Suzuki Grand Vitara DDiS

Vitara's Grand prize

TrailerBoat's sister publication, the esteemed offroader's bible 4X4 Australia recently announced its annual awards for notable vehicles, and among the list was the Suzuki Grand Vitara DDiS.

It was Australia's first Japanese-manufactured diesel in the compact SUV category, winning the Best In Class 2008 prize from a strong field that included Nissan's X-Trail, Toyota's RAV4 and Honda's CR-V.

The judges - Justin Walker, Philip Lord and Allan Whiting - voted the Grand Vitara as this country's best compact SUV through value, off-road ability and a modern, fuel-efficient turbo-diesel engine.

"The addition of a modern, punchy turbo-diesel engine to Suzuki's Grand Vitara has been well worth the wait," said the judges.

"The result is a compact, tough 4X4 with genuine off-road ability…that works very well on and off-road, with impressive handling.

"With an asking price of $34,990, the Grand Vitara DDiS is value-packed. Add the excellent donk to the already impressive Grand Vitara standard gear list - six airbags, ABS, vehicle stability program and traction control, to mention a few - and you have a capable, well-built, proven compact 4X4," the judges said.

One highlight of the new Grand Vitara diesel worth noting is the combined fuel consumption figure (according to manufacturer's specifications based on ADR 81/01 test results) of 7.6lt/100km.

As an aside, it is a real shame the price of diesel fuel has blown out way above the price of unleaded. This column likes diesels and deliberately promotes them above petrol models for a very simple reason - they are far more fuel-efficient than petrol motors (and now much cleaner than diesels of old, with sulphur greatly reduced in fuel, the incorporation of particulate filters, and common rail fuel injection in a modern design).

So it is with disgust, that we diesel drivers now have to sit back and watch the price of diesel fuel continue to rise to the level it has with Governments sitting back, saying zip and letting it happen (gee, doesn't the price of the main transport fuel add to inflation?). The price of oil will always rise now that we're at peak oil, but how is it that diesel fuel is suddenly fetching premium prices? It was once a lot cheaper than petrol, which I'd always thought was due to it being the cheapest of all automotive fuels to refine - so much for that myth.

Whatever's going on, it doesn't seem right that an efficient engine like a diesel has a much bigger fuel price than its thirstier unleaded counterpart.

Back to the Suzuki Grand Vitara DDiS and a brief description of some of the salient points that swayed the 4X4 Australia judges, in particular the new engine combined with the vehicle's proven and enhanced off-road capabilities.

At the heart of the Grand Vitara is a 1.9lt turbo-charged engine with Direct Diesel injection System (DDiS). This four-cylinder with common rail injection, pumps out a maximum 95kW at 3750rpm with torque topping 300Nm at 2000rpm.

The engine runs through a five-speed manual transmission to a full-time 4WD mode (4H + 4H Lock + 4L Lock + N) and limited slip differential. Towing capacity is 1850kg for braked trailers and 750kg for unbraked rigs.

As 4X4 Australia judges noted, the Grand Vitara has an impressive standard list, including six airbags (dual front, side, and curtain), ABS brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC/ESP), and traction control.

All this, the judges noted, on top of a proven off-roader which Suzuki said has had its capabilities enhanced by the dual combination of added electronic traction and stability control systems (ETC and ESP) working together to reduce the risk of losing vehicle control on road, while providing extra grip for any off-road conditions.

» Click here for Carsales Network's launch review on the Subaru Grand Vitara Diesel

» Click here for further news & reviews on the Suzuki Grand Vitara