Suzuki Vitara review

Suzuki didn’t overreach on making the Vitara’s interior a funky and stylish place to sit, and it’s all the more usable for that.

Driving position

For a start, the large glass area and comparatively skinny pillars mean you have a fantastic view out.

The Vitara’s designers also thought about what people need from a car’s interior, so the gear lever is sited quite high up, where it falls naturally to your grasp.

Tech and features

The design is square-edged and utilitarian in places, with some of the trims and plastics styled for function over form.

That said, the large swathe of chrome-effect plastic across the face of the dashboard certainly lightens the mood somewhat.

All models have a central touchscreen through which you can control the standard DAB radio and various other audio functions, as well as the Bluetooth system.

On the next trim up, the screen is an inch larger and comes with sat nav, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which you’ll likely use more of the time.

This trim also comes with a rearview camera as standard, which makes life much easier when parking.

Engines and power

The choice is simple – there’s just the one engine available these days.

The 1.4-litre petrol is quick to rev and endows the Vitara with performance that belies its slightly staid looks.

If you’re in the market for a pre-2019 Vitara, they’re available with a choice of a 1.0-litre petrol, the 1.4, or 1.6-litre petrol, and diesels.

The latter two are particularly punchy but could be a little noisy.

Handling and ride comfort

The rest of the driving experience is great fun. The Vitara feels truly nimble, and is completely at home on a twisty backroad, but without the side effect of discomfort.

The steering is at its best in town, where the lightness means that you’ll never break into a sweat while parking.

It can feel a touch light at faster speeds, though.

This is one of the Vitara’s strong areas as there’s plenty of space for two tall adults up front (although the panoramic sunroof does steal some headroom).

Rear seats

Better still, if you’re relegated to the rear seats, you won’t feel too hard done by, because of a decent amount of both headroom and legroom available from the outer two seats.

The central rear passenger might feel a little like they’ve drawn the short straw, because the middle seat is narrow, firm and raised, which compromises headroom. In reality it’s fine for short distances.

Boot space

Boot space is great, and enhanced by the hidden underfloor compartment as well as the fact there’s no load lip to lift items over.

The rear seats are also easy to fold down, and while they might not lie completely flat, neither do they present a step in the boot floor when down.

Off-roading

You can have your Vitara with two- or four-wheel drive. The former will suit those who spend most of their time in town or on the motorway, the latter for those who live in the countryside or who do some light off-roading.

Fuel economy

If you do loads of long-distance trips, the 1.6-litre diesel is the way to go thanks to the average 70.6mpg in the two-wheel-drive model, and 67.2mpg in the 4WD version.

The newer 1.4-litre Boosterjet petrol engine manages an average of 49.7mpg in the two-wheel-drive Vitara, and 45.4mpg when all four wheels are driven.