Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Hey, all,
GF is shopping for a new vehicle and she is really liking the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Keep in mind that this will not be our expo vehicle - that will continue to be my Taco. But she needs a DD that can get her around dependably in our (apparently) worsening winter weather, plus be good for the occasional wintertime trip up to Craig (she's got family up there.) She is also an avid fly fisher and a member of the Colorado Women's Flyfishers, so she needs something that will get her up to fly fishing country. She is not a "hardcore" 4-wheeler and this vehicle will almost certainly not be used for rock-crawling or serious 4-wheeling (again, we have the Tacoma for that.)
Things we like about the GV: It is a real SUV with an inline-mounted engine (as opposed to a car-based crossover with a transverse mounted engine.) Despite this it is low enough for her to get in and out of it comfortably. Handling is pretty good for such a vehicle, certainly we didn't feel it was in danger of rollover. It does have electronic stability control (which she likes) but it can be disabled with a button (which I like.) Really like the fact that it is full-time 4wd with a low range and a "lock" mode. Kind of makes me think of it as a mini-land cruiser!
MPG seems to be decent although not spectacular, for such a vehicle (the 2006 we looked at is rated 19/23 with an auto which is slightly better than my Taco.) We both love the look of it, too. Warranty seems to be pretty decent at 36k bumper to bumper and then a 100k engine/powertrain (better than my Taco which is 60k.)
Things we don't like: GF doesn't like the side opening door (although I do - it keeps the spare tire from taking up cargo space.) Interior space is rather small because of the way the seats fold (they don't fold flat, which is a shame.)
Other vehicles we've driven include the Subaru Forester (which we liked,) the Honda CR-V (which we didn't), the Mitsubishi Outlander (liked it), the Ford Escape (didn't like it) and the two Korean vehicles in this class, the Kia Sportage and the Hyunday Tucson, neither of which impressed us much.
So, I'd be interested in hearing any input/experiences people have had with the new model of the Grand Vitara, or any other recent Suzuki experience.
GF is shopping for a new vehicle and she is really liking the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Keep in mind that this will not be our expo vehicle - that will continue to be my Taco. But she needs a DD that can get her around dependably in our (apparently) worsening winter weather, plus be good for the occasional wintertime trip up to Craig (she's got family up there.) She is also an avid fly fisher and a member of the Colorado Women's Flyfishers, so she needs something that will get her up to fly fishing country. She is not a "hardcore" 4-wheeler and this vehicle will almost certainly not be used for rock-crawling or serious 4-wheeling (again, we have the Tacoma for that.)
Things we like about the GV: It is a real SUV with an inline-mounted engine (as opposed to a car-based crossover with a transverse mounted engine.) Despite this it is low enough for her to get in and out of it comfortably. Handling is pretty good for such a vehicle, certainly we didn't feel it was in danger of rollover. It does have electronic stability control (which she likes) but it can be disabled with a button (which I like.) Really like the fact that it is full-time 4wd with a low range and a "lock" mode. Kind of makes me think of it as a mini-land cruiser!
MPG seems to be decent although not spectacular, for such a vehicle (the 2006 we looked at is rated 19/23 with an auto which is slightly better than my Taco.) We both love the look of it, too. Warranty seems to be pretty decent at 36k bumper to bumper and then a 100k engine/powertrain (better than my Taco which is 60k.) Things we don't like: GF doesn't like the side opening door (although I do - it keeps the spare tire from taking up cargo space.) Interior space is rather small because of the way the seats fold (they don't fold flat, which is a shame.)
Other vehicles we've driven include the Subaru Forester (which we liked,) the Honda CR-V (which we didn't), the Mitsubishi Outlander (liked it), the Ford Escape (didn't like it) and the two Korean vehicles in this class, the Kia Sportage and the Hyunday Tucson, neither of which impressed us much.
So, I'd be interested in hearing any input/experiences people have had with the new model of the Grand Vitara, or any other recent Suzuki experience.
