The name Vitara came to the automotive world exactly 30 years ago. It was then that Suzuki "caught the wind", realizing that the market is in dire need of a compact SUV with a passenger body. That's just our hero today can hardly be called a real SUV. But on the other hand, it can definitely be considered the last generation of Vitara to date, which has earned the love of many Russian motorists. Well, from love to hate...
There is a Russian trace in the history of Vitara: it is not for nothing that the VAZ museum keeps a prospectus with a photo of the novelty, presented to Pyotr Mikhailovich Prusov, the creator of our Field, with the inscription: "To the Godfather of our car." Some journalists agreed to the point that Prusov, they say, accused the Japanese of plagiarism. I'm sorry, I don't believe in such nonsense. Peter Mikhailovich knew perfectly well that, even from a design point of view, even from a technical point of view, there is nothing in common between the Field and the Vitara/Escudo/Sidekick, except for the idea of a light SUV with the comfort of a passenger car.
Suzuki Grand Vitara '1998–2005
Anyway, the car gained worldwide popularity, was produced in a great variety of variants and lasted on the assembly line for 10 years. In 1998, there was a generational change, and the word Grand appeared before the name Vitara.
Suzuki Grand Vitara '1998–2005
The life cycle of this model turned out to be somewhat shorter: firstly, the era of crossovers was coming, and against the background of competitors, the plug-in front axle and dependent rear suspension looked like a terrible anachronism, and secondly, the "bath soap style" (aka the "snowdrift" style) finally went out of fashion. In short, in 2005, the next generation was born, with a design that fully corresponds to the trends of the time. But there are certain discrepancies with its number: some have been counting since 1988 and the very first Vitara and consider it the third, others call it the second generation of the Grand Vitara model.
Suzuki Grand Vitara '2005–08
In fact, it doesn't really matter if it's the second or the third. It is important that the model has undergone truly revolutionary changes. From the point of view of design, the first two generations were traditional frame SUVs of the "universal" type with independent front and dependent rear suspension and all-wheel drive of the "part-time" type with a plug-in front axle. The third (or second) Grand Vitara received a permanent all-wheel drive with a downshift in the transfer case and a lockable center differential, the rear suspension became an independent multi-link, and the frame was integrated.
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The model was distinguished by a fairly wide range of engines: gasoline "fours" with a volume of 1.6 liters (106 hp), 2.0 liters (140 hp) and 2.4 liters (169 hp), a 3.2-liter V6 (233 hp) and a 1.9-liter diesel (officially not supplied in the Russian Federation, but there are such copies on the secondary market). They were paired with either five-speed mechanics, or four- or five-speed Aisin automatic transmissions.
To some extent, the car turned out to be in a unique niche created by himself. On the one hand, structurally it was a real SUV. At the same time, it differed from the majority of representatives of this class in its compactness, and therefore at a lower price. On the other hand, in terms of the overall architecture of the body, size, and ground clearance, the Grand Vitara competed mainly with crossovers, favorably differing from them in cross-country performance, reliability of permanent all-wheel drive and the absence of a clutch that tends to overheat in difficult road conditions.
As a result, from the very beginning of sales in Russia, the Grand Vitara became the main volume-forming model for the company in this market, and every year our fleet of these cars was replenished by 10-15 thousand units. This situation was undermined by the crisis and a sharp increase in the exchange rate: Suzuki never got its own assembly plant in Russia, and the successor of the hero of our story, the new Vitara, has not yet found its buyer, being at the very end of the sales rating. Last year, 3,492 such cars were sold, and the deputy general director of Suzuki Motor Rus, Takayuki Hasegawa, in an interview with our publication, considered this a serious achievement ... Nevertheless, the good old Grand Vitara not only remains quite a mass car, but also enjoys some popularity in the secondary market. So why do the owners love the Grand Vitara, and what causes their reasonable criticism?
Hate #5: "Modesty adorns?"
The Grand Vitara has a reputation for being a modest, utilitarian and unassuming car — a kind of workhorse. The model is not interested in either whistle and striped stick workers or hijackers. But the interior of the car is just as modest and utilitarian! The panel is made of hard plastic, and where there is hard plastic, "crickets" are readily started there. Not always, but they get started. Glove box and mirrors in visors - without illumination. The dashboard is simple to the point of archaism. There is an on-board computer, but its modes are switched using "stumps" directly on the dashboard, to access which you have to put your hand through the steering wheel. Accordingly, it is not recommended to do this on the go...
Torpedo Suzuki Grand Vitara '2012-present
The vast majority of copies sold in Russia do not have a media system with a touch screen as a class, but there is only a very ordinary tape recorder, and its sound is rated either as "disgusting" or, at best, as "none". The device does not have an input for a signal from an external source (although it can play MP3 from CDs). In general, many advise immediately after the purchase to throw out the regular "head" and speakers, if the previous owner did not do it. And this even applies to the execution of the "expensive version with a screen.".. However, if a familiar bear trampled on your ears for a long time as a child, and today you are used to listening to "news" radio stations like "Business FM" on the road, then the quality of "music" will not worry you.
Torpedo Suzuki Grand Vitara '2012-present
But the fact that the seat upholstery can be either black or black in combination with another black — this will definitely annoy you. All this Japanese austerity and minimalism does not seem too appropriate for a car that does not fit into the category of "absolutely budget".
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Love #5: "Don't be born beautiful, but be born happy..."
In fact, very few of the owners of the Grand Vitara assesses their car as "beautiful", but almost everyone speaks positively about its appearance.
Suzuki Grand Vitara '2012-present
Indeed, Suzuki designers managed to create an image "beyond time and space". A car born 13 years ago does not seem seriously outdated today. At the same time, the model is distinguished, so to speak, by a fantastic gender and age universalism. Behind the wheel of the Grand Vitara, a young mother with kids, a fan of some extreme sports, a manager in a business suit, and a pensioner with seedlings and fishing rods look equally organic.
Certain complaints were caused by the spare wheel hanging on the fifth door, and in 2010 it moved under the floor of the luggage compartment. By the way, not everyone liked it: it turned out that many liked just the "spare tire", located "like a real jeep".
In general, Suzuki designers have their own philosophy: "We don't care about the fashion trends of car design, we just make cars to move in space, and we do them perfectly!". And who doesn't like it — so the market is full of beautiful…
Hate #4: "And you, friends, no matter how you sit down..."
Ergonomics is a statistical science, so the workplace of a car is always best adapted to a person with a certain "average" figure. But people are all different… And a lot of Grand Vitara owners complain that the seats are rigid, that adjusting the steering column only by the angle of inclination does not allow you to choose the optimal position of the driver's seat: either the legs do not reach the pedals, or the steering wheel blocks the devices, and that on a long journey they experience fatigue after 4-5 hours behind the wheel.
Someone lacks the lower lateral support, which is why the right leg comes into contact with the hard edge of the center console - with what is colloquially called a "beard". The leg has to be kept in tension, which, as you know, does not increase comfort. Owners struggle with this problem in different ways: who puts a pad, who sticks foam rubber on the edge, but this does not solve the problem radically.
Torpedo Suzuki Grand Vitara '2012-present
An even greater inconvenience is caused by the "self-starting" driver's seat: the mechanism for fixing its vertical adjustment really has insufficient reliability, so that in three or four days the seat sinks to the lowest position, which, as you understand, is not necessary for everyone. And here, too, comes the time for technical creativity: who tightly brews the gear of the adjusting mechanism, who drills an additional hole and fixes the seat position with a bolt, who fixes the mechanism in the lower position, but raises the chair to the desired level with spacers.
But the rear seats have an adjustment of the backrest along the slope, which in principle makes the comfort level of the rear passengers acceptable. But many people consider the back sofa not too comfortable, but travel lovers complain that the scheme of transformation of the salon does not allow organizing a full-fledged sleeping place in it.