Cost-cutting gone too far? Suzuki Vitara review

The Suzuki Vitara arguably kick-started the 'soft-roader' genre way back in 1988, but now it's a small family SUV that prioritises value for money and ruggedness above all else. Join Rebecca Jackson for an in-depth review of the Vitara, including a look at its practicality, driving comfort, technology and more. Does it live up to the Vitara name?

[mwp]

I have a 2016 1.6 6AT, and it's been flawless all the way. Affordable to maintain, frugal on fuel, comfortable, spacious and practical in the real world. Drives surprisingly sporty too. The hard plastic inside doesn't bother me at all, and is proving very durable too.

[mariojager]

I had the 1.4S turbo. It was brilliant and rapid. Hard plastics, yes, but durable and easy to clean. Quite economical if driven sensibly.

[nealthomas]

No mention of reliability. Such a reliable car. Loved mine and it didn’t put a foot wrong.

[joebloggs]

Nothing wrong with the Suzuki's the only problem is people's mind sets and badge snobbery (it's not German and image conscious). Suzuki gives you just what you need and plenty of reliability rather than what you don't.

[jametalboy]

The car every one forgot about but I like this suv the most... Simple, stylish & good looking...

[CLYONS]

My wife has a 2015 with the old 1.6l engine. She bought it in 2018 and has been very happy. It’s been a great car. Very reliable and all that cheap, light plastic has been extremely durable. Nothing in the interior has broken.

[paulsabucchi]

Owning a 1.0 all track four years now, 130k km and never a glitch. With winter tires no issues on 20cm deep icy snow going up or down hill. Cruise control and driver assists work well. Substance over appearances, would buy again

[peaceinath]

Something most of these reviews seem to ignore is the fact that the allgrip awd system beats out ALL of the other SUVs in the same class (apart from subaru) in both real world and roller tests. The transfer case when used in lock mode has the ability to effectively transfer 50% of the power to the back wheels. Something that cannot be said about the rivals, such as Toyota or Honda.

[eliotdeag]

Hi, we had a base spec 1.6 (120bhp) SZ4 in 2WD spec for over 7 years. Honestly it was good, and with Michelin Cross climate tyres was good off road and in the winter. Replaced with a more fuel efficient Toyota Yaris Cross but the Suzuki is still in the family and doing great work. Very reliable 1.6 with 45-50 mpg over the 7 years. Roomy inside. Not plush but tough! Cheers

[SeamusFoley-dr]

The best cars on the market by a mile .Suzuki make every other car look shit . Never give any trouble what do ever .great great car.

[tmjaspers]

the biggest plus, besides its price, is its reliability.

[peterknight]

I've had my Vitara for 6 months now and I love it!

I'm a bit old-school, so I like the analogue dials, 6-speed manual gearbox, and traditional handbrake. The AWD system is impressive for a bit of soft-roading like snow or wet grassy fields. The ADAS systems are genuinely useful (if a little overly intrusive at times.) Can confirm mid-40's for mpg. The mild hybrid offers genuine benefits to performance (especially in sport mode), as well as better economy.

I've come to it from a Dacia Duster because I wanted something more reliable.

Overall, it's the best car I've ever owned (so far!)

[peterpiper]

My base manual Vitara has been so reliable, easy to drive, economical with enough room for me.
BTW, that photo of the RAV4 shows the second model.

[MrWilliam.Stewart]

Class leading in reliability and long term ownership costs I'd suggest.

[Andek]

Vitara is still a very good car, but to me it only makes sense with the all grip option, otherwise it is just a slightly lifted hatchback

[Coordinator]

Not fun to drive? Come on. I have a 1400 allgrip automatic and in sportsmode it goes like stink.

[trevordavies]

If I hear about those hard plastics again, I’ll scream! Do these reviewers just watch the other reviews and repeat, or do they ever try original thought? They never mention Suzuki’s and Vitara’s reliability - regularly coming second only to Toyota/Lexus in the annual Which? Car Report over 10-15 years. Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur - No thanks, I’ll never buy a French car again! It’s been mentioned before, but most of its ‘rivals’ (eg Ford Puma) don’t even offer a 4WD/AWD version, and if they do you have to pay about £35k. My new full-spec Suzuki Vitara 1.4 Turbo Mild Hybrid AllGrip cost me about £10k less than that. Do you need AWD? Well, I wanted it because my work takes me to some remote locations, in winter, but it manages UK’s potholed roads quite well too. Yes, the interior lacks the squidgy leatherette surfaces of other small SUVs, but it looks just fine and is robust and hard wearing; instead Suzuki spends its money (and therefore mine) on the bits that count - the highest spec in its class, by a country (off road) mile.

[starpoint]

Owning a 1.4 boosterjet mild hybrid 2020 version full led and the combination of power and souplesse is just perfect..far way better then the 1.5 version full hybrid

[xmaniac]

ffs it is not a premium car it is utilitarian brand offering value for money. What kind of review is this?

[pauljames]

The two litre petrol was the best model it had switchable two wheel drive four wheel drive and a low gear box as well. The car would go anywhere my pal still has one it's nearly 20 years old and it's brilliant !!!!