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2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara: Rodeo Ranch or Rodeo Drive?
“Check out that new Suzuki,” said a guy on a mountain bike as we flashed by in four-wheel-drive on a rock climbers’ overlook in British Columbia, Canada. Sure, the scenery there was majestic, but it was the Suzuki Grand Vitara that tempted his team of cyclists to take their eyes off the trail.
From the outside, the Suzuki Grand Vitara looks lean and clean. Completely new for 2006, this 5-passenger compact SUV shows deliberate and delicate artistry within practical, clear-cut dimensions: a hood vent, designed to increase aerodynamics and give the engine breathing room, is shaped like an impulsive wink. In the rear, a no-frills spare tire cover is chunk, funky, and retro-safari cool.
On the inside, a waterfall console recalls Volvo’s straightforward elegance, with Scandinavian-inspired, large luminous meters, user-friendly control buttons and knobs and plenty of storage space. Materials including leather seating surfaces and woodgrain trim on the up-market models are downright handsome.
No, this is not another cheap road toy. Yes, it’s economical, well-sized and fun to drive. The Grand Vitara is larger and more powerful than in previous years, with a standard 2.7-liter six-cylinder engine making 185-horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. Its tow rating is 3,000 pounds – enough for a motocross bike or Jet Ski. A manual five-speed transmission is standard; a five-speed automatic is available as an option. Two 4WD options are available: full time single mode four-wheel drive and a full-time four-mode four-wheel-drive system. EPA fuel efficiency estimates are 18/23 city/highway mpg with the manual transmission and 19/24 mpg with the automatic. Braking power comes from front ventilated disc brakes and rear drum brakes; steering is power-assisted rack and pinion steering.
 
 
Grand Vitara’s standard features are considerable. They include: air-conditioning with automatic climate control, cruise control, digital clock with outside temp gauge, a MP3/WMA unit that is XM Satellite ready with steering wheel-mounted controls and 4 speakers, privacy glass, remote keyless entry with panic buttons, power side rearview mirrors, ESP (including traction control), ABS with EBD and six airbags (standard front and rear side-curtain side-curtain airbags) and ahhh....reclining 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks. Lux features range from my favorite, the SmartPass™ keyless entry and start system, to Homelink wireless communications, power tilt and slide sunroof and heated power side rearview mirrors.
The lineup includes four models: the basic Grand Vitara, plus Premium, XSport and Luxury editions. The Grand Vitara with five-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive starts at $18,999. Alloy wheels, privacy glass, and six-disc in dash CD changer are included in the Premium Package starting at $19,899. The XSport Package, starting at $21,399 and available later this year, includes all of the above plus an electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission, textured fender flares and SmartPass keyless entry. Top of the line Luxury models are equipped with leather seating surfaces, woodgrain trim, electric sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, Homelink system etc. and start at $23,299.
Suzuki launched the 2006 Grand Vitara in Vancouver, Canada, whose Wild West heritage makes it home to outdoor adventurists of every stripe. The city is just two hours from the legendary Whistler Blackcomb ski area, boasts SCUBA diving good enough to make it one of Jacques Cousteau’s favorite regions to visit, and offers clothing-optional Wreck Beach for bathers who don’t mind a nude dip in water that rarely reaches 70 degrees. Of course, British Columbia’s majestic mountains and trails also draw hikers, bikers and 4x4 enthusiasts. Suzuki put us on an hour-long off-road course with sufficient bumps, streams, dirt and boulders to test out the little sport-ute’s toughness. My inner cowgirl took over and I mounted one sandy hill that was quite steep and slippery. The vehicle behind me decided not to follow suit. He thought it looked too dangerous. Hey, I wasn’t even close to tipping over! In fact, I was surprised by the vehicle’s agility and smooth, quiet ride. Besides my skilled off-road driving techniques (ha! ha!) I think that you can attribute the Grand Vitara’s virility to a number of technical achievements. Notably, to use low range 4x4 mode, which was what I chose for this drive, I simply selected from the four modes indicated on a user-friendly knob in the cockpit. In addition to low-range (for power and torque), the other options are: on-road, snow or mud and neutral for towing behind an RV. How do I know it was smooth? Call it the motion sickness test: I was able to skip over rocks, take steep downhills and plow through ditches – without making the people in the back seat (or myself) nauseous. Front suspension with MacPherson struts, independent multi-link rear suspension, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, 7.9-inch ground clearance and a lightweight unibody construction add to a great off-the path experience.
It is clear that the Suzuki Grand Vitara ruled off-road. But then again, most of us use our SUVs more for their around-town utility than their trail-ready sportiness. I took the Grand Vitara on the straightaway, and while it’s clearly not a muscle car, it was quick enough to move out in traffic. I could not detect any road-noise (a complaint from last year’s model), the steering was responsive and the braking was excellent.
Another discerning journalist tested out the manual version of the Grand Vitara and said that it flew like “a bat out of hell.” When I told one of the engineers how much my friend liked the simplest of their models, he blanched. I sense that Suzuki is betting on the more upscale luxury models – but as Suzuki’s little workhorse showed this cowgirl, the Grand Vitara is still more rodeo than Rodeo Drive.
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