Test drive Suzuki Grand Vitara
Suzuki Grand Vitara leaves without an heir. The company says that the production of the model has not yet been discontinued and there will be enough cars until the end of the year. Nevertheless, the fate of the car is sealed. But the "Grand Vitara" is a really unique car. Exactly so, although talk about the legendary and off-road capabilities of this model brings a smile. Our Grand Vitara has firmly won the reputation of a family car and you often see women driving a crossover.
The current "Grand Vitara" was designed at a time when "Kashkaya" and "Tiguana" were not yet, and everyone remembered well what an SUV was. Therefore, the crossover with independent suspension is built on a frame, albeit integrated into the body, and is equipped with permanent all-wheel drive with a low gear.
The ribbed insert between the hood and the wing on the side, the curvature of the rear pillar turning into the lantern - in the appearance of the tightly knit Grand Vitara with puffy arches, you can find first-class design solutions. But for almost 10 years of production, the car has already become familiar, although the appearance of the crossover was updated twice. This is not to say that the chopped forms of the car have lost their relevance - just look at the new generation of the Vitara model, created in the same style.
Once inside, you understand that time has taken its toll. And the point is not in the hard plastic of the front panel with simple silver inserts and not in the lurid "wood", as if cut out of Soviet furniture. The push-button "radio station" looks like it immediately discourages the search for Bluetooth and USB, but in the maximum configuration it can be replaced with multimedia with a color screen. The devices are simple, but easy to read.
The point is in the fit, or rather in its features. The steering wheel is not adjustable for reach, unlike the vast majority of modern crossovers. Landing offers two options: curling your legs or extending your arms - and both are equally uncomfortable. In addition, the profile of the driver's seat is convenient only in appearance, and the pillow is rather short. Physical discomfort is mixed with psychological: with nostalgia you remember the chairs with adjustable lumbar support, massage, developed jointly with NASA, approved by the orthopedic association. As if all this did not exist.
But, probably, the review should be good: high seating position, thin glass and a large glass area. However, the wipers leave a dirty area next to the left pillar, creating a blind spot. The consumption of washer fluid in the thaw is close to the consumption of gasoline. To combat the film on the front, there is not enough pressure of the nozzles, the headlight washers turned out to be ineffective - they even had to stop to wipe the optics by hand, otherwise the car became blind.
The 2,4-liter engine with almost the same cylinder diameter and piston stroke spins up to operating speed quickly and willingly. Especially if you switch the middle-aged 4-speed "automatic" to sport. In normal mode, the automatic transmission is slow, stuttering, which is why the movement is ragged. At the same time, one gets the feeling that the motor for the crossover is rather weak, although the Grand Vitara cannot be called a heavy car - its mass is slightly larger or at the level of competitors.
In general, when driving a Grand Vitara, it seems that you are driving a more massive and dimensional car. This is partly due to sluggish steering responses, partly due to rather slippery winter tires, which made it necessary to brake earlier and harder. At the same time, the small dimensions of the crossover are just suitable for confident movement in the city traffic.
The 18-inch wheels installed on the car make the Grand Vitara's ride unnecessarily hard. The crossover shudders in pits and joints and for comfortable movement it needs wheels at least one size smaller and not so heavy. At the same time, at high speed, the car requires steering, and rolls in turns. It turns out that the Grand Vitara is comfortable when driving smoothly and slowly on a flat road. But was this car designed for? Indeed, thanks to the advanced transmission with permanent all-wheel drive, it can drive recklessly and thanks to the lowering row, in theory, it has an advantage over other crossovers.
In 4H mode, the thrust is not evenly distributed, but in favor of the rear wheels. This gives the Grand Vitara rear-wheel drive habits: on ice or snow crust, the car easily drives sideways. In the crossover segment, the Grand Vitara has the most advanced drivetrain. But to understand the modes of its operation is not as easy as it would seem.
In the default 4H mode, it is better not to move off the road - the Grand Vitara does not show special off-road talents and behaves like an ordinary crossover. The all-wheel drive system is not set up to deal with off-road, and in addition, the electronics are treacherously strangling the engine. So it doesn't take long. I press the giant button with the inscription ESP on the center console, but I don’t find understanding: stabilization is disabled only in 4HL. That is, to turn off the stabilization system, you must first lock the center differential. And this is not for long: after a speed of 30 km / h, the electronic leash will tighten again. You can radically get rid of the guardianship of the ESP-paranoid if you switch to a lower one with a center lock (4L LOCK). In this case, the directional stability system is turned off, and the traction control remains, slowing down the slipping wheels and thereby simulating wheel locks.
The center lock here is fair and distributes the thrust between the axles equally, and the lowered row, albeit with a small coefficient of 1,97, increases the traction capabilities of the Grand Vitara. It will not be superfluous to switch the automatic transmission to the "lowered" mode - this way it will remain in first gear. On the virgin snow, the car moves confidently, like a real SUV, but it copes with hanging with difficulty, at the level of most crossovers: the electronics either bites the wheels, then lets them spin. And this is an important skill - the suspension moves are small. In addition, the geometric cross-country ability, which is almost the best in the class, allows the car, without striking a bumper, crankcase protection and a muffler, to climb further than other SUVs. And getting out is not a fact, since stricter SUV laws are already in force in this territory. But the presence of a downshift is important when towing, when, for example, you need to pull someone's car out of a snowdrift or a trailer with an ATV out of the water.
Last year it was the best-selling Suzuki on the Russian market - more than 10 cars. The popularity of the Grand Vitara is easy to understand: a practical and roomy crossover. The salon is wide - three people can easily fit on the second row and there is where to load things and purchases. Due to the fact that the spare wheel is hung on the door, the loading height of the luggage compartment is small. And this is almost an SUV, although it is unlikely that most of its owners used the complex all-wheel drive transmission at 100%. Another competitive advantage was the price, but since 2015, the Grand Vitara has risen in price dramatically and even with the discounts announced by the automaker, it still costs decently.
With all the above advantages, the Suzuki Grand Vitara left an ambiguous impression. Every year, with each price increase, with the advent of more modern competitors, its shortcomings became more and more critical. In the case of the Land Rover Defender or Jeep Wrangler, miscalculations in ergonomics are surprisingly easy to put up with - they come complete with hardships and adventures. In the class of crossovers, comfort, small dimensions and modest fuel consumption, as well as options, are primarily important. A much more massive and popular segment dictates the same rules for everyone. Therefore, Suzuki decided to close the Grand Vitara project, become like everyone else and live by the rules. The new Vitara, despite the familiar features, is an ordinary crossover with a monocoque body and a transverse engine. And this more compact car is more likely to appeal to women.
Evgeny Bagdasarov
