Suzuki Vitara review

The Suzuki Vitara is a name that’s been around for a long time, but over the years it’s morphed from a rough-and-ready mini off-roader into a smart little family SUV. It still retains plenty of that character, though, with a uniquely Suzuki approach to light weight and clever touches that distance it from the rest of its class and lend it a bit of desirability.

Eye-catching looks, a reasonably roomy interior and a well-earned reputation for reliability and longevity means the Vitara has plenty of feathers in its cap to begin with. That it’s available with optional four-wheel drive for a little genuine capability off-road is another plus point, and sets it aside from exclusively front-wheel drive rivals such as the Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, SEAT Arona and Citroen C3 Aircross.

In fact, the Vitara’s closest rival would seem to be the S-Cross, Suzuki’s other compact SUV, which trades a little style for a better engine lineup and greater practicality.

• Fancy something similar? Read our Suzuki S-Cross review
• The best small SUVs

Suzuki’s recently added a full hybrid model to join its existing mild hybrid ‘Boosterjet’ unit. This makes for quite a simple lineup – if you want a manual gearbox, you can have the Boosterjet, and if you need an automatic you’ll get the hybrid. Both are available with four-wheel drive.

Straightforward trim levels make picking a Vitara even easier, and equipment levels are generous throughout with all cars getting lots of safety equipment as standard.

But the Vitara falls down in a few key areas that will give it a hard task competing against its mostly European rivals. Apparent quality in the interior, performance on the road rather than off it and the strength of its hybrid system are all factors at play here.

Over the next few pages we’ll go into detail on the Vitara’s practicality, interior, running costs and engines – we’ll even bring you our thoughts on spending six months with one as a daily driver.