2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara AWD: Compact price with style and performance
Many, many years ago, when I had hair, I drove a Suzuki compact SUV. It’s been a long time, but the memory lingers on. I couldn’t wait till it was time to give back that vehicle, and even now, when I saw the 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara on my schedule, that memory came flooding back and I wondered what the best excuse for not accepting it would be.
Unfortunately, “the dog ate my schedule” just didn’t cut it, and so I prepared to be inflicted with one of those weeks that remind you being an auto reviewer isn’t all fun and games. Fortunately, I kept an open mind.
It was a completely unexpected and pleasant surprise to drive the all-new Grand Vitara. After a week in this new compact SUV, I was actually looking forward to seeing what else Suzuki would be coming up with. Given the vast improvement this Grand Vitara is over the previous model,
This is not to say the Grand Vitara is perfect, but it is that great combination of pricing and performance that adds up to a good value. Whatever its other faults, the Grand Vitara has always been a capable off-road vehicle, but now it’s also much better on road, and much closer to entry level luxury with a plain old entry level price.
The new Grand Vitara is a four-door compact SUV much like a RAV-4 or a CR-V, but without the annoying letters. It seats four very comfortably – five could cram without much discomfort – with good luggage space. It holds 24.4 cu. ft. with the rear seat up, 68.9 with the split seats down. The one really weird thing about the Vitara is that the side-opening rear door opens on what I think is the wrong side for American driving. It opens on the left, swinging open to the right, so if you’re parked as most of us do with the driver’s side (the car’s left side) nearest to the street, you have to walk around to the street side to load the back and you’re blocked by the tailgate from loading it from the sidewalk.
Let’s turn to the price, because that’s easy to quantify. Grand Vitaras will run you somewhere between the high teens and the low mid-20s. The top end of the range would include stuff you would expect to find on luxury vehicles, like the Smart Pass entry and start system, which dispenses with the need to take your key out – and we know what a pain that can be if you’ve got gloves on or somehow dropped the keys in the bottom of a bottomless pocketbook like my wife’s – in order to open or close the doors or start the car.
My test vehicle was the 2006 Grand Vitara 4WD with premium package (the luxury package is the next step up). Base price was an affordable $22,099, and the price as tested was, get this, $22,099. That comes with a 2.7-liter V6 (most compact SUVs use a 4-cylinder), 5-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel-drive, electronic stability program with traction control, and antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution.
Creature comforts and safety features included front and rear curtain airbags, front passenger side airbags, climate control, a 6-disc CD system with subwoofer that’s XM satellite radio ready and plays your MP3s among other things, cruise control, tilt steering with remote stereo controls, fog lamps, roof rails, power windows, locks and mirrors and remote keyless entry.
Also included in the deal was roadside assistance and Suzuki’s 100,000 mile, no deductible, fully transferable warranty. Oh yeah, you get a full tank of gas too.
All this, as I said, cost just $22,099.
But cost is only part of the equation. As I mentioned, the Suzuki was always a competent offroader, and for those looking to go off-road without ending up out of wallet, the Grand Vitara delivers. With an approach angle of 29 degrees, departure angle of 27 degrees and ground clearance of 7.9 inches in a unibody chassis on a ladder frame, the Grand Vitara should be able to handle most trails with ease and still provide a comfortable on-road ride.
On road, the Vitara did reasonably well. EPA mileage figures of 19 city/23 highway aren’t anything to write home about, even with that 24-valve V6. Towing capacity is 3,000 pounds, sufficient for a small boat or trailer carrying all that stuff away to college.
The engine surprised me. For the most part, acceleration was good, though I wasn’t fond of the transmission change points. For a V6, the engine was louder than I would have liked and seemed to strain much more than I would have expected. I couldn’t tell if the engine was actually straining or just sounded like it. Horsepower is 185 at 6,000 rpm and torque is 184 at 4,500 rpm, which should be more than adequate for a relatively light SUV, but it didn’t seem like it. My guess would be that the torque distribution isn’t optimized in the midrange, but I didn’t get a chance to look at the torque curve, so that’s just a guess.
Handling is good, not sports car quality, but everything’s fine if you stay within the limits. The ride is smooth and stable, close to carlike given the off-road capabilities of the Grand Vitara.
I know I keep mentioning the price, but that is a big part of the attraction of the Grand Vitara. The sticker is so low that one expects Suzuki to have cut corners somewhere, but they didn’t. Exterior styling of the Grand Vitara is very good, smooth and sleek and friendly while retaining just enough of that hint of machismo so you know this is a SUV. For some reason, it struck me as very
The interior lives up to the expectations the exterior promises. Fit and finish were excellent in my test car; controls were well-laid out and easy to use. Granted, as with any car in this price range, there is more plastic than carbon fiber or brushed aluminum, but Suzuki has managed to make it look good.
Overall, Suzuki has done a great job with the new 2006 Grand Vitara. Anyone who wants a compact SUV with luxury features, a great warranty and on- and off-road performance at a fabulous price should be sure to put this on the shopping list.
posted by Andy Mais @ 1:35 PM
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