Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

142 |AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE

S

uzuki’s Vitara Series II is a
simple, affordable SUV that
works nicely as transport for
a young family. Think of it as a
spacious, practical alternative to
a small hatch such as a Toyota
Corolla and you get the idea.
Speaking of which, prices
start at just $22,490 for the
Vitara RT-S, with a 1.6-litre
petrol four, six-speed manual
and front-wheel drive. A six-
speed automatic (tested here)
adds $2000. At this price you get
plenty of standard equipment,
including navigation, automatic
air, 17-inch alloy wheels,
Bluetooth and seven airbags.
Vitara S Turbo, with a 103kW
1.4-litre turbopetrol/six-speed
automatic, is $29,990 with
front- wheel drive or $33,990
with all-wheel drive.
The base 1.6 produces
pretty humble power and
torque numbers, and overall
performance is leisurely. But
the Vitara is as light as a small
hatch (1075kg) and the six-speed

automatic suits the engine’s long

stroke characteristics, so in the

daily driving context the Suzuki’s

performance is adequate.

Shift paddles on the wheel

allow you to control gearshift

timing, which can be useful on

long climbs to prevent hunting

between ratios. Fuel effi ciency is

outstanding and the 1.6 runs on

regular unleaded. The 1.6 is also

acceptably smooth and quiet.

The Vitara’s suspension is

fairly soft, so ride comfort is

excellent on most surfaces.

Handling is benign and secure

with no nasty surprises to speak

of. In tight corners the Suzuki can

feel a bit top heavy.

The steering is perhaps a

touch too direct for a tall, short-

wheelbase wagon and is also

imprecise in the straight-ahead

position at freeway speeds. The

brakes are powerful, if rather on

or off in light applications.

The front-wheel-drive RT-S has

no off-road pretensions at all. The

all-wheel-drive S has switchable

modes for different surfaces, a

locking centre diff and hill descent

control. But with only 185mm of

clearance, well-made dirt roads

are about as far off the bitumen as

you would want to go.

Inside, the Suzuki is stylish,

well fi nished and practical. The

driver sits on a fi rm, comfortable

seat with little lateral support and

faces a simple, functional dash,

the highlight of which is a bright,

well-organised touchscreen

infotainment system that’s a snap

to use and includes a camera,

voice recognition, Bluetooth,

Apple CarPlay and Google Android

Auto.There’s no covered storage

apart from the glovebox.

Only the turbo models get

autonomous emergency braking,

adaptive cruise, blind spot

monitoring and rear cross traffi c

alert. They should be standard in

all model grades.

The back seat is great for kids,

who sit high on a fl at, fi rm bench

with easy access via wide-opening

doors. Legroom is adequate for

most adults. The big load area

(375 litres) is accessed via a light,

roof-hinged tailgate and the low

fl oor is very easy to load. It can

be extended by folding either side

of the 60/40-split rear seat back.

There’s a hard load cover, extra

storage and a temporary spare

under the fl oor, a 12-volt outlet

and a handy bag hook.

Overall quality is fi ne and the

Vitara feels tight and solid. The

only jarring note is doors that

close with a tinny clang rather

than a reassuring thunk.

Servicing is required every six

months or 10,000km, which will

be inconvenient and expensive

compared with the 12 months

and 15,000–20,000km intervals

now mandated for most cars.

It’s a pity that you’re short-

changed on safety in the base

model, otherwise it would be one

of the better value small SUVs.

THINGS WE LIKE

Great value for money

Excellent fuel economy on

regular unleaded

 Comfortable ride

 Spacious, practical interior

Well equipped

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

 Leisurely acceleration

 No driver assist safety tech in base

model

 Short service intervals

Vague steering at straight

ahead position

SPEX (auto)

Made in Hungary

1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol/six-

speed automatic/front-wheel drive

86kW of power at 6000rpm/156Nm

of torque at 4400rpm

0–100km/h in 12.5 seconds (claimed)

5.1L/100km highway; 7.5L/100km

city; regular unleaded; CO 2

emissions are 139g/km

Fuel tank capacity is 47 litres

Max towing weight 1200kg

Standard: Stability control, seven

airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels,

navigation, Bluetooth, Apple

CarPlay, Google Android Auto,

voice activation, camera, USB

Redbook future values: 3yr: 52%;

5yr: 40%

compare with ...

Honda HRV, Hyundai Kona,

Mitsubishi ASX, Nissan Qashqai,

Subaru XV, Toyota C-HR

Safety

ANCAP

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability ANCAP

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

SUZUKI VITARA FROM $22,490