|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
9 January 2006
Suzuki has given us a ‘proper’ 4WD in its latest Grand Vitara. It is
aimed at people who want to get down and dirty in their 4WD, not just
pose around outside pretty cafes pretending to be tough.
As is the way with many new 4WD designs, Suzuki
Grand Vitara uses a monocoque (one-piece) body. This has permitted
Suzuki to design a vehicle with better crumple rates, to give more
protection for occupants in a crash than does a body-on-chassis
vehicle. The body has a lower centre of gravity for improved
stability and lower floor height makes for easier entry.
The really big news in the new Grand Vitara is
that 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.
Best of all is the styling. Almost car like in
appearance, with strong cues to the shape of the ultra-successful
new Suzuki Swift, it has a lovely combination of suburban looks
and off-road credibility in its shape. However, the complex shape
of the Grand Vitara's front bumper will be spoiled by the
slightest touch against a rock when driving off-road and looks as
though it will be pretty expensive to repair.
Our test vehicle for the last couple of weeks
has been a Suzuki Grand Vitara five-door wagon with automatic
transmission. It uses a constant four-wheel drive system and the
centre differential can be locked for greater traction in the
tough stuff.
The ability to put the transmission in neutral
will be appreciated by those who flat-tow their Suzukis behind
motorhomes – a common usage for Suzuki 4WDs. (Note that the
latest three-door Grand Vitara doesn’t have a two-range transfer
case so shouldn’t be flat towed for any distance.)
Interior space is fine for four adults, with
room for a fifth without a great deal of squeezing. All five
occupants enjoy the safety of lap-sash safety belts, with the
upper portion of the centre-rear belt being neatly integrated into
the seat’s backrest.
Not so good is the double-folding seat
arrangement. It takes up a lot of length within the load area when
it’s down and stops you from getting lengthy items in there. On
the positive side, double-fold seats do provide good protection to
those in the front seats in the unfortunate event of a crash, when
compared to vehicles with seats that fold down into the load area
of the floor.
The Grand Vitara's spare wheel is mounted on the
swing-out rear door, which doesn’t do a lot for overall mass
balance or centre of gravity, but does make for a boot of good
depth.
On the road the Grand Vitara feels like a
competent modern 4WD. It’s quiet and smooth to ride in and can
easily be used as a family car. However, it can’t really be
described as car-like in its general ride, handling and comfort,
though it does come pretty close in the comfort side of the
equation. In any case, not being as smooth and quiet as a car is
not necessarily a bad thing in the minds of many 4WD owners -
these guys like a bit of 4WD character in their vehicles.
Suzuki is to be complemented on the design work
that has gone into its new medium 4WD Grand Vitara. The
combination of good looks, passenger carrying capacity and real
off-road ability seems sure to keep in on the crest of the sales
wave currently being enjoyed by this Japanese marque.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
