Now, about driving the Vitara. I was pleasantly surprised by the Suzuki's pep and drivability on the road. Equipped with a 2.4L 4-cylinder, the Vitara pushes out 166 hp and 162 lb.-ft of torque, regardless of trim level. Paired with a 4-speed auto tranny, the Vitara is quite responsive and I was happy passing cars on the highway or cruising around my suburbanite streets. I do wish the fuel economy was a bit better for such a small engine, with my average hitting the near 12 L/100km mark, but otherwise the Suzuki was a pleasure to pilot.
Where the Vitara got a bit sketchy for me was under heavy braking. I'll admit, I did not do a proper brake test, however, I did load up the Vitara with a trunk full of weekend-cottage-getaway food, clothes, blankets, blow-up mattresses, booze, and I loaded the cabin with four large adults. Then I hit the brakes on the highway in sudden traffic.
Despite ventilated disc brakes in the front and back, the Vitara felt like it had no bite at all to come to a halt. It shuddered, it shook, it skipped and it felt genuinely distressed that it had to perform under such laden conditions. And with just a few thousand clicks on the odometer, there was no reason for the brakes to feel the way they did.
Despite that, the Vitara made for the perfect weekend getaway car. With 7.9" of ground clearance, the Suzuki easily climbed the rocky, dirt road into the woods and the 4WD system kept us on track despite the loose ground surface.
With a price tag starting at just $28,135 (for the base JX and $30,635 as tested), the Vitara is a viable contender for someone in the market for a starter family vehicle. For an outdoorsy couple with one child and/or a large dog, this is the ideal compromise to a world full of oversized SUVs and gadget-laden CUVs.
Where the Vitara got a bit sketchy for me was under heavy braking. I'll admit, I did not do a proper brake test, however, I did load up the Vitara with a trunk full of weekend-cottage-getaway food, clothes, blankets, blow-up mattresses, booze, and I loaded the cabin with four large adults. Then I hit the brakes on the highway in sudden traffic.
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| Equipped with a 2.4L 4-cylinder, the Vitara pushes out 166 hp and 162 lb.-ft of torque, regardless of trim level. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
Despite ventilated disc brakes in the front and back, the Vitara felt like it had no bite at all to come to a halt. It shuddered, it shook, it skipped and it felt genuinely distressed that it had to perform under such laden conditions. And with just a few thousand clicks on the odometer, there was no reason for the brakes to feel the way they did.
Despite that, the Vitara made for the perfect weekend getaway car. With 7.9" of ground clearance, the Suzuki easily climbed the rocky, dirt road into the woods and the 4WD system kept us on track despite the loose ground surface.
With a price tag starting at just $28,135 (for the base JX and $30,635 as tested), the Vitara is a viable contender for someone in the market for a starter family vehicle. For an outdoorsy couple with one child and/or a large dog, this is the ideal compromise to a world full of oversized SUVs and gadget-laden CUVs.
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