2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Review

There are no vehicles that I am aware of that include the word "luxury" in their trim level name, manage to add a V-6 engine and still manage to come home under $30,000. None, that is, except for the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Putting 'Luxury' into your name does not make something particularly luxurious, but with a price point just over $27,000 loaded, you are willing to live with a few shortcomings for the obvious value.

Offering real versatility and the ability to deliver thrifty price points while battling with big competition in the compact SUV segment, Suzuki's Grand Vitara manages to bring two new engines to market in 2009. Making an impact in this crowded segment is very hard. Sometimes less can be more competitive class, which may just be the strategy that works to get new buyers into Suzuki showrooms.

Like most showrooms these days, Suzuki's could use more traffic. The compact SUV segment is one that has managed to stave off mass kills under the pressures of higher fuel costs while surviving a "green" movement that shuns anything larger than a light pickup. Suzuki's Grand Vitara places the Japanese manufacturer squarely in the middle of lots of potential buyers.

On the outside, Grand Vitara is contemporary, lean-looking and compact. There really isn't anything that screams 'look at me' in the way of styling but there is also nothing that makes it look odd or out of place (which was an issue with the previous generation). That thing I mentioned earlier about less being more - that's what I mean about it being a positive for the Grand Vitara.

The two new engine options, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder at 166 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque and a 3.2-liter V-6 at 230 horsepower and 213 pound-feet of torque, deliver more power than previous models. The I-4 is mated to a standard five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission while the V-6 gets one option: a five-speed automatic.

My tester featured the V-6 and it was adequate to get me around town and on and off the highway without feeling I was going to be enveloped by the merging traffic flow. Engine noise within the cabin is loud. While I did have several instances where sluggish shift response during acceleration were painfully obvious, overall this drivetrain works good enough.

If it is fuel economy you are after, Grand Vitara could be a disappointment. Though the smaller I-4 gets better mileage at 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, the six-cylinder I tested got less at 18 city mpg and 24  highway mpg.

Grand Vitara offers two four-wheel-drive systems. In 4 Mode, the full-time 4WD system I had on my tester, the system can conveniently be left in 4H on pavement. This setting for my Grand Vitara tester was the same as being in rear-wheel drive. Power is automatically diverted to the front wheels when the system senses a need to maintain traction.

I didn't have a chance to get my Grand Vitara off the pavement, and in fact most owners never will jump the road for the brush, but the system has been highly rated and drivers can lock in high or low range 4x4 modes with the twist of a dashboard dial. Six-cylinder models with 4 Mode 4x4 also get Hill Descent and Hill Hold Control, which help the driver maintain controlled speeds on steep slopes. Fitted with the V-6, Grand Vitara can pull as much as 3,000 pounds.

Inside the cabin of the Grand Vitara I was surprised to find a wonderful leather treatment to the large front row seats with power adjustments and heaters. After all, this is the Luxury model, so you get the works with this trim level and that includes power-everything and a great six-disc audio system with eight speakers. (Suggestion: turn up the tunes and disregard the engine noise in the cabin)

I found visibility to be very good. Gauges are positioned in intuitive locations and all the controls are within easy arm's reach. My tester had the steering wheel controls that made everything that much easier. A couple gripes with interior materials seem somewhat overstated given the price of the vehicle at $27,166, but I really did not like the hard plastics and especially did not like the faux marble treatment on the shifter panel.

Grand Vitara offers seating for five and delivers a useful 24.4 cubic-feet of utility space behind the back seat. This is better than average for this class. The utility capacity can reach as high as 68.9 cubic-feet, with both of the split rear seats folded forward.

The Grand Vitara has unibody construction and a fully independent suspension. I found the ride to initially be somewhat rigid, but those comfortable leather seats, fine audio system and some good company made the trips later during my test seem to be less annoying.

In the end, Suzuki's Grand Vitara deserves consideration by anyone looking for a good value in the compact SUV segment (who is not?). Big pluses are the interior spaces and the 4x4 system -- and the price at less than $28,000.