2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara Road Test
August 17, 2006 by Alborz Fallah
2006 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA ROAD TEST
Test Model: Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0L 5 Door with five speed manual transmission.
Options Fitted: None
Recommended Retail Price: $28,990
On Road Price: $31,996
A stylish and competent member of the small to medium 4WD family with genuine off-road ability and one of the better buys in the class.
HOW IT GOES
I found the 2.0L powerplant struggled a little under acceleration, particularly when climbing hills and getting away from traffic lights. You really have to plant the accelerator to get the vehicle underway at times. However, I took the car for a short surfing trip down the South Coast of NSW and out on the highway, the 5 speed manual performed well enough even with a sizeable load on board. That being said, if you can stretch your budget $2000 further, you could have the 2.7L V6 which provides smooth power delivery with none of the shortcomings of the 2.0L power plant
HOW IT HANDLES
There’s no question that ride set up on the Vitara is firm and as a result, it corners with minimal body roll (I don’t like body roll in any vehicle) which was definite plus, as I wasn’t expecting such composure through the bends, almost car like. The steering provides good feedback and as such, is well weighted and quite direct. In other words, it goes where you point it. The test vehicle came with standard five-spoke steel wheels which to be honest don’t look too bad but, if you can afford an additional $1000, you get a set of five spoke alloys that will set the car off. I actually called the local Bob Jane T Mart and they couldn’t give me a set of alloys for the same sort of money.
OFF ROAD ABILITY
The Grand Vitara is a “proper” 4WD with high and low range gear ratios and has the ability to mix it up amongst some rough stuff out there in the wilderness. On the surf trip, we decided to take the Vitara down to a surf spot called Potholes near Ulladulla, for obvious reasons. Even though it was particularly muddy after some consistent rain throughout the week, it handled the 3km track with ease in standard all wheel drive mode, without having to switch to Low range, something I was eager to try. Switching from High to Low range is simply a matter of turning a well marked dial on the centre console. Too easy.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Finding a comfortable driving position is not hard in the Grand Vitara with a lever-type seat height adjustment on the diver’s side along with a welcomed driver’s footrest (all cars should have one). The dash is well set out and the switchgear is easy to read and simple to use. Front seats are comfortable with decent side bolster support (one of the first things I look at in a car) and the standard fabric is modern and stylish although, it’s anyone’s guess how it would stand up to food and drink spillages.
SPACE, STORAGE AND PRACTICALITY
I was surprised how much room there is in the Grand Vitara with ample space for 4-5 adults in comfort, even if they are on the tall side. You can’t really classify the Vitara as a compact vehicle, more medium sized. Front and rear passenger legroom is more than adequate with plenty of storage pockets, cup holders and bottle holders to keep everyone happy. For once, there’s a decent sized glove box which will accept additional items other than the owner’s manual.Also welcome is a roof mounted sunglass holder and no less than three 12V accessory sockets for phones, ipods and chargers etc.
The rear tailgate opens wide enough and is supported by a single strut but nonetheless, I found it a little awkward to open and had to push hard against the strut when opening fully (could be just me). I’ve already said that the load area is reasonable which can be expanded when the rear seats are folded in half to allow another 50% more room however, I would prefer a design that folds flat in to the floor. The full size spare wheel sits on the back of the tailgate and comes with an attractive Suzuki badged hard wheel cover which is standard kit on all spec levels.
INTERIOR COMFORT
You get all the usual so called luxury gear including; electric windows & mirrors, power steering (not a luxury in my book), remote central locking, Climate controlled air conditioning and a four speaker CD tuner (decent but no praise) as there are actually fake tweeter housings on the side window trim. On the way down the south coast I was looking for the cruise control and was amazed by its absence (should be standard kit these days). The interior looks modern and is highlighted by some brushed aluminium look highlights around the centre console and AC vents which set it off against some quality plastics.
SAFETY FEATURES
The Grand Vitara gets driver and passenger airbags, head impact protection structure (as Suzuki calls it), ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution as standard features. (remember that the real benefit of ABS brakes is the ability to not only avoid skidding into another car under heaving braking but being able to steer the car around an object while under brakes)!
The Vitara also comes with three-point ELR with height adjusters with pre-tensioners and force limiting front seatbelts (the standard these days) with rear passengers held fast by three-point ELR seatbelts.
Although I have no problem with the way this vehicle stops, I was a little disappointed to see drum brakes on the rear as most of the newcomers in this class are using disc brakes back there.
COST OF OWNERSHIP
With a retail price of $28,990 the Grand Vitara 2.0L with manual transmission represents excellent value for money amongst rivals from Honda, Subaru, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Ford. The resale value on the Suzuki may not be as high as those from Honda, Subaru or Toyota but rest assured, Suzuki are building quality cars these days with models such as the Swift selling in big numbers throughout the world.
What I’m not so sure of, is the fuel consumption on this model Vitara. Suzuki quotes combined city and highway driving consumption at 9.2L/100kms but given that you need to push this engine a fair bit around suburbia, I suspect that this figure would be more like 10L/100kms.
COLOURS
The colour choice is excellent and includes: White Pearl (my pick), Azure Grey Pearl, Bluish Black Pearl, Clear Beige Metallic, Graphite Grey Pearl Metallic and Silky Silver Metallic.
Just Released “Prestige”
Suzuki has added a “Prestige” model to the Grand Vitara range and with a retail price of $36,990 is exactly $3,000 more than the 2.7L V6 Auto with alloy wheels. The good news is that the heap of additional features with the “Prestige” include; Keyless start, Cruise control (yes!), In-dash 6 stacker CD with MP3 function and 7 speakers (including tweeters and subwoofers) linked to speed sensing volume control.
There’s more; 3-spoke leather steering wheel, full leather seats and door trim, more silver highlights and a wood printed shift knob.
There’s still more; Front fog lamps, 17 inch alloy wheels (yes, yes, and the spare) and Side & Curtain SRS airbags.
Go find the extra $3,000 as these features on their own, would run at least $6,000-$8,000. That said some of the stuff such as cruise control and speed sensing volume control should come standard in this day and age.
Summing up
The new Grand Vitara is great value for money with attractive styling and more than enough space for a family of four to five. However do yourself a favour, buy the 2.7 V6 and you’ll have no complaints.
By Anthony Crawford
Print it: 
DO NOT BUY CURRENT SUZUKI GRAND VITARA IT IS A LEMON.
I have a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara V6 Manual and have been having issues with it since new, Suzuki are very slow to resolve the problem and take much notice of compaints. The problem I am having is on start up the engine idle revs extremely high (around 3200 – 3500 RPM) and then hunts up and down until the engine has warmed. This usually takes around 30 seconds before it settles down but in the meantime everyone in a carpark is looking at you like you are deranged or sadly lacking in any driving skills becasue of excessive noise the revving engine makes.
Why is it that if it was a cd player that i purchased and it was found to have a fault, i would have no trouble getting it replaced or refunded. however with a car. no one wants to know and I get stuck with a lemon and told that I have to deal with it until Suzuki find a solution for it. Month after month goes by and me customer has to put up with the problem with no indication of how long it will take to find a solution, if they can provide one at all.
A few setting changes here and there time and again, no result. Lets not take this seriously and leave the customer upset and stuck with a vehicle that does not perform as it should.
As for customer service, it does not exist with these people. I have to continuously chase them to find out what is happening and try to get something done about it.
I would never buy another Suzuki or recomend one to anyone.
I wish someone could find a solution for me, it seems Suzuki will not.
Signed: Owner of a lemon.
Hey.
Just wondering if the Vitara has ESP (Electronic Stabalization Program) because on some websites it says it does and on others it says it doesnt
Cheers
Hey Derek,
I liked your parking lot comments. I have the same vehicle, we got it just before Christmas. The revving is wicked and I have been told Suzuki knows about it and a solution is forth coming. I live in a colder climate and it seems to be related to cold weather for me.
Cheers.
Hi everyone,
I would like to know if any of you Suzuki owners had any problem with your car ‘aqua planing’? I have had recently one of those, which was very scary, even though I didn’t speed and drove only 38kms. Some people told me that Suzuki’s tend to aqua plane. What about you lot.
Waiting for a reply Lesia x
Hey Derek,
I have a 2006 with the manual trans also, same problem, idle has a hissy fit on start up, i know the looks you get,,The car has been in for service 3 times, with no fix yet,,the “Suzuki tech” was brought in this last time and they must be stumped, the car is still in the shop 2weeks now,,im pretty fed up,but i gotta say the vehicle is hoot to drive, barring the occasional fits,,
does the grand vitara prestige come with the 10.2 inch dvd player?? or is it extra??
Just bought a Grand Vitara albeit a 4cly, Lovely car. Couldnt warrent the extra $ for higher fuel consumption rego etc etc of the V6. anyhow Your high idle faults you describe would indicate a fault with the cars COLD IDLE setting in the ECM (computer) or perhaps a fault with the coolant temp sensor. Cant imagine why your suzuki tech’s couldnt work that out. They should be able to re-flash your ecm memory or replace the ecm, both should be covered by your warranty. If you have no luck dealing with service staff, then go to the dealer principle. If still no satisfaction then approach suzuki australia and explain the situation.
I have a 2003 Grand Vitara and it has a loud knock that is felt through the accelerator pedal when driving over the smallest of bumps. I have taken it to a Pedders specialists thinking it is a shock or springs problem, but no fault found, then to Ultra tune and no fault found, then a 4wd specialist and no fault found. All mechanics expeienced what I have experienced but cannot find the fault. It only occurs on the drivers side, will not occurr if its raining, and more prominent on hot days. It is drivng me nuts, can anyone help me, could it have something to do with the ABS brakes???. Please help.
I have a Dark Maroon 2006 Grand Vitara with 5speed Manual and V6 187hp. I opted for basic model for $18,900 with upgraded hot looking 18″ wheels and wheel cover on the back spare tire that matches the color of the car. Just no Suzuki logo on it… :( ….. but still a sharp looking car. Good Torque, fairly responsive acceleration, handles well, is fairly quiet except it revs too high when going 70mph on highway in 5th gear it revs at 3000rpm ? That’s kind of odd for a 6 cylinder? Why does it rev so damne high while going down the highway? I like the read out for mpg and outside temp and time while you’re driving. Fan on air runs super fast and cold, plenty of cup holders. No problems with CD player, I might opt for hookup to Satellite ready radio soon. Had problems with switches on power door lock power window on passenger side, problems with passenger seat a sensor was sticking up out of the seat when new, problems with 2nd gear on gear shifter transmission they had to replace the synchro, all covered under warranty no charge !!!!!. Other than that, now the car is great. Suzuki has taken care of all my problems and gave me 4 free oil changes and another 9 oil changes at only $9.95 each. So far I have 16,000 on the odometer. I keep it clean, not a scratch on it, now that it’s broken in, looks and performs great. I’m taking it easy on the gas/brakes/trans, I hope to have this car and hope to be happy with it for many many years to come. I understand this is the choice vehicle most people drive down in Puerto Rico. These little Suzuki’s have a good reputation for holding up in the stifling heat and humidity down there according to my friend at work he’s from Puerto Rico and he says they’re very reliable cars, he says these cars rarely break down and they last forever, cooling system is great, they almost never overheat. That’s good to know.
Suzuki is one of the best looking small SUVs out on the road. Suzuki did thier homework. I bought it because of the style and the way it looks, it’s a very attractive looking SUV. Mine’s a 2006. Very comfortable, reliable, user friendly, room for five, love those headrests and rear seats that fold up and out of the way, very versatile. storage compartments and cupholders everywhere plenty of 12v outlets for cell phones and laptops. Satellite Ready Radio, CD player works great and discovered the button on the dash that allows you to skip to the next track on the CD is also the button to fast forward the song if you hold the button down it also allows you to fast foward the song, somebody was complaining in an earlier post that the CD player has no such feature, they were wrong, it does have fast forward ability, just have to know how to use it. AC has a nice feature to get you cooled off in a hurry just set the temp switch all the way to left in the blue cold setting, depress the A/C button and the green light AC ON button will illuminate, then push “auto” on the vent setting and turn the fan speed setting to “Auto”, you’ll be blasted by hurricane force AC that will cool you off in no time at all. Over all it’s a very good car with lots of nice creature comforts. Just wish it had a compartment for change on the dash. I have to keep a paper coffee cup from work in one of the cup holders for change on the parkway – this is my only complaint. Other than that, I love this vehicle.
The heating/AC system is the best I’ve ever experience of any car. Wiper stalk has a dial on it that let’s you adjust the speed of the intermittent wiper speed which is a nice feature to have for those days when you’re driving in a light mist. Auto lights feature allows you to set the lights to Automatic mode where you never ever have to worry about turning on or off the lights, just leave it in auto and forget about it.
No problems with my car running fast in idle after starting it up, no problems with CD Player either.
Had problems with door switches, seats, transmission all taken care of by warranty. Seems like Derek needs to bring his Suzuki to another dealership that knows how to fix his problems. Sometimes you get a dealer that doesn’t care or has incompetent techs. Find a dealer that can fix problem especially if it’s still under warranty sounds like a cold idle problem on the ecm on the 4cylinder model only. Should have gotten a 6, they don’t have that issue. Mines a 6 cylnder, it runs super quiet, super smooth, quiet on start ups more power too. Eats gas average 23mpg on highway even with cruise control on.
Hi
I want to change the rims on my ‘02 grand vitara as the originals look like they are off a morris. Can you fit a bigger wheel, including some decent tread, without going as far a a lift kit???
cheers
I have a 06 grand vitara about 30,000 and just noticed a loud knock in the motor. Just wondering if anyone else had the same problem.???
2007 grand vitara 6cyl auto 15,000 kms my mechanic says change oil regularly 10,000 km because of small pick up to lube motor. dont let it get like varnish. i too have high rev at startup but not excessive.good run so far pulling caravan no problem.Love the air con.
I like the new Suzuki Vitara but the 3 door is cheap but nasty and id by the V6!
I have a 2006 V6 2.7 manual with 36000k I have had two major issues -
1. driving through left right left bends (such as roundabouts) with less than 1/4 fuel in tank, the computer shuts down engine to idle (throttle does not do anything) then check engine light comes on. (dealer said nothing wrong) There was no error fault in computer????
2.I had trailer on, It was slightly uphill so I tried to put it in 4wd low. It would not engage! (ALL drive is disengaged!) I had to take trailer off and push/rock vehicle until computer engaged 4wd!
NEVER try to change to LOW range unless you are STOPPED! WHEELS STRAIGHT! and in NEUTRAL! otherwise you can get STUCK with NO DRIVE!!!
I am looking at getting a Grand Vitara Prestige.
Does anyone know if Suzuki has sorted out the cold start/idle issue? Did it affect Auto’s or just manuals?
Other than that from peoples comments the car seems excellent value for money!
have a v6 grand vitara late 2006 45000klms auto
the reving @ start up is a temperature related problem, mine will on a cold witners morning rev up to 2000rpm or so when stone cold. ( can’t imagine this really helps the life of the bearings in the engine).
but in spring/summer no problem.
as for aquaplaning, the standard tyres are pretty ave, so when they wore out i replaced them with coopers,
straight away there was a sizable drop in tyre noise and the grip levels in big downpours were nuch better, ( the geolanders are pretty much a car tyre, the coopers have much bigger blocks and deeper tread but are still quieter.
when i pick up low range the trick is to stop and flick it to neutral in the automatic trans then turn the dail to low range and you will hear it go in then put it back in drive and continue on.
My 2006 1.9dds has a problem in cold weather, 2nd gear is hard to engage the first few attempts. Has anyone experienced this anoying problem?
I have a 2.7l V6 Grand Vitara and just experienced a problem with the cd player. Took it to Suzuki, apparently it has happened to other people as well. The mechanism that ejects the cd is stuffed. 35,000km’s on the clock, that’s about the only problem I have experienced thus far. I wish it had cruise control as standard, auto-manual shift gearbox and bit of extra torque down low…Reliable but nothing out of the ordinary…
Does anyone know about converting an 06 vitara to gas?? Have called a few people, some say its ok but others say they wouldn’t recommend it. Just wondering if anyone has done it and if its working ok? Thanks
I have a 2006 2.7L V6 5spd manual, i havent had any issues with it to date. Have driven a 4000k round trip in comfort, and its brillaint offroad and is great fun on the beach, shamed a hilux driver when i rocked up with a snatch strap. I live in a very hot climate, and the car does rev to 2000 rpm when started but returns to 8-900RPM within 2-3 second which i think is relatively normal. I’ve had it in Perth in winter and it didnt change between climates. The car does pull 2700rpm at 110-120Ks on the highway, but power delivery is best at 3000rpm so overtaking is easy in fifth and great fun in fourth! Overtaking with my jetski (680kg) on the back presents no problems and have pulled the boat (1600kg) with no issues. Fuel economony is about 10L per 100K but that isnt my concern, i’d have bought a swift if it was. First suzuki i’ve bought and i would definately consider another.
anybody had a problem with pain bubbling and peering. my red 2006 3 door started doing this 5 months ago. suzuki say there is no factory pain protective coat on this colour. there is nothing on the suzuki website or in there warranty or manuals to say this. help
“2.I had trailer on, It was slightly uphill so I tried to put it in 4wd low. It would not engage! (ALL drive is disengaged!) I had to take trailer off and push/rock vehicle until computer engaged 4wd!
NEVER try to change to LOW range unless you are STOPPED! WHEELS STRAIGHT! and in NEUTRAL! otherwise you can get STUCK with NO DRIVE!!! ”
Jeesus what the bloody hell were you thinking? No wonder the computer locked you out. You might as well try changing into reverse on a Commodore. It’ll have the same effect if it goes into gear.
Low range is not for road use. Period. The only time I’ve ever used low range and it wasn’t off road was putting the 4wd onto a trailer.
I just bought a 2009 Grand Vitara. Am very happy with it except with the fuel economy. IT’s 12.5Km per 100L. Am still breaking it in with around 500km mileage. Hope the fuel economy improves after the 1000km range.
My 2006 Grand Vitara was almost perfect until 6 weeks ago when the CD player stopped working with 5 CD’s trapped inside. It would not allow me to eject any of them, or to load a 6th CD. The Suzuki garage had no idea & didnt even attempt to fix it – instead I was told it would have to be sent to the manufacturer who would charge US$200 for diagnostic testing!!!! Then goodness knows how much money to actually fix the problem! Today, I tried the CD player for the millionth time & it randomly started again – it ejected 4 out of the 5 CD’s. The final CD is still trapped, & the error message ‘Push Eject’ is displayed. The manual indicates this is a mechanical fault. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thankyou !