The third-generation Suzuki Grand Vitara has come full circle since it debuted 25 years ago. We spent a week sampling the flagship Suzuki to come to grips with its updated offering.
South Africans got their first taste of the all-new Grand Vitara at the 2022 Festival of Motoring, where Suzuki made no bones about stacking its flag-bearer with loads of tech, luxury, and excellent styling.
A product of the Suzuki / Toyota partnership (designed and developed by Suzuki and manufactured in the Toyota Kirloskar factory in India), the Grand Vitara shows only the best attributes of its Suzuki heritage and its Toyota construction. It’s a handsome, well-built alternative with an enviable legacy.
HEY GOOD LOOKING!
It might be three generations old (okay, five if you count the non-Grand Vitara models from 1988 and 2015), but the Grand Vitara is as stylish as ever. New in every way, with a more sculpted clamshell bonnet, prominent wheel arches and alloy wheels, and roof rails, and yet, the Suzuki DNA is unmistakable.
Our tester was the range-topping 1.5 GLX Hybrid AllGrip that, although it wears the crown, shares some standard features also available in other models. Roof rails and 17” alloy wheels are on that list (although the latter is in a different design than lesser models), as is the striking multi-level grille with metallic surrounds, three-point LED daytime running lights, and headlamps recessed in dark polycarbonate surrounds.
At the rear, an LED light bar with a three-dimensional lighting effect stretches the car’s width. Reverse and turn signal lights are fitted in a deep, sculpted section at the edges of the lower bumper.
JAPANESE-INSPIRED LUXURY
As the halo model for Suzuki in South Africa, the Hybrid Grand Vitara has certain interior appointments unique to its flagship status, such as a full leatherette interior, wireless charging tray, ambient lighting, and additional USB-charging ports for rear passengers. Also part of the GLX specification package is a panoramic sunroof and additional speakers, including high-end tweeters.
The Grand Vitara has always built on the Suzuki reputation for engineering excellence by layering it in typically Japanese minimalist luxury, and the new Grand Vitara is no exception.
Starting with its plush seating for five that has been designed specifically for this model range, the hybrid Grand Vitara also adds keyless access, keyless start/stop, electric windows, wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, automatic climate control, cruise control, a leather-covered steering wheel with remote controls for the audio, cruise and phone features, and a powerful audio system.
A 9” digital touch screen takes centre stage in the centre console. It houses the reverse camera and allows a 360-degree panoramic view from the Suzuki’s multiple cameras, while fuel consumption figures, vehicle alerts and even climate control settings are shown on the standard head-up display.
POWER AND DELIVERY
The GLX Hybrid AllGrip Grand Vitara carries a first-of-its-kind mild-hybrid electric power system combined with a 1,462 cc internal combustion engine. In this combination, the system delivers a combined power output of 75.8 kW at 6,000 rpm and 136.8 Nm at 4,400 rpm, through a six-speed automatic transmission, to all four wheels via Suzuki’s sixth-generation switchable AllGrip select all-wheel-drive system.
In combination with 210 mm ground clearance (the same as the Suzuki Jimny), the Grand Vitara’s AllGrip system significantly amplifies its off-road capability, although Suzuki makes it clear that it is a soft-roader rather than a 4×4.
The downside is added weight – 125 kg of it, to be precise – negatively impacting the car’s fuel consumption and overall performance. Suzuki claims an average fuel consumption figure between 5.6 and 6 l/100 km, although an average of 8 l/100 km is more realistic during everyday use.
LAST WORD
Competence, quality, and reliability are all excellent words to describe Suzuki as a brand and, by extension also the new Grand Vitara. With almost every safety acronym you can think of, six airbags, and Isofix anchor points as standard, it also ticks all safety boxes.
Although near perfect by most measures, the GLX Hybrid AllGrip derivative is let down somewhat by its heavy all-wheel-drive system and only mildly exciting hybrid system that, oddly, delivers less power than the non-hybrid GLX model.
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Images © SUZUKI SOUTH AFRICA
