Car Review: Suzuki Vitara GL+
It’s always interesting testing a car once you have been on the launch. It’s a lesson I never seem to learn. Sometimes your feelings about the car will remain unchanged, but more often than not you realise that living with a car and merely driving a car for a day can reveal very different things. I was hoping that this would be the case with the Suzuki Vitara but unfortunately most of the things that irked me on the launch, irk me still.
This time round I got to drive the Suzuki Vitara 1,6 GL+ and so was interested to see what this mid-range model offered. The first thing that struck me when I stepped inside was just how outdated it felt and I soon realised that it was only really down to one thing; the audio system display. Not only did it look out of place, but it was a pain to figure out. I could not pair my phone for love or money! My partner tried to pair his phone expecting me to admit to my fake blonde roots, only to also fail at it. Now I know that this would be something that your dealer would explain to you, but I just feel that this shouldn’t be rocket science and that if an experienced motoring journalist struggled with it, it’s not user-friendly enough. It set off a series of events that left me rather disgruntled.
I started to notice the plastics that felt a bit cheap and as I drove up the road, so the rattles started. I knew of one that was due to be fixed after testing to it so I ignored that one, but it just didn’t feel like a new car. Every time I closed the door, or tried to, I had to open and slam it harder. This sounds ridiculous but it is something that by the end of the week had me screaming obscenities in front of passersby who must have thought I was a lunatic. Overall, the car just didn’t feel solid enough.
Thank goodness, however, for the other side of the coin! At the launch my driving partner and I were both unable to find a comfortable driving position. Fortunately, having more time to mess about, I was able to find a position that suited me thanks to the adjustable seats and the height-adjustable steering wheel.
I also LOVED the transmission. The gear changes are slick and the smooth operation makes the whole driving experience effortless. The Vitara is powered by a 1,6-litre naturally aspirated engine that produces 86 kW of power and 151 N.m of torque. While on the launch I felt that it didn’t fair as well on the open road as one would like, after taking it up to Greyton for the weekend I was left almost satisfied. But it’s in the city where it really shines and overall I felt the engine to be refined enough. Some mornings however, the engine struggled to start, again, warning bells go off in my head.
Although it doesn’t appear to be very big from the outside there is loads of space inside. It really is perfectly spacious. As a front passenger or as a rear passenger and the boot space is generous at 375-litres.
As was with my launch report, I was left feeling a little bit disappointed in the new Vitara, but if you read that report you would know it was because the Vitara was a huge childhood crush for me. I feel that I could possibly fall in love with it again if I gave it more time, it is a real pleasure to drive and offers fantastic amounts of space and is good value for money. It’s rivals, such as the Ford Ecosport, Renault Captur and Nissan Juke also have things that irk me and none of them have the special place in my childhood heart and it’s for this very subjective reasoning that I would recommend taking it for a spin if you are in the market for a compact SUV. Also, Suzuki are known to be pretty reliable. And it houses the SX4, a firm favourite here at WOW.