Almost New Buying Guide: Suzuki Vitara Car News

The Vitara in the spotlight here is the fourth-generation model launched in 2015. It’s another well-rounded effort from Suzuki that delivers more than its unpretentious styling and reasonable price tag suggests. It’s an SUV, sure, but one that justifies the term by being both a competent sport and a convincing utility.

From launch, buyers could choose a 1.6-liter petrol or a 1.6-liter diesel, each developing 118 hp. The gasoline is sweet and greedy and the diesel economical but a bit gruff. They were dropped in the 2019 facelift, but gasoline in particular is good value for money. The 1.4-liter Boosterjet was also available from launch, a more modern gasoline unit that produces 138 hp and, being turbocharged, is more powerful at low revs than naturally aspirated 1.6 gasoline. However, it can be thirsty when pushed hard and the former are expensive as they are all four-wheel drive and top-level S version.

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After the facelift, the engine range amounted to just two units. The 1.4 Boosterjet remained but was now available with two-wheel drive as well as in cheaper versions. Today you can ride, for example, in a 2019 two-wheel drive SZ-T with 20,000 miles for £ 11,999. That compares to £ 15,800 for the equivalent SZ5 Allgrip, the only trim offered with the four-wheel drive system and 1.4 engine combined. The second engine in the post-2019 lineup is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder Boosterjet. This turbo gasoline has a modest 109 hp but is actually quite lively and will come in around 43 mpg under pressure. A 2019 SZ-T with 15,000 miles costs £ 12,000.

Allgrip all-wheel drive was available from launch on 1.6-liter engines and the 1.4 Boosterjet. More recently it became standard on the 1.4 Boosterjet MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle), launched in 2020. The system can automatically mix the transmission between the wheels or, in extremis, can be locked into four-wheel drive, transforming the Vitara into a credible all-terrain vehicle. That said, two-wheel-drive versions can do mild off-road skirmishes without complaint.

Even in the cheapest SZ4 version, the Vitara is well equipped. Alloy rims, roof racks, DAB radio, 60:40 rear seats, air conditioning and power windows front and rear are all present. It is followed by SZ-T, which in turn is followed by SZ5. This trim has useful features like LED headlights, parking sensors and radar brake mount. The range ends with S, which, among other things, has Allgrip and Hill Descent Control.