When I was first handed the keys to the Vitara, I didn’t know what to expect, I had always known the Vitara to be a fun looking, summer cruiser, something you would cruise to the beach in with the roof off and swing by the drive thru in, on the way home to grab some cheeky nuggets and a soft serve, so you could imagine my surprise when I first walked up to what I thought was something, confused between a small SUV and a hatchback, described by the manufacturer as a wagon… let’s just say it was a little bit of a surprise. As a hot hatch fan with a bit of a soft spot for some performance, the Suzuki Vitara isn’t really the car I would go for. It’s clear that Suzuki were designing this as their small, family SUV, with functionality and practicality in mind.

I didn’t expect too much boy racer action from the 1.6VVT, which sounded as though it was working pretty hard to get moving, but it delivered great fuel economy around town, making the manufacturers claimed 6 l/100km very achievable and delivering around 800km of range from it’s 47 litre fuel tank. It would be interesting to compare the economy and the performance of Turbocharged of the 1.4VVT which delivers 103 kilowatts and 220nM of Torque, compared to the 86 kilowatts and 156nM of Torque in the version I was behind the wheel of, which ultimately, felt quite underwhelming for a car that felt this light.

As an entry level model, this little rocket was appointed with everything you would expect of a car in this category and price range, a sometimes, inconsiderate Apple CarPlay would “pull rank” and insist on a little bit quiet time by killing all audio and maps, until you switched the car off and restarted it again and a cruise control, which allows an increase of speed in 3 kilometre increments and decrease in 2, let the overall, good build quality down a little.

With all that in mind, for someone that is looking for a practical small SUV the Vitara is one to consider.

SPECS:

610mm H

4175mm L

1775mm W

1075kg

185mm ground clearance

1200kg braked and 400kg unbraked towing capacity

Tyres: 215/55 R17 Front,  215/55 R17 Rear

Service Intervals: 12 months or 15,000 km, whichever comes first

With and Eziway Novated Lease you could own your Suzuki Vitara from $351 per fortnight and enjoy the freedom of all running costs budgeted by us.

AUTHOR

Damonn Gozzo | Consultant

T 03 8768 5777

E damonn@eziway.net.au