Suzuki Vitara (88-00) - Review

Review by Parkers on 01 January 1988

Vitara is best viewed as a road car rather than an off-road workhorse. The five-door estates are fairly refined, especially V6 versions. Three-door cars are often 'loaded' with extras to mark them out as urban fashion statements.

2 out of 5

Other Suzuki reviews

2 out of 5

Summary

New price range:

£9,899 - £17,325

Used price range:

£193 - £837

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Nice V6 engines

Poor ride; tinny

Driving & Performance

Performance

3 out of 5
"Only a 1.6 8v unit was available when the Vitara was launched in 1988. Performance from this unit..."
Handling

1.5 out of 5
"Handling is how you'd expect from a 4x4 dating from the 1980s. Steering is slow and it can be hard..."

Comfort

Comfort

2 out of 5
"There are only two seats in the back of the three-door and they're quite difficult to access, as..."
Practicality

2.5 out of 5
"Three door has very limited luggage space and is really only suitable for couples, who can use the..."
Equipment

2 out of 5
"All models have switchable 4WD, tinted glass, electric mirrors, split rear seats. Power Pack SE..."
Behind the wheel

2 out of 5
"Driving position is upright and gives a good view of the road ahead. Scattered layout of the buttons..."

Costs

Running costs

3 out of 5
"Relatively cheap to run and insure; parts can be expensive."
Green credentials

0 out of 5

Safety & Reliability

Safety

1.5 out of 5
"Vitara is an old design and this shows on the safety and security front. No Euro NCAP crash test..."
Reliability

4 out of 5
"Generally reliable but can give problems if neglected; interiors wear badly."

Buying & Selling

Buying new

0 out of 5
Buying used

2.5 out of 5
"Although it's an elderly design, it does have with simple, fairly robust engineering; fully loaded..."
Selling

2.5 out of 5
"There should be no problems, providing it has been well looked after and it is well priced."