Suzuki Grand Vitara
If ever there was a vehicle that ripped right down the center of our taste buds, it was the Grand Vitara. Half of the voters found it comfortable to drive, the others not. Half thought four-wheel-drive engagement was smooth as a baby's bum, a number got hung-up. Half found it to be a natural in some off-road situations, the rest felt it best left on the street.
What made a unanimous statement, though, was the standard five-speed transmission, which offered tight, sure shifting and helped squeeze a little extra out of the somewhat disappointing but quiet all-new 2.5L V-6 engine. While it fell just behind the Isuzu's 3.2L V-6 in acceleration, the perceived power just wasn't there; actual power negated any real kudos at urban driving and high-speed blasting. However, the Suzi did shine with its compression braking, a gain that helped sway voters once we hit the trails.
But it was in the Empirical section that the Suzuki proved its reliability. It had the best brakes by far, to the tune of nearly 23 feet (that's a lot of people still upright), and fell to the fifth-quickest acceleration slot. Not only was it second cheapest, but it came standard with cruise and A/C, among other perks, although you'd think a center console woulda been thrown in. Finally, being second to none with its hair-shy-of-19 mpg helped make it the overall winner of the category.
That brake award was sort of a shocker to some--the brakes felt a little touchy on pavement, and on fire roads the ABS went into full panic and couldn't halt the vehicle; however, we learned to rely on downshifting the well-working tranny. Braking was less of an issue while bucking over the whoop-de-doos--the consistent bottoming out of the suspension and wicked rebound became the priority, yet that did allow tall drivers a chance to marvel at the vast amount of headroom.
It was once again a toss-up as to the Grand Vitara's performance on sand, but all agreed that having better off-road rubber and mechanical traction would have improved its crawling and climbing abilities.
General
Manufacturer: Suzuki
Model: Grand Vitara
Base Price: $19,999
Price as Tested: $20,429
Options as Tested: NA
Engine
Type: Four-cam V-6
Displacement (liters/cubic inches): 2.5/152.1
Bore & Stroke (inches): 3.31x2.95
Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
Induction Type: Multiport electronic fuel injection
Fuel Requirement/Capacity (gallons): 87 Octane Unleaded regular/17.4
SAE Peak Horsepower: 155 @ 6,500 rpm
SAE Peak Torque (lb-ft): 160 @ 4,000 rpm
Transmission
Type: Synchronized five-speed
Model: NA
Ratios: First: 3.704:1; Second: 2.020:1; Third: 1.368:1; Fourth: 1.000:1; Fifth: 0.802:1; Reverse: 4.472:1
Transfer Case
Type: Two-speed Select Shift
Model: NA
Low-Range Ratio: 1.816:1
Axles
Front Type: Independent
Rear Type: Solid
Hubs: NA
Ratio: 4.30:1
Suspension
Front: MacPherson struts/coil springs
Rear: Five-link coil springs
Steering
Type: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
Turns Lock-to-Lock/Ratio: 3.8/20.5:1
Turning Radius (feet): 17.4
Wheels
Size (inches): 16x7
Material: Alloy
Tires
Size: P235/60R16
Brand: Bridgestone Dueler HT
Brake System
Front: 12-inch ventilated discs
Rear: 8-inch drums
Weight
Advertised GVWR (pounds): 4,123
Mileage
As Tested (mpg): 18.84
Acceleration
Standing ¼-mile (seconds @ mph): 17.87 @ 75.20
Braking
60-0 mph (feet): 110.66
Dimensions (inches)
Wheelbase: 97.5
Overall Length: 164
Overall Width: 77.25
Overall Height: 67.75
Front/Rear Track: 59/59
Front/Rear Overhang: 16.5/27.25
Minimum Front Ground Clearance: 7.25
Likes
*Good steering
*Handled well
*Surprising amount of cargo space
Dislikes
*Needs more power
*Too low to the ground
*Cheap-looking fit and finish
Bottom line
An affordable, fairly well-equipped, street-smart sport/utility.