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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
9 April 2007
Following on from the recent release of its SX4 soft-roader
Suzuki has released a limited edition version of its more rugged Grand
Vitara 4WD with extra features valued by Suzuki at more than $3000 for
no extra cost.
The Japanese car maker Suzuki has been going
through something of a purple patch over the past year or so with
its small Swift the undoubted star and high hopes for the new SX4.
While Grand Vitara hasn’t made the same impact
as the Swift in its highly competitive market segment it is a
neat, capable and well-priced vehicle, especially so with the
added value in the limited edition Trekker model.
Unlike some of its competitors Grand Vitara is a
‘proper’ 4WD aimed at people who want to get into the scrub
rather than just cruise around the suburbs pretending to be tough.
Like many new 4WD designs it has a monocoque (one-piece) body
which allows the design of better crumple rates for occupant
safety than would otherwise the the case with a body-on-chassis
vehicle.
Importantly, underneath the new monocoque, there's
a strong frame that almost looks to be a full chassis. This adds
the strength and rigidity required in any vehicle that’s going
to handle serious off-road work.
Almost car like in appearance, Grand Vitara has a
number of strong styling cues to the shape of Suzuki’s brilliant
Swift small car – a nice mix of suburban looks and off-road
ruggedness.
The additional features on the Grand Vitara
Trekker include satellite navigation, 21-litre portable
fridge/warmer, nudge bar, six-disc CD player, acrylic headlamp and
bonnet protectors, front weathershields, cargo net and a genuine
Suzuki floor mat set.
The satellite navigation system is a Garmin nüvi
310 GPS system with preloaded WhereIsT maps for all of Australia,
text-to-speech voice guidance, hands-free calls with Bluetooth
wireless technology, fingertip touch-screen interface and USB
interface for loading data.
The Waeco cooler/warmer can cool to minus 30
degrees celsius and warm to 65 degrees. It also comes with a
universal bracket kit that plugs either straight into 12- or
240-volt power.
Standard equipment on all Grand Vitara models
includes ABS brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD),
dual front air bags, in-dash single CD player with steering wheel
controls and climate control air conditioning.
Prices for the Grand Vitara Trekker start at $23,
990 for the 1.6-litre three-door, $28,990 for the 2.0-litre
five-door and $30,990 for the 2.7-litre V6 engine. Automatic
transmission, available only with the five-door models, adds an
extra $2000.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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