8's were cool to be seen in, the weight bogged them down when the going got tough. The little "Jeep" (they were never licensed to use the Jeep trademark) merely floated over obstacles. Many years on there are still many of these old cars on our roads, testament to their durability.
Suzuki is back and the Jimny proudly carries the banner for the compact 4x4 for them. The little Swift too, is selling like hot cakes. But what if the family is bigger? Grand Vitara fits in here. Think almost full sized SUV. Also, curiously and unbelievably, this one doesn't fall into the "soft roader" category. It is four wheel drive with a proper low range!
Let’s get the numbers out of the way. In manual form, as tested, R331 900 gets you a 122kW 225Nm engine delivering you from standstill to the ton in 11.7 Seconds, chewing 9 litres per 100 in the combined fuel consumption claim, which they say is good for 733km. All well and good if you drive a little light in your slippers. A 36 month warranty is thrown in with a 72 month(!) 90 000km service plan. The approach angle is an admirable 29 degrees, departure 27, the break-over is 29, ground clearance 200mm and the wading depth is undeclared. It does of course have proper 4x4 ladder frame construction. This permanent four wheel drive is built no-nonsense style to go off road. If the most adventurous driving you intend doing is the school run, perhaps a more road oriented vehicle would be more enjoyable in the day to day city cut and thrust of things. The suspension is too heavy duty and clumsy for good city finesse, but comes into its own when in the bundu. I found the un-fussed and typically modern interior spot on for what it is. No glamour, but reasonably ergonomic and appropriately simple, Japanese interior should be durable and right for our conditions.
The car curiously has keyless go, allowing the key fob to remain in your pocket at all times, but yet again, there is no start button but a plastic "key" that you turn on the steering column, permanently mounted where the key would normally go. It feels a cheap addition, and considering the seriousness of the build and its intended off road purpose, perhaps a simpler mechanical key would have been a better choice.
If you are actually going to use this car for its intended purpose, go for it. If however you are more of a 4x4 poser, you will find that there are better options out there.
