Suzuki Vitara 2019 Review
Cars on test end up doing all manner of jobs, from local pottering about to the long haul. It’s how we asses how well they fit into family life - and it soon flushes out the good and the bad. This week, our refreshed Vitara has had a harder time than most. Apocalyptic floods, roads washed away and a 425 mile drive in one day all mean we are extremely familiar with its nuances.
What's new?
Suzuki is good at incremental change with plenty of revisions along the way to keep things fresh. The Vitara has just had a very gentle facelift but what’s really important is the addition of a one-litre petrol engine to the range.
Looks-wise, the styling detail changes aren’t radical but they do tidy it up. The rear lights now have completely red lenses and the grill design is neater. Small tweaks to he lower bumper design also make it easier on the eye.
Interior details
There are subtle changes to the interior too. The upper instrument panel is now soft-touch material, the central information panel between the dials is now in colour and seat trims have also been changed.
Overall, the interior of the Vitara is sensible and feels robust enough to endure everyday life. For what is a modestly-sized SUV, interior space is respectable and its 375 litre boot (710 with seats down) is more than adequate for most needs.
Seating is comfortable enough, and although there is no lumbar adjustment on either front seat, driver and passengers didn’t suffer even after our nine hour marathon drive in the one day.
Engines and driving
There are just two petrol engine options: the new one-litre Boosterjet and 1.4 Boosterjet. Both are available as front wheel drive or ALLGRIP all-wheel-drive. We liked the 1.4 but the one-litre (in 2WD form) on test this week really is a sweet thing. It might be diminutive in terms of displacement but it is mighty when it comes to performance.
In fact of all the car’s features, it’s the engine which has impressed us most. It is quiet, refined, punchy when opened-up, torquey enough to shift the Vitara when absolutely fully loaded (and we really did load it up) and however hard we drove it, the fuel consumption reading stubbornly refused to drop below 43 mpg, whether driving around town or hooning along the outside lane of the M6.
It’s worth highlighting the well-spaced ratios in the 5-speed ‘box in the one-litre, with third offering great flexibility for town and top allowing comfortable motorway miles. An automatic gearbox is an option with each engine and the 1.4 comes with six gears (except in all ALLGRIP models which are five-speed).
Other points of note are the Vitara’s good turning circle and excellent composure over ruts and potholes. We also appreciated the 185mm ground clearance which was especially welcome on crumbling lanes and when rain water was being forced upwards out of the sewer inspection covers in heavy storms.
Trims
The range is simple, despite the slightly odd trim level names: SZ4, SZ-T and SZ5. All come with alloy wheels, climate control and cruise control. SZ-T ups the wheels to 17-inch from 16-inch and adds sat-nav, smartphone mirroring, a rear parking camera and DAB radio. SZ5 adds LED headlamps, panoramic glass sunroof, keyless entry, front and rear parking sensors, electric folding door mirrors, adaptive cruise control and automatic lights and wipers.
Importantly, the top trim includes some safety items not available on the lower specifications: dual sensor brake support (where the car warns of objects ahead and adds braking force in an emergency stop situation), blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert and lane departure prevention. Of all these, we’d like to see at least dual sensor brake support fitted across the range.
Summing up
While much of the competition has aspired to become ‘premium’ - and nudged prices accordingly - Suzuki has simply continued to deliver good quality products with excellent capability. The Vitara is a perfect example; we don’t award stars to cars here but if we did, it’d receive a solid five out of five.