Suzuki Vitara

Is the Suzuki Vitara more than just a funky looking small SUV?

How does the updated small SUV stack up?

Which is the better baby SUV?

Is a spit and polish enough to bolster the boosted Vitara?

The Suzuki Vitara small SUV has been given a surprise second facelift. A hybrid is due in Australia next year.

The Suzuki Vitara small SUV is now available as a 'Shadow' black edition. It costs $4500 more than the regular model.

The Suzuki EVX concept has been revealed, and it could be the future electric Vitara.

Five-star safety scores for some of Australia’s most popular new cars expire today, but the vehicles are not banned from sale.

There's almost 3000kg separating the lightest and the heaviest cars on sale today, so where does yours weigh in?

Deborah is looking for a city SUV with solid open-road chops.

Doing what we do, CarAdvice writers are often asked by friends and family, and through our contact page: which car is best for me?

Doing what we do, CarAdvice writers are often asked by friends and family, and through our contact page: which car is best for me?

This car is by no means a performance SUV the 1.6L Is just adequate for city driving and it will not complain if you push it. If you need any more performance than that you need to be looking at the 1.4L Turbo. The price for what you get is hands down the BEST value small SUV on the market. The closest in price was the Mitsubishi ASX but it was thirsty, ancient, heavy and that horrible CVT auto is subpar in my opinion. One thing that the Vitara excels at and a lot of people complain about in modern cars is visibility, is that it has excellent visibility all around with big windows! It is so easy to park and drive around the city! The Suzuki has a good conventional auto which it is an excellent little unit, gear changes are smooth and it is very responsive from the get-go. It is a breath of fresh air when comparing it to most other Japanese manufacturers who offer CVT as standard. It has inclusions that feel ''premium" and most other brands WILL NOT give you in their entry level variants; such as DLR LED lights, GPS, reverse camera, paddle shifters (for the auto), nice looking alloy wheels, darker privacy rear windows and even LED welcome illumination on the front driver's and passenger's foot wells (Mazda charges over $200 just for the welcome illumination!) The infotainment is excellent, the touch screen is very responsive and it comes with standard android auto/apple car play. I am comparing this to the horrible MAZDA MZD Infotainment system which is laggy, outdated and the touch screen cannot be used once the car is moving! Oh and they will charge you $500 for Android auto/Apple carplay (Shame on you Mazda) The speakers are only average but for the audiophiles there is an premium upgrade speaker option! which I have not tried so I cannot tell if it actually improves the audio quality. The interior is very basic but very well thought out with ample space for what it is and excellent rear leg and headroom for its class which is better than a Mazda CX-3 or a Hyundai Kona (And those cars are more expensive). Boot space is also one of the largest of its class (375L vs Kona 361L) which is a plus for a small family and it has the added dual floor for extra storage underneath! It has accessories galore and even though a lot are very expensive at least you get the option to customize your vehicle if you wish to do so. How far you go will depend on your budget. The warranty is 5 years which is a plus but there is a catch - you need to have all the services done by a Suzuki dealer otherwise it reverts to a standard 3 yr which I found a little bit unfair as I think for this to be a money-grabbing exercise by Suzuki. Service intervals are very short 10,000 or 6 months - for those who do not do many Kms like myself it means I will have to visit the dealership more often and they are not cheap averaging $250 per service which is over $500 per year (However I am a big believer of good maintenance so I find this to be a plus in a way for me). I think one year or 15,000kms others offer is pushing it for modern engines especially for stop/go city driving which causes extreme wear on the engine. All in all this vehicle should be selling way more than it currently is however I believe a lot of people do not make informed decisions and get caught up in the hype buying what is ''trendy'' without thinking of practicality. Also a lot of ''expert" review I see online are very unfair on the Vitara as a lot of scores are very low, I used to own a Mazda CX5 and I can honestly say this is a better product, less gimmicks, no istop or other electric gimmicks you don't need and way more practical and easy to drive around the city (even though the CX-5 is on a different category).

I traded my 2016 Toyota Corolla for this 2017 Suzuki Vitara RT-S for 2 reasons. 1, I took the Vitara for a test drive 2, The all-round vision and lack of blind spots. City driving, you can see over nearly any other car, in the country this thing just rolls along the road in a way that the never Corolla did. Just great vision and seating position. I would recommend this car to anyone who doesn't feel confident when driving in traffic due to feeling overshadowed. The Cabin may not be as nicely presented as the Corolla's, but I would take the way it drives and that great vision any day. And yes, it's very fun to drive, a 3 hour trip doesn't feel that long in this car. Longish hills found around the tablelands of NSW can slow the 1.6L Vitara up a little, back to 3rd and 4th but as soon as you're over it off you go. This car is also extremely quite in almost every driving situation, engine noise can rarely be heard from inside and outside the car. Even on country main roads I've had many passengers comment on the very low level of road noise heard in the cabin, these same passengers also rode in my Corolla. The manual is very forgiving at low speeds, hard to stall if driven properly and very smooth. The gear shifter for me, is in the right spot. I personally think the Vitara looks more mature than some of the others, Corolla included. But style is a very personal thing! Yes, the test drive was that good. I really didn't want another car but the blind spots in the corolla's design were not going away. If you still enjoy driving, or have to drive a lot in everyday situations, than I cannot recommend a test drive more than I already have recommend a test drive. Don't be put off by the price, for me personally that was what got me to the showroom. Oh yeah, very practical, nice big opening at the rear and with the backseats folded you find a cave like interior. A true little wagon.

I am 100% satisfied with my brand new Suzuki Vitara! Buyers are spoilt for choice with the SUV market being so extensive. I can honestly say that the Vitara is one of the more underrated city SUV's. I have no idea why though because once I took it for a test drive, I purchased one straight after. Being one of the smallest in the class in terms of exterior dimensions, the interior is surprisingly roomy and there is more than enough space. The boot is especially roomy with under floor storage. I have read many reviews and most stated that the interior is cheap and the engine is underpowered. This is completely false. Before I purchased I had a look at the Mazda CX-3 and the interior in that vehicle was horrible (seats, plastics & tiny boot!!!). The Suzuki is well equipped for the price I'm surprised it is not a top seller (standard 17" alloy wheels, satellite navigation, 7 airbags, reverse camera, digital climate control, bluetooth, cruise control, LED daytime running lights & Apple CarPlay to name a few). The engine may look average on paper but when you're actually driving it's a different story. The automatic RT-S only weighs 1120KG. Therefore the 86KW paired with 6-speed automatic does the job without struggle. Having upgraded to the Vitara from a 2014 Kia Rio the first thing I noticed was how good the Suzuki's steering is. Turning is effortless and has a sporty feel. Economy is another pro. Although this model is 2WD, the 185mm ground clearance helps when going off road. I tested this car out bush yesterday and was pleasantly surprised how smooth it drives over harsh surfaces. BEFORE you buy a CX-3, ASX or HR-V you MUST consider taking the Vitara for a test drive, you wont be disappointed.

Have had our Vitara for a bit over a month now we live in country Vic my wife drives her manual blue vitara most days to and from work on weekends it is used to travel to BawBaw area to visit our Daughters farmsbor in to the city to see Collingwood play the car easy to drive and park . My wife is over 70 years old I am very happy for her to drive sutch a Top little Car. It us safe with a simple layout everything is easy to reach and use she has done long and short trips fuel economy is between 6 to 7 lt per 100 km handling is good on most surfaces and can be a lot of fun gravel ( wile the wife is not in rhe car ) 1.6 lt motor is quite good in a car of this size would be happy to recommend this car to the old and young alike on price size economy looks space color . I am certain not all buyers are looking for super luxury or mind blowing performance . It slots in perfectly for small families or singles alike a simple straight forward no nonsense motor car so far our dealing with the service department at our local dealer has been pleasant and they carried out a small recall on the first service car was returned in less than an hour will continue to use suzuki for the services in the future. My wife has had 2 Toyota Rav4 prior to this car not disappoint in her change to Suzuki.