New engine size Grand Vitara increased by 20% - the result is impressive

Another piece of news from Suzuki: the third generation Grand Vitara, which debuted brilliantly several years ago, is expanding its engine range. What did the model have? Quite a decent 4-cylinder two-liter engine with a vertical in-line arrangement of cylinders. Today it is being replaced by a 2.4-liter engine. Some Grand Vitara models were previously equipped with a V-shaped six with a displacement of 2.7 liters. Hurry to see and evaluate – the volume has been increased to 3.2 liters. There is a growing trend in the cubic capacity of engines installed on cars of this model. The drive control system also underwent certain changes, which could not but affect the behavior of the machine.

The test drive of the Grand Vitara with a 2.4-liter engine was supposed to be carried out at a special test site simulating off-road conditions. For the model with a larger 3.2-liter V-shaped “six”, the usual “general purpose” road was chosen. It is worth noting that it is almost impossible to visually determine where which engine is installed without opening the engine compartment unless you know one feature. The fact is that cars differ in appearance only by their wheels. So, signs. If the Grand Vitara has 17-inch wheels, then under the hood there is a 4-cylinder engine with a volume of 2.4 liters. If you see 18-inch wheels, then this car boasts a 3.2-liter engine with six cylinders arranged in a V-shape.

We started getting acquainted with the Grand Vitara by testing a less powerful car in difficult road conditions. The training ground was replete with not only holes and potholes, but also turns, ascents and descents. In short, all the conditions for the car to periodically lose traction with the road, hanging either with one or two wheels at once. It was interesting to see and feel how the Grand Vitara, considered an SUV, would behave in the process of overcoming all these skillfully created obstacles that could pit the model against ditches, ruts and sticky mud. In addition, manufacturers have tried to equip it with a variety of electronic systems that make driving easier in difficult road conditions. For example, it’s no secret how difficult it is to keep a car at low speed on a descent, replete with obstacles that need to be carefully avoided. It is for such situations that the Grand Vitara is equipped with Hill Descent Control. By setting the “4H Lock” mode, you limit the vehicle speed to ten kilometers per hour. When this is not enough, you can use the “4L Lock” mode and set the speed to 5 km/h. Another difficulty that lovers of tourist trips inevitably encounter is starting to move when the car is standing on a steep slope. But here, too, there is an auxiliary Hill Hold Control system, which holds the brake for another two seconds when the driver’s foot is already placed on the gas pedal, preventing unwanted rollback of the car. It was these systems, which we had only heard about until now, that we wanted to try as soon as possible. That's why we started our test drive with a Grand Vitara with a 2.4-liter engine.

Probably, the “smart” electronic systems operated so effectively thanks to the engine. But since we had to study the 2.4-liter engine only in off-road conditions, it was not possible to form a comprehensive opinion about it. The organizers of the event warned that all the necessary information will be displayed on the central control panel. By the way, they advised us to turn on that interesting “4L Lock” mode in advance before a steep descent, and move the ESP button switch to the pressed position (it was found above the “descent from the mountain” icon). In general, they told us to follow the instructions that the instrument panel gives out using the display. In principle, that’s what we did at first. Moreover, the car behaved with dignity, justified trust and did not cause any trouble.

The tests, of course, were not complete without testing the car while driving in a lower gear. By the way, the letter L on the “transfer case” means “Low” - low speed. At the same time, the car is forced to move at low speed, but a torque of enormous power is transmitted to the wheels, which makes it possible to confidently overcome V-shaped passages and cope with situations when the wheels periodically hang in the air, not even one by one, but two at a time. This was the test drive of the Grand Vitara. The engine worked completely calmly, the tachometer never showed more than 2000 rpm. The Suzuki car periodically lost traction when the wheel got stuck, but at the first light press on the accelerator pedal, it obediently transferred the force to the wheels that had not lost contact with the road, braking the stuck wheel and continuing to move confidently. We tried to let the car stop with a stuck wheel. The effect of touching the gas pedal was similar, except that when starting off, the wheels slipped a little, making a characteristic sound.

Wheel stalling and slipping cannot be regarded as a completely harmless phenomenon. Indeed, as a result of this, the car can seriously move to the side. Therefore, in order to avoid slipping, it is worth acquiring certain skills in the optimal use of both the brake and accelerator pedals. At the same time, it is impossible to predict in advance whether the wheels will start to slip when you press the gas. Usually, in order to prevent unwanted slipping, experienced drivers prudently keep their left foot on the brake pedal in order to be able to smoothly press it down without releasing the accelerator. The effect here depends on how well you feel the brake pedal and whether the car's brakes are strong. Grand Vitara pleased us not only with the power of the brakes, but also with their good handling. “Brake + gas” was performed easily and naturally. It was pleasant to notice that as soon as one of the wheels froze, the brake immediately grabbed it gently but firmly. A good answer to experts who criticize disc brakes for their slow reactions. Maybe this is true for other cars, but not for the Grand Vitara. So the idle rotation of the wheels when driving off-road was aware, but practically not felt.

Hill Descent Control system - will help both when ascending and descending

As soon as we were convinced that driving through potholes and potholes was not difficult for the Grand Vitara and that the driver and passengers did not experience any inconvenience, a new task immediately followed. Checking the operation of the electronic Hill Descent Control system when descending a mountain. The car starts towards the cliff at low speed, the foot is removed from the accelerator pedal (otherwise the system will turn off). We are used to the process looking something like this. We start the car down, sit and wait for the acceleration to end and the speed limit system to turn on (if, of course, it works). Then the wheels begin to brake with a not very pleasant sound. Thank God it worked. Our team expected something similar from Grand Vitara. But the car pleasantly surprised me.

The first thing that struck me was the lack of strong acceleration on a steep descent. No, the car, of course, accelerated, but somehow restrainedly. At first it even seemed that the system worked in the very first seconds of descent, and there was no point in waiting for anything else. But suddenly the acceleration stopped, then turned into a smooth deceleration. There was no wheel locking, but the car tried to maintain the set speed, and quite successfully. By the way, we almost got it right when it comes to triggering Hill Descent Control. The system begins to operate not even at the moment of starting to move down the slope, but at the moment it is turned on by the driver. At the same time, the anti-lock braking system - ABS - is also responsible for dosing the braking force. It is this that allows you to smoothly brake the movement of the car, raising the brake fluid pressure in advance.

The work of Hill Hold Control, the anti-recoil system, was also a discovery. As an experiment, it was decided to stop on the slope and after a couple of seconds continue moving up the hill. There was no rollback; the car obediently moved up the road. The strangest thing is that I was completely unable to sense that the stop was made on a steep slope. The Grand Vitara again behaved differently from other cars equipped with a similar system. Usually the car spends some time thinking about what engine speed should be in order to move off smoothly. She seems to be waiting for the moment when the force of gravity acts for a split second when rolling back. And only when the brake system is turned off, the issue with the choice of speed is finally resolved.

Here, without the slightest hesitation, we smoothly set off up the road, without waiting for the usual rollback. The seasoned test driver sitting behind the wheel only said that, most likely, even he would not have been able to move off more smoothly if he had controlled both the gas pedal and the accelerator at the same time.

How is such an amazing result achieved? We have already said that when you release the brake pedal, electronic systems prolong its action for another couple of seconds. Then the brake fluid pressure begins to decrease, but very smoothly. Even if the driver does not press the gas pedal in a timely manner, the car will not roll back a long distance, as it will be caught by the wheels pushing it forward.

After experimenting with movement at the lowest speed, it was time to test the “4H Lock” mode. No significant differences from “4L Lock” were found. Except that I had to press the gas pedal a little harder. Starting uphill in the “4L Lock” mode is, of course, easier. But, if the driver does not forget that he has not engaged the lowest gear, then it will not be difficult for him to start moving without rolling back.

We asked the developers of the Grand Vitara how safe it is to make additions and changes to the control system without thoroughly reviewing all other systems and elements that provide the car with a smooth and stable ride. Experts responded that to make major changes, the ground must be prepared. This means that the suspension, the gearbox, the differential, and the wheels are subject to revision - down to the last fastening, rubber band, elastic element. In short, all settings will change. Developers are also limited in terms of time. Therefore, when designing a new model, only those elements are changed and improved for which it is possible to actually prepare the settings for all other systems without violating either safety requirements or established deadlines. In general, it is customary to change only as much as can be done efficiently, leaving everything else until better times.

This less than perfect 3.2-liter V-6

How can you evaluate the new engines that have appeared in the Grand Vitara? With a less powerful engine, everything is perhaps understandable and justified. The volume increased from 2 to 2.4 liters, the engine weight also increased (by 5.5 kg), the working volume of the cylinders became larger, which means the engine began to pull better. And that's already good. In addition, a stabilizing device appeared, which was not present in the two-liter engine. It is located slightly below the crankshaft and allows for a more uniform and smooth increase in speed. This means that the engine not only became more powerful, but also acquired pleasant stability and sedateness. This is especially noticeable by ear in cases when the car is moving in the “4L Lock” mode, which is characterized by a more frequent increase in revolutions. The only way the stabilizer makes itself felt is the sound of the gears working in mesh. It would be hard to call this fact a disadvantage, while the advantages are immediately visible and difficult to overestimate.

But it’s time to move on to a 3.2-liter engine. As mentioned above, the Grand Vitara with a more powerful engine was to be tested on an ordinary road, not burdened with holes and ditches. The new engine was developed by engineers from the American corporation GM (General Motors). Suzuki specialists only slightly modified this engine. The engine cylinder block is cast from aluminum alloy; using special rods, the water cooling channels are laid in advance, so there is no need to drill them. The Japanese claim that production this way is somewhat cheaper.

When comparing the new 3.2-liter engine with the one installed previously, it turns out that the engine is 40 kilograms heavier. This is quite natural, considering that the engine volume has increased by 500 cm 3. Only now the mass of the car has become more impressive. Moreover, it increased not only due to the additional weight of the motor metal, but also due to the additional equipment and soundproofing materials used. In short, the Grand Vitara with a V-shaped six gained much more weight than its brother with a 4-cylinder engine with the same 20% increase in displacement.

What can you praise this Suzuki car for? Except for good noise insulation and insignificant vibration coming from the engine. As for the five-speed automatic transmission combined with the engine, its positions are clearly not enough, and in some situations the operation is simply baffling. For example, during a long descent, if you want to slow down, you manually switch to “three” - nothing happens. You switch to “L” - the box pushes “1”, and the car begins to stop. One more gear is needed - the golden mean at number 2. And acceleration when starting from a standstill does not make much of an impression. The Grand Vitara is not eager to fight with this powerful engine. And, probably, the same transmission is to blame.

And some more impressions. If you adhere to a constant speed while driving, the car will demonstrate smoothness, beyond any doubt. But what should a person feel when driving a car with a powerful and heavy large-volume 6-cylinder V-engine? Confidence that in an unexpected situation the car will not perform any trick that is typical for cars with light, less powerful engines. And it’s precisely this confidence that you don’t feel at all. With all of the above, the Grand Vitara V6 is considered a higher class car than a car with a 4-cylinder engine. Why? If a person buys a more expensive car, then the difference when you sit behind the wheel should be felt. If it doesn’t exist, then why all these bells and whistles?

No, we're not saying there's absolutely no difference between the two Grand Vitara we tested. For example, very interesting sounds can be heard from under the hood if you suddenly give the V6 engine full throttle to quickly increase speed. At revs somewhere around 4500, an incomprehensible cacophony of dissonant sounds begins. Having discovered such a phenomenon, we naturally asked the developers about the reason for such a mysterious background. To which we received a comprehensive answer. They say there is not enough space under the hood, so the suction pipes (left and right) are of different lengths. It is because of the mismatch in their work that such an unpleasant effect occurs. And why all? Because the engine is American, it was not possible to completely remake everything, adapting it to the Grand Vitara. Therefore, until their own Japanese V6 was created, it was not worth experimenting. But this, again, is our opinion. We can only hope that in the near future Suzuki developers will please the consumer with a new V-shaped “six” of their own making, and then the Grand Vitara will be able to solo not only off-road, but also on the track.

Who could have imagined that the Suzuki company, specializing in kei cars, would suddenly be ahead of not only its large Japanese competitors - time itself. Of course, one can argue about who was the first to produce a comfortable SUV. However, in this format - a compact and by no means Spartan jeep with a frame, one-piece rear axle, plug-in front-wheel drive and a low-range range - Suzuki has undoubtedly made a debut. And even 17 years later, when the penultimate, third generation Escudo/Vitara appeared, the Japanese did not change all their values ​​at once. Left longitudinal arrangement power unit and a range multiplier, which was already considered unusual for the mid-2000s. Did the model stand out among its classmates in terms of reliability?

Which engine is optimal for a modern crossover? A sufficient volume of naturally aspirated engine is two liters. At least, budget 4x4 all-terrain vehicles are equipped with just such units. Suzuki marketers decided that the Grand Vitara deserves more powerful engines. As a result, 2.4 and 3.2 liter engines appeared in the line, and the car itself got the opportunity to compete for a more dashing client.

What are the now fashionable SUVs for? To drive them on bad, broken roads. Sergei Voskresensky and Igor Tverdunov met two unusual representatives of this family in their native habitat.

We have already tested Suzuki SUVs several times. Moreover, the car you see in the pictures is an analogue of the Vitara, which we conducted full-scale tests two winters ago. But there is a nuance: unlike all other Suzukis, this car falls under the definition of “exclusive”, since it was released in a special Freestyle version.

Stories about road trips on the Suzuki Grand Vitara

We don’t set incomprehensible goals: Katu-Yaryk, Chulyshman, Stone mushrooms. If it works out - Uchar. The latter is a big question and without obvious enthusiasm. We are too accustomed to driving to the shore, getting a table, chairs, barbecue from the trunk... We need to start working on ourselves small, and there is no clarity on time.

I’ll start my story by saying that 2 years ago we already traveled by car to Kyrgyzstan and Issyk-Kul. That first trip left good memories and was a little nostalgic for me (it turns out that there is such a type of tourism - nostalgic :)), since my childhood and school years were spent in Kyrgyzstan.. After the first trip, I was also going to write my report to help similar road travelers . But due to (my laziness) various circumstances, I was not able to do this then. So (I force myself) I’m happy to do this now :).

Once again I was thinking about a vacation, and I wanted to visit new places in a new car. I suggested that my father accompany him to Copenhagen; he doesn’t like to travel, but this time it didn’t take much persuasion. It was also decided to take my friend along as a navigator and second driver. This happened in August 2011.

This means that it was either at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring, when I definitely decided that I had to go, although the idea to go was back in 2012, but for a number of reasons it was not possible to go then. And now the entry fees were paid, the team was found very quickly, since we planned to go along an easy, tourist (green) route without much fanaticism, we went with: me, my girlfriend, my combat navigator Valentin and his wife.

And here it is, as the song says, “The Glorious Sea is Holy Baikal”! Great, powerful, unknown and full of incredible secrets. It amazes with its grandeur, overwhelms with its power, and inspires with its beauty. Baikal is not just a lake, it is a real treasure given to us by nature. And the main treasure is Baikal water.

We drive and drive, but Primorye is still not there. We stopped at a gas station, it turned out to be Shmakovka, I asked the driver of the car from the queue, how far is it still to the Primorsky Territory? He was very surprised by the question and said that we had been in Primorye for a long time. But we never saw a stele or a sign indicating the entrance to Primorye.

We went to check into the apartment; it turned out to be a bit far from the center, although the navigator guided us through without any problems, and there were no big traffic jams, fortunately we didn’t see any traffic jams in the city. We cleaned ourselves up and went to see the sights of Khabarovsk. The city is very beautiful, especially Muravyov-Amursky Street. We have never seen such a beautiful embankment anywhere, although we have visited many embankments.

Car on test drive "Avtodel":
Engine: petrol 2.4 l VVT 169 hp
Transmission: Automatic 4
Car cost: JLX-EL equipment from 1,205,000 rubles
Vehicle warranty: 3 years or 100,000 km

In the market of compact urban crossovers, brutal SUVs are disappearing one after another - they are being replaced by more and more quiet and urban options. One of the last strongholds of the “old regime” remains the Suzuki Grand Vitara.

Despite the latest “facelift”, which gave the car a more aggressive appearance, this is practically the same car that entered the market in 2008, when two new engines appeared in the Grand Vitara line. The latest update did not bring anything like that: no new engines, no new versions of the transmission. Only a few changes to the suspension and engine settings. The ride has become more elastic, but soft, and the engine is more responsive and not so voracious. And the letters FL were added to the name.

Perhaps if things had been better for Suzuki in the American market, the legendary car would have received more attention. But in 2011, things did not work out for the Japanese concern in the United States. For Americans, the car is too small, and in terms of consumer properties it is in many ways inferior to more agile competitors. Therefore, the company announced that in the most prestigious market, Suzuki will limit itself to small cars, motorcycles and other self-propelled vehicles.

Now the famous Grand Vitara or, in other words, Escudo, apparently, is facing a retired life. The model will be sold “to the limit”, receiving only minimal changes in plastic parts. And this will happen as long as there is at least some demand for such cars. And the demand is mainly in developing countries, where roads are an endless topic of conversation. And Russia is no exception: the car seems to be in sluggish but steady demand. After all, compared to its competitors, the “pensioner” Grand Vitara is cheerful and can give a head start to many more “impudent” newcomers.

What can “hook” the Grand Vitara?

Firstly, the design. This is a car, the successor to the famous Suzuki Samurai. And circumstances did not allow him to go too far from him - the ideology of the “indestructible” SUV was preserved in the Suzuki Grand Vitara, although this, of course, is far from being that petty “boor”. But, yes, the era is not the same. The age of “real machines” is over. The era of “disposable” cars is sweeping the world.

What's left? What remains is the concept of a frame and almost “honest” permanent all-wheel drive. This, of course, is not a primitive, completely “honest” differential from the Niva, but it is close to it. There are few such atavisms left on the new car market: they are gluttonous, and in cities no one really needs their capabilities. Urbanization has done its job: the main buyers live in cities. And they require completely different characteristics - speed, fuel consumption, comfort, and, most importantly, design. This saddens those who really need an all-terrain vehicle. But they are a minority. And, perhaps, only the fashion for “country life” allows oxymoronic cars - luxury SUVs - to survive. After all, an ordinary villager, having a fairly modest purchasing budget, would rather prefer a new Chevy Niva, Patriot, “Chinese” or order a used version of the same Grand Vitara at an auction abroad.

Let's see what Japanese concerns offer in the urban SUV market today.

Table 1. Japanese competitors Suzuki Grand Vitara on the Russian market, February 2014

Let's look at these eight cars from Japanese concerns. In fact, there are more of them, but either they are “completely urban” or larger in size.

As you can see, in this class only Subaru, which has concentrated on producing crossovers, offers two models. Don’t let the two Honda CR-V cars mislead you: although the concern positions them as different cars, in reality this is a marketing ploy: the 2.0 version is more “calm”, and the 2.4 is “sporty”. Mitsubishi also has more crossovers, but in size and off-road capability only one compares with the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Nissan has a similar situation.

Let's compare car sizes:

Table 2. Comparison of dimensions Suzuki Grand Vitara with competitors

As you can see, geometrically the cars are very close to each other. All of them are distinguished by great ground clearance, with the exception of the Honda CR-V and one of the Toyota RAV4 variants. These are cars that have completely lost touch with their homeland. And, although they still look like SUVs, in reality these are completely city cars with all-wheel drive.

If you believe the manufacturers' data, thenSuzukiGrandVitara is a tiny trunk. But in reality this is far from the truth. The trunk of the car is very roomy, as we were able to verify. The facelift did not affect the trunk, so everything remains the same. But the figures from other manufacturers are very vague and sometimes puzzling. For example, Toyota and Honda do not give trunk dimensions with the seats folded, and Subaru, on the contrary, only calculates with the rear row folded down. Let us remind you that the given figures must be calculated according to the methodVDA is a European method where the trunk is filled with the same type of liter cubes. For ease of understanding - packs of milk. There is only one problem: real cargo has dimensions, and you won’t be “full” with just liters. So you can trust the advertising figures, but with caution. Either the seats do not fold into a flat floor, or the arches stick out, or the loading opening is small.

One of the attributes of a “real SUV” - a full-size spare wheel on the rear door - has been lost in almost all modern crossovers. Moreover, from half of the automakers you can buy a full-size wheel only as an additional option. True, in the American marketGrandVitara had a version without a spare wheel at all - and this is as much as 20 cm to the dimensions of the car and more than 10 kg of weight on the rear door. In Russia, this version of the Grand Vitara is theoretically also possible, but its popularity is low.

Each manufacturer tries to entice with a unique all-wheel drive system, most of them adding the letter “i” in one way or another, which means “intelligence.” All promise “unique” handling and “highest” safety. However, in reality, in most cases here we're talking about about improving vehicle controllability on slippery roads, but these intelligent systems have little in common with overcoming real off-road conditions. Moreover, real off-road “exploits” lead to very rapid wear and tear of these “intellectual delights”, and their repair costs a lot of money.

Against this background, the somewhat “antediluvian” all-wheel drive Suzuki Grand Vitara wins with its endurance if the owner needs to drive often and for a long time on bad and very bad roads.

Those who are confident in their engineering achievements try to tell the consumer as much as possible about their design, while those who are not so sure “muddy the waters.”

It is curious that for advertising and marketing purposes, Japanese automakers use the following move: the minimum configuration is equipped with the most primitive version of all-wheel drive. But at a very attractive price, you can safely draw on posters, and also decorate whole tons of waste paper and gigabytes with it - few people will immediately think about the small star on the side. And if he does think about it, then, for example, as in the case of the Nissan X-Trail, he will not understand anything: it seems that the all-wheel drive system is not the same, but it seems that everything is similar. What is the difference between ALL MODE 4x4 and ALL MODE 4x4-i - try it and guess. If, of course, you notice the asterisk on top and the letter “i” on the side.

Suzuki also uses a similar move, but in a soft version. Attractive price “from 945,000 rubles.” in fact, it means a three-door version of the Grand Vitara with a simplified transmission - without a center differential lock and without a reduction gear. But already all five-door Grand Vitara come with “honest” all-wheel drive. They are offered two engine options - 2.0 liters with 140 hp. and 2.4 liters with a power of 169 hp, paired with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. The price for a manual with a two-liter engine starts from 1,015,000 rubles, this is not taking into account various seasonal discounts.

Table 3. Comparison of engines and transmissions Suzuki Grand Vitara and Japanese competitors

A study of the compared models in terms of engines shows that the Suzuki Grand Vitara is a kind of average. And the engines do not seem to be “dead”, but there are no particularly sporty numerous “herds” to be seen here. It must be said that in general the set of engines corresponds to what the Grand Vitara represents. The power of both engines is enough to feel confident on the highway and calmly overcome the rather noticeable absence of roads. At the same time, as will be seen later, the machine has a decent carrying capacity. Both engines are high-torque, in some ways similar in behavior to diesel engines, and the “classic” transmissions seem to say: “I am a workhorse that will honestly earn its living.” At the same time, trying to give the owner as much comfort and pleasure as possible. Within reason, of course. Still an “SUV”.

And the old, proven four-speed automatic transmission instead of newfangled CVTs will be more of a plus here - reliability instead of sportiness. Well, and lower fuel consumption - the Grand Vitara loves to “eat”. But the Mitsubishi Outlander, for example, will not offer a manual transmission at all - only a CVT or a 6-speed automatic transmission, and even that only paired with a three-liter engine. And the price for a similar Mitsubishi Outlander will start from 1,409,990 rubles.

Changes to suspension and engine settingsSuzukiGrandThe Vitara after the facelift is, of course, not radical, but you can feel it. The car has become more elastic, less like a sprawling bear cub. This is felt at speeds over 110 km/h on the highway. But the 2.4 liter engine (we had it paired with an automatic transmission) was retuned more noticeably. Acceleration has become easier, and so has overtaking. But, most importantly, the car now begins to “sip buckets” of gasoline after 110 km/h, and not after 90 - 95 km/h, as it was before.

We received a car for a test drive with frightening average consumption - the on-board computer showed 14.7 l/100 km. The road ahead was long - more than 1000 km one way - and we began hastily recalculating the budget for the trip, cursing advertisers and marketers with all their words, because the consumption in the combined cycle was supposed to be only 9.7 l/100 km. True, the stated figure for the city is already different - 12.5 l/100 km, taking into account traffic jams, the “cape” of two liters is, in general, not that big, but still significant. Trying to “fit” into the budget, we tried to travel economically. Despite efforts, it was not possible to achieve the declared highway consumption of 8.1 l/100 km. Perhaps this is due to the fact that half of the road went through long hills, and we managed to drive a very small section of the road at a leisurely pace - we were in a hurry to do business, and back we were running away from under the now famous Rostov snowfall. But at first we managed to achieve a figure of 11 l/100 km, then 10, and in the final 9.1 l/100 km. The only thing in cars like thisGrandVitara, annoying - it's a small gas tank. Even at 9 l/100 km, 66 l of gas tank is only about 700 km, and when you leave the city, the range figure of 405 km is not at all inspiring.

Table 4. Comparison of engine parameters and load capacities Suzuki Grand Vitara with competitors

As you can see, the fuel consumption in the combined cycle of the Suzuki Grand Vitara cannot boast of any special achievements. On average, a 2.4 liter engine paired with an automatic transmission consumes one liter more than its competitors. But at the same time, among all the cars compared, the Grand Vitara has the largest gas tank - 66 liters.

In addition, the Suzuki Grand Vitara has very good load capacity. The weight of the car is far from the greatest - the Nissan X-Trail and Toyota RAV4 weigh almost 100 kg more, which means the efficiency of engines of the same displacement and power in the Grand Vitara will be higher.

Suzuki Grand Vitara inside

The comparison we just made of the Suzuki Grand Vitara with its competitors suggests that this is a solid and somewhat old-fashioned car, whose destiny is to be a “workhorse”. Inside, the car fully corresponds to this. Everything is extremely conservative - there is not even a USB output, even in the top configuration. Only the only option with a navigation system has a screen, which does not count - it is not relevant for all cities, which the company very honestly warns about. Yes, over the past two years the list of cities has seriously expanded - at first it was only Moscow and St. Petersburg - but standard navigation for the Grand Vitara is still the exception rather than the rule.

But here everything is at hand, everything is thought out and comfortable. But young people may not like such conservatism at all, and even “honest” all-wheel drive will not help here. Still, the stubborn conservatism of the Grand Vitara is sometimes quite annoying - this is some kind of quintessence of a stubborn little body among cars.

As luxury optionsSuzukiGranVitara offers a light leather interior. It looks and feels pleasant to the touch. But it is completely impractical if the car is used as a “workhorse”.

“A clean jeep is a shame for the owner.” This is directly about the Grand Vitara. This car is a real dirty car, and you can only see it in such a shiny state, especially in winter, in honor of very big holidays.

Most of the time the car looks dirty, and even the color of the “dress” can be difficult to guess. And it’s not just about dirty roads, but also places where it’s more convenient and profitable to driveGrandVitara. And this, for example, is an inspection of the progress of building a house. It takes a lot of effort not to stain all this beauty - after all, it’s enough to touch your shoe on the threshold for the pristine cleanliness of the interior to lose its luster. But it should be noted again: if such a salon is extremely impractical from the inside, then the Grand Vitara itself copes very well with dirt. A mess is a mess, and the side windows, mirrors and headlights are the last to get dirty.

The extremely conservative interior is generally very comfortable. It seems like everything is provided here in a luxury version (exceptUSB andAUX, of course). A large glove compartment, spacious compartments that are easily hidden, cup holders, additional sockets, simple and intuitive control of on-board equipment. A simple but well-functioning interior heating system, comfortable seating for all travelers. This is the Grand Vitara inside.

The leather steering wheel fits perfectly in your hands, and the radio and cruise control control buttons are well located and do not get under your fingers when not needed. It would seem that everything is fine. But even here there is some kind of manic conservatism: the steering wheel can only be adjusted by angle. There is no adjustment for reach even in luxury versions of the Grand Vitara. The only thing that saves the situation from a fiasco is the excellent seats with a wide range of adjustments, which allow you to adjust the seating position to the steering wheel adjustment capabilities.

The headlights of the Grand Vitara work perfectly - even in the dirtiest conditions, you can stop for general cleaning no more than once every 400 km. The red night lighting of the console is pleasing to the eye, and the most primitive brightness adjustment system, although it smacks of the era of dinosaurs... but when you drive hundreds of kilometers along a busy highway, you begin to appreciate the good old classics. On the road, this primitive adjustment pin on the dashboard is simply wonderful - you don’t need to look for anything, the brightness can be reduced to barely visible numbers. And all this is easy and fast.

SUMMARY

Not the last, but almost the last of the Mohicans. Super-conservative, solid, in some ways even an oak car. The quintessence of the zodiac Taurus among cars. This is a portrait of the Suzuki Grand Vitara in broad strokes.

In a metropolis, its competitors are bypassing it, more sensitively following fashion and quickly offering a variety of “tricks” (and even the Chinese auto industry is often more savvy in terms of electronic “tricks” on board, and after all, Japan is, one might say, the birthplace of electronics!) For long-distance routes you can find much less gluttonous four-wheeled friends.

Time to retire?

Where life is easier, the lights are brighter, and the sun shines better, you can choose another, more advanced and modern four-wheeled friend. But to inspect the construction of a house in the Moscow region or on a long journey under the threat of a snow storm, honestly, I’ll go with much more peace of mind in the “old lady”GrandVitara. And suffer about the absenceI won’t do much USB either -An FM transmitter at a gas station costs less than five hundred rubles. And the radio in Grand Vitara is excellent.

Warning labels are a very funny thing. For the past half century, America's lawsuit-obsessed community has forced manufacturers to put warning labels on their products.

Sometimes companies, after losing in court, stick such absurd labels on their products that no sane person (apparently, some Americans do not belong to this category) would even think of such a thing.

Thus, on the iron of one well-known company there is the following warning: “Never iron a shirt on a person’s body.” And manufacturers of medical thermometers specifically for Americans write that the thermometer should not be used orally, immediately after rectal use.

The box of 500 pieces says: "Required assembly to make a picture." On a jar with tomato paste stated: "To achieve best result advises you to open the lid."

On gas canister in capital letters It is written that this thing can cause eye irritation. And all boys and girls should read the inscription on the packaging of the Harry Potter toy on the broom: “This broom does not actually fly.”

This brings me smoothly to the question of the Suzuki Grand Vitara, which has a warning sign under the handbrake, explaining in detail what needs to be done to prevent the car from rolling out of the parking space. Today, the Grand Vitara is at the top of the rankings for explaining extremely obvious things. I'm afraid that if things continue in the same direction, there will be signs on the steering wheel explaining what to do to turn left, and on the brake pedal there will be a warning: "Warning: pressing this pedal may cause the vehicle to stop."

However, I have no serious complaints about this car. This fact simply emphasizes that this is more of a full-fledged small SUV for America than a large crossover for Europe.

And the folding rear seat system of the Grand Vitara is also American. And the 2.4-liter engine produces only 166 horsepower. By modern standards, this is not enough for such a volume, however, it is much better than the old two-liter engine. But all atmospheric power is available instantly, and not after the turbines and superchargers wake up.
The engine began to accelerate the car faster and run somewhat smoother, approaching the red zone more accurately. And despite the fact that it takes Suzuki an eternity to accelerate to hundreds according to the passport, you don’t notice it while driving. There is enough traction to make acceleration more or less acceptable. But nothing more.

But the outdated 4-speed automatic transmission is not such a drawback. It works as it should. Frankly, sometimes it even seemed to me that these four steps did their job much better than the Korean six-step ones. It’s a matter of settings, and it seems to me that if you ask the box how it feels, it will certainly say: “I’m like a lemon, which a KRAZ loaded to the brim drove over with all its wheels.” I don’t think what can be done to make this box worked even better. However, this does not make it modern. She's like an old geisha, she has a lot of experience, but that doesn't make her any younger.

Please note that fuel consumption during active driving in the city was 22.7 l/100 km.

The seats fold down in the American style. A matter of taste and habit.

1. All-wheel drive switch. To change the mode and lock the differential, you need to stop.
2. Four-speed automatic transmission with simulated low gear. There are two 12V sockets in the corners, and the heated seats are the most primitive.
3.ESP can only be disabled off-road with a locked differential.
4.Music is very ordinary, no CD cards, USB inputs or AUX. Naturally, there is no Bluetooth either.
In addition, a diesel engine would be much better suited for a car of this type. But such an option does not exist. And therefore I must admit that the car has nothing remarkable. And even after the next restyling, it has not changed at all. Except that turn signal repeaters have appeared on the mirrors, but this won’t surprise anyone now.

And yet, there is something in all this. Get off the road and go places you would never go in a regular car. The off-road capabilities of the Grand Vitara will surprise you. It has a frame design and you can also lock the differentials. And all-wheel drive is also honest, permanent 50x50. But here's the rub, for those who like to get into the mud often, there are more capable cars, and for those who choose pseudo-crossovers, which in the real world cannot be seen further than a country road, all these off-road abilities will turn out to be superfluous, since the body-on-frame design makes The ride is not as comfortable as in other crossovers.

So most will happily give up on all sorts of off-road bells and whistles for the sake of comfort and lower fuel consumption.

My opinion. On the asphalt, this is an average car for average money, but in the field it will show what you really paid for.

I like. All this oldschool and honest mechanics.

I don't like. Electronics come from the nineties. It’s somehow not good, it’s still Japanese.

My advice. An excellent option for those who are not a fan of dirt, but a couple of times a week you have to make your way into a house on the outskirts along ruts with mud or knee-deep snowdrifts. I don’t know how many such people exist, but I knew one.

Text and photo: Alexander Dolgikh, test-drive8.ru

Part of the reason for this is the quite “nimble” automatic transmission with well-chosen gear ratios. Mode D “by default” is configured for economical driving and, when driving slowly, tends to engage upshifts as early as possible. For more active drivers, a “Power” button is provided - when this mode is activated, the lower stages remain on longer, allowing you to “turn” the engine. But, oddly enough, in reality this does not give a noticeable increase in dynamics; the same indicators can be obtained in simple D mode by pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor.

Despite the presence of a transfer case and permanent all-wheel drive, no transmission noise is heard when driving on the highway. And not only transmission ones - the developers have worked hard on sound insulation and aerodynamics. Only the “voice” of the engine begins to dominate after 4000 rpm, but quiet driving does not imply such values: at cruising speeds of 100-110 km/h, the tachometer needle fluctuates around 2500 rpm.

But permanent four-wheel drive already has a noticeable effect on fuel consumption. A Grand Vitara with a 2.4 liter engine in the combined cycle consumes about 13 liters of 95 gasoline per 100 km, which is three liters more than the consumption declared by the manufacturer. This is an inevitable price to pay for the versatility that the SUV demonstrated in the “asphalt” disciplines.

In his best

Since we have a real “rogue” in our hands, we boldly turn off the asphalt. While there is a hard but bumpy gravel road under the wheels, it is possible to evaluate the performance of the suspension. Yes, here the completely independent design clearly benefits from the solid rear axle of the previous generation. The Grand Vitara does not sway and does not tend to “jump” off the line when cornering. However, the suspension is stiff and you need to be prepared for the fact that it will shake quite a bit as the speed increases. At the same time, the energy intensity is enough to prevent breakdowns even on serious potholes, which is a huge advantage for an SUV.

However, with suspension moves the picture is exactly the opposite. They turned out to be, if not quite “asphalt”, then close to them. Diagonal hanging occurs very early: as soon as you make a slight mistake with the trajectory when attacking even small bends in the terrain, the car is immobilized. The Grand Vitara, unfortunately, does not have hard inter-wheel locks, and there are no electronic “replacement assistants”. On the other hand, the small angle of the ramp (only 19 degrees) does not allow you to pass obstacles head-on. Therefore, on rough terrain, you should approach with maximum attention primarily to overcoming ditches and similar obstacles. The deep track will also be a serious test - here the significantly longer travel, simplicity and security of a traditional solid bridge would have an undeniable advantage. But perhaps we demand too much from a “universal” car. In the end, keeping these features in mind and approaching the matter wisely, you can overcome rough terrain quite successfully.

The ESP system, which on Suzuki is inextricably linked with transmission modes, will also help with this. The diagram looks like this: in the “4x4 High” mode, ESP cannot be turned off at all, in “4x4 Lock” the intervention of the traction control “assistant” can be forcibly excluded, and in “4x4 Low” (on a lower row in the transfer case) ESP turns off itself, but how Practice has shown that it continues to function despite the “ESP off” icon. This is puzzling at first. But when we move on to overcoming puddles and sticky soils, the designers’ intentions become clear. The engine torque at low speeds is already quite high, and the downshift increases it further. An inexperienced driver, pressing the gas pedal a little more sharply than necessary, will almost inevitably “bury” the car in a swampy place. This is prevented by such “unauthorized” intervention of the traction control system, which is actually effective in such a situation. For example, if you drive into a shallow puddle and imitate a serious mistake, causing slipping, the electronics will immediately limit the increase in engine speed and brake the slipping wheel, helping the car to move forward. But in the “4x4 Lock” mode, ESP is truly turned off completely and will no longer “choke” the engine when you try to sharply increase the gas on a slippery surface.

The system also copes well with a similar task on asphalt: if you “overdo” the gas in a turn, ESP will immediately try to prevent the car from slipping (although this is already difficult to achieve with permanent all-wheel drive), acting according to the same scheme: the engine speed will be are forcibly reduced, and the “inner” wheel will receive a portion of the braking force to correct the trajectory.

But let's get back to the off-road. We must not forget about the limiting modes in the gearbox, which are very effective here. By installing the first stage and engaging the reduction gear in the transmission, you can almost at idle speed climb very steep climbs, enjoying the pose of a “take-off astronaut”, and then safely descend from them using perfectly implemented engine braking.

Speaking of braking. Ventilated disc brakes on all wheels are capable of confidently and predictably stopping the car both on asphalt and off-road. The ABS settings can be considered close to ideal; the system does not annoy the driver with too early activations and at the same time allows maintaining adequate reactions to steering wheel turns in almost any situation.

All the main units of the Grand Vitara are covered with plastic protection from below. Of course, it plays the role of a mud shield rather than a full-fledged “armor”. But despite this, it is difficult to damage the engine crankcase or gearbox; the layout is such that there are practically no protruding parts from below. The lowest point is the transfer case mounting cross member.

If the off-road exercises go too far and the Suzuki owner has to call for help, he will definitely appreciate the full-fledged towing eyes under the front and rear bumpers - such an attribute is not even found on every full-size SUV today. However, during our test drive, they were not useful to us. The cross-country track was a little less than completely submissive to the SUV - we did not dare to drive onto the jumps with sharp tops due to the obvious fear of “landing” the car at the bend.

So, the Grand Vitara feels great both in the city and on the highway, while its off-road capabilities are much greater than most crossovers so popular in today's car market can offer. Even though this SUV is not an absolute “excellent” in all respects, it is precisely the totality of its qualities that makes it valuable. Have Suzuki engineers succeeded in creating a universal car in the form of the Grand Vitara? Our answer is yes! Especially if you remember that the ideal is unattainable.