When the Suzuki Vitara first hit the market in 1990 it was a revolution ahead in design and from against the then utilitarian looking SJ410. Its real competitors were not born yet and with hardly any real competition it sold well at a time when soft SUV’s were not a big hit with Malaysian. The first to arrive were the 2 (3 door if you count the rear hatch) and the a few years later the 5 door version arrived to take on the competition that started gaining market share. The some year later in 1998 the Grand Vitara arrived with more kit and a higher asking price which reduced its purchase viability.
The Suzuki Vitara purports to embrace both the compact concept with the two other major players in the segment, the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. In addition to the Vitara, there was the Grand Vitara.
On nice highway surfaces, ride quality is reasonably good and a lot depend on the tyres fitted. Off road tyres will be noise and bumpy whereas road tires are the best as most owners will never even drive on the grass pavement. Shock isolation is good as long as the suspension is in good condition and not tired from years of abuse, however the busy-ness of the suspension can be annoying and the pitching motions inherent in a short-wheelbase design is tiresome. Running hard over rough surfaces you will easily find the limits of the springs and shocks.
Handling is crisp and predictable, and the 34.8-foot turning circle is suggestive of how maneuverable this Suzuki is. The brakes are ventilated discs front, drums rear. Antilock is standard on the V6 models. Similarly loaded machines from Honda and Toyota would cost thousands more, so the Suzuki Vitara and Grand Vitara come across as a bargain with a selling price almost RM15-25K cheaper. Shop wisely and you pick a well looked after urban used example from as low as RM15,000 and a mint condition low mileage unit should fetch RM28,000.
