2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
Even prior to this year’s large gas-price-spike hit, buyers had proposed journey a normal SUV shred in preference of some-more select as good as fuel-efficient crossovers. Automakers have noticed, as good as it’s apropos increasingly formidable to find a compress SUV that’s still essentially an SUV. The 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara we not prolonged ago had in for a exam turn is a single of a couple of means compress offerings left for a U.S. market.
The final time a Grand Vitara graced a garage — a 2008 4WD indication — we were agreeably astounded by a style, quality, as good as altogether value. No FWD or AWD girly ‘ute, it was a genuine SUV deal, finish with an tangible send box as good as entirely eccentric suspension. While we dug a frozen styling as good as off-road chops, we were reduction than tender with a weak, emasculate engine, bad audio, as good as worried seats.
It seems someone during Suzuki was listening. The Grand Vitara has been freshened for 2009, with a greatest disproportion being underneath a hood. Gone is a overburdened 184-hp 2.7L V-6 engine. In a place is a customary 2.5L 4 producing 166 hp as good as 162 lb-ft of unresolved ornament as good as an discretionary 3.2L V-6 producing 230 hp as good as 213 lb-ft of torque.
As it usually so happened, we was formulation a main main highway outing to Northern California for my mother’s annual Yuletide celebration — a undiluted event to find out what a brand brand brand new Grand Vitara is similar to to live with for a couple of days. My outing would include of often main main highway pushing with a couple of twisty roads as good as a tiny luggage thrown in for good measure. Oh, as good as in a march of 48 hours, I’d be spending tighten to sixteen hours during a at a back of of a wheel.
The two-row, 5 newcomer 2009 Grand Vitara with usually 1700 miles upon a time was propitious with a top-shelf Luxury trim package, a four-cylinder engine, as good as a four-speed involuntary transmission. It was additionally 2WD, which meant we wouldn’t be contrast a off-road prowess. That’s usually fine, since many ‘utes in a Grand Vitara’s category outlay many of their time upon a cement anyway.
The initial thing we notice when we stand in to a Grand Vitara is a morality of a interior. All a controls have been inside of easy strech as good as easy to use, as good as there aren’t as good many of them — sufficient buttons as good as dials to get a pursuit finished as good as no more. The black dash, carpet, doors as good as seats have been set off by beautiful china accents. Unfortunately, they’re additionally equivalent by cheap-looking faux-marble trim around a rigging selector as good as upon a interior doorway handles. Marble functions in kitchens, not cars, as good as cheap, plastic, feign marble unequivocally doesn’t work. Still a trim is dim sufficient to disremember many of a time.
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
Given a volume of time I’d be spending during a at a back of of a wheel, we done certain to move along my iPod, as a tester came with an XM-ready stereo yet no use subscription. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with a iPod adapter either. Not usually that, yet a consummate poke of a car unsuccessful to expose any kind of auxiliary input, notwithstanding a participation of an “AUX” symbol upon a stereo as good as specific discuss of a capacity to bond auxiliary inclination in a owner’s manual. I’d have to solve for a in-dash six-CD changer as good as a reward eight-speaker stereo with subwoofer instead — not a distressing compromise. Unfortunately, a receptive to advice peculiarity wasn’t anything to write home about.
In all, a Grand Vitara’s interior valid adequate. The fit as good as finish have been good as good as there were no squeaks or rattles to report, even with a stereo cranked up. Suzuki assumingly additionally listened to a gripes about a 2008 model’s seats as good as came at a back of with a set of easily bolstered leather-wrapped captain’s chairs which have been gentle if a bit firm. The chair heater usually had a single setting, though, which proposed out rounded off as good hot, afterwards finished up frequency noticeable.
Many people buy SUVs for a autocratic perspective of a main main highway afforded by a vehicle’s tallness as good as honest seating position. Here, a Grand Vitara does not disappoint. Visibility is well-developed in all directions, even with a entirely lonesome gangling tire unresolved upon a back. There have been a tiny blind symbol issues, however. With a tiny experimenting, we was means to utterly remove a late-model Ford F-150 in my margin of vision.
Being an SUV, a Grand Vitara does tiny to locate bumps as good as imperfections in a roadal, yet it offers decent receptive to advice insulation. Despite a comparatively severe ride, a Grand Vitara essentially handles sincerely good for an SUV, yet extreme physique roll. In a mountainous country upon tip of Santa Barbara, upon Highway 154, a Suzuki proves tolerably fun to expostulate interjection to a organisation cessation as good as gummy tires. In a examination of a 2008 Grand Vitara, we found a responsiveness was “not bad,” as good as Suzuki seems to have overcompensated with this model. At turnpike speeds, a steering feels a bit as good touchy, as a smallest submit sends we flapping in to a subsequent lane, so we have to be really deliberate.
Although down eighteen hp from a V-6 tester, a vehicle’s four-cylinder engine essentially feels utterly peppy. Merging upon a turnpike as good as rock rock climbing mountainous country requires usually medium stifle input, as does flitting upon a freeway. Picking up my hermit as good as his luggage did tiny to delayed it down. What hampers a Grand Vitara some-more than a engine, though, is a old-school four-speed transmission. In many situations it’s not a problem, yet if we strike an slip upon a freeway, things get ugly. The delivery all a time hunts at a back of as good as onward in in between third as good as fourth gear, with third as good clever as good as fourth as good diseased to have a climb. Worse, a downshifts have been anything yet smooth. A gearbox with during slightest a single some-more spoke — contend similar to a a single in V-6 Grand Vitara — would assistance immensely.
Our alternative large censure about a 2008 Grand Vitara was a less-than-stellar fuel economy. The aged V-6 is rated during usually seventeen city/22 mpg highway, not good by 2008 standards. The brand brand brand new V-6 is EPA rated during eighteen city/24 mpg main main highway in a 2WD form as good as somewhat worse with 4WD, a tiny alleviation over a final tester. The brand brand brand new four-cylinder is rated by a EPA during nineteen city/25 mpg highway, as good as a rating appears accurate. Over a march of my trip, we lonesome 806.4 miles, outlayed $80.57 upon regular-grade gas, as good as got an normal of 23.92 mpg in 90% main main highway driving, achieving a personal many appropriate of 24.56 mpg. Given a prolonged distances in in between gas stations upon a 101, we typically filled up during around a entertain tank, so any tank got me an normal of rounded off 268 miles.
The Grand Vitara doesn’t have any promises about being a top-tier oppulance SUV. There is no Bluetooth here, nor is there a navigation system. Without discretionary adapters, a XM Satellite Radio as good as iPod interface do not work. HomeLink is accessible usually upon a many costly model, as good as we can dont consider about about adjusting a float tallness or suspension. The keyless entrance as good as ignition complement is a good feature, however. You have no thought how available a single of these systems is until you’re in a precipitate as good as can travel up, clear a doors, get in, as good as expostulate divided yet ever in contact with pass fob.
One square of record a Grand Vitara does have which isn’t utterly up to standard is a operation calculator. While sincerely accurate, it’s incredibly delayed to conflict to becoming different main main highway conditions. Equally unnerving during initial is a gas gauge, which starts to dump rounded off rught away after we fill up. It slows down drastically after about a two-thirds mark, yet it creates a sense you’re blazing gas similar to it’s starting out of style. Both take a tiny removing used to.
Before rock rock climbing in to a Grand Vitara, an additional staff part of had joked which it is “the clarification of unrefined.” After spending a week end during a at a back of of a wheel, we do not consider that’s fair. No, it’s not an Escalade, yet it doesn’t cost an arm as good as a leg, either. This is an SUV for purists who wish genuine 4WD as good as no frills. Ten years ago, it would’ve been nearby a tip of a SUV pack. By 2009 standards, though, it’s severe around a edges. It’s easy to live with upon a every day basis, yet if we do not need a off-road capability, a crossover would substantially yield a nicer float for a same price. On a alternative hand, since a extent of a improvements Suzuki has done in a single indication year, there’s goal which a Grand Vitara will fast locate up with a refined, high-tech brethren — as good as sojourn a loyal SUV choice in a process.
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