2008 Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel first steer
January 23, 2008 by Alborz Fallah
The diesel is powered by a 1.9-litre Direct Diesel injection System (DDiS) intercooled and turbocharged engine, which only puts out 95kW but makes a respectable 300Nm of torque from just 2000rpm.
For a car that weighs a tad over 1600kg, 95kW isn’t quite what one would hope for, but with the 300Nm of torque to back it up, the Grand Vitara is comfortable and easy to drive and any disappointment felt by the kW rating is quickly overcome by the 7.6L/100km fuel rating – no, that’s not a typo.
Despite the excellent fuel economy, 0-100km/h time is achieved in a respectable (for a car its size) 13.7 seconds and although there are faster diesel 4×4s out there, none of them start at $34,990.
My only concern with the car’s on-road ability was the five-speed manual gearbox – the only transmission available for the diesel. Although comfortable to use with an easy clutch, on a few occasions one of the test cars would struggle to get into gear.
We finally got to Mount Cotton’s 4WD testing facility and began our adventure around the track. The 4WD instructor was quick to point out that this was not a beginners track, insisting that fingers and thumbs could be dislocated if we didn’t follow his instructions.
***primo!****
Bur whos diesel engine is it>?
Cheers
F-0
Its a Renualt engine as I said in previous posts. Funnily enough Alborz doesn’t mention the noise. Which is a problem i’ve read about in other tests.
Whats with you and “Primo” F-0??
No Name, it wasn’t actually that noisy, of course it is only a first steer, wait till I write the full review.
gear problems – doesn’t sound promising! – all gears or just first?
For those of us considering diesel for our next car and some considering diesel for the very first time in their lives, i say it’s great to see more japanese car makers offering diesel’s in their range, “BUT” beware of some old out dated engines out their because it appears that some companies like Mitsubishi(in their new Pajero)are putting noisy and under powered diesels in these initial stages!!
In todays market a 2 litre diesel shouldn’t have much less than 340 Nm of torque and preferably more… anything less is insulting the intelligence of Australian consumers and should not be rewarded.
I eagerly await to see the full test drive of this Suzuki to see what category it falls into, but from some UK reviews that i’ve seen…..it doesn’t look promising.
I hope I’m wrong!
Oh! and fuel consumption in a vehicle of this size should be in the mid to high 6’s not 7’s and noise while always louder than petrol, shouldn’t be a factor in a “good” diesel.
I agree with Carl, this engine is a rather poor effort.
For near enough to the same price as this car, you can buy a Sorento diesel with a MUCH more modern engine, 125kw and 392nm. The Sorento is bigger and lacks curtains and uses a little more fuel.
The VW 2.0 diesel is now at 125kw and 350nm.
A real shame that this engine is quite old (read cheap for Suzuki to buy) and quite noisy (a la pajero).
But it will be a great little hauler and being understressed should last for ever. May well tolerate our poorer fuel much better than the thoroughbred diesels.
Alborz – are you going to slip up to Cape York during the week? I’d like to know if this baby will handle the OTL and Gunshot :) (I know, I know, it’s wet season and you probably couldn’t get there in an army duck)
Actually Carl consumption of mid 7’s in avehicle of this size is more than acceptable.
Its not a Golf or 307. Its a small to medium SUV wagon, 1600kg not 1300, with generally lower gearing and relatively poor aerodynamics due to its higher overall height.
Compared to the V6 manual with a quoted 10.8 l/100 and only 250Nm the numbers stack up reasonably well. Especially at $35K.
Sure the VWs may have more power and torque but then again they are yet to sell a diesel suv here for 35K either.
Dlr1, the VW diesel manages 6.7L in the square boxy Jeep patriot! Thats why i consider this Suzuki a tad thirsty.
Having said that it’s still better that a petrol version of simillar technology but not as good as the VW/Patriot in that regard and because there are so few diesel suv’s in this size we have to compare them with what competition there is.
Dlr1, I can’t follow your logic at all “Sure the VWs may have more power and torque but then again they are yet to sell a diesel suv here for 35K either.” –
Exactly how does the fact that you can’t buy a VW SUV in the $35000 price bracket excuse the relatively poor output of the Suzi diesel?
But as I said above, the fuel you get at Bramwell Station may easily kill a thoroughbred diesel like the VW or the Audi VW variants, whereas the “old” suzi engine might just munch away at it, thinking FarNQ, this fuel is crap, and keep plugging on regardless.
All i am saying is that diesel engines have and are improving in leaps and bounds in the past decade and we shouldn’t put up with using old engines in a new model because even if the engine is only a few years old it will be very out dated compared with the current ones.
As far as the better diesels having problems with our fuel i haven’t heard of any problems with VW,Merc,BMW,or peugeot diesel cars… if any thing they all come across as pretty reliable engines if not bullet proof!
Reckless1, my point is compare apples with apples. Compared to the VW 1.9TDi (77kw/250Nm) it stacks up well. Why does VW persist in selling this? Price. Its 4500 less than the 2.0TDi.
Suzuki probably feels that most customers would be happy with the lower price and mid range power or maybe their drive train in incapable of handling 340-360 Nm?
The Suzuki is still the only small/medium wagon with decent off road credentials. Its other Diesel competitors (Santa Fe, Patriot ect) are very much on road baised.
As for the much anticipated Golf based SUV… we wait with interest for its arrival… and price!
Isn’s Jeep Patriot or Compass Diesel the better choice? Comes with VW-sourced 2.0 TDI, which many people say very impressive…but let down by poor interior.
I wonder how reliable Jeep compact-SUVs are? I heard of many stories complaining about their Jeeps breaking down…
Kingpin, i drove one recently because i’m in the market for exactly that type of vehicle and personally like the look of the Patriot very much, not the Compass though i think the Compass is too ugly but thats a personal choice.
What i found was an impressive engine with a very sticky clutch so much so that i stalled the engine quite a few times, but i can learn to live with that, the Patriot drives very much like a car and the only reason i haven’t commited to buying one is the build quality, the one i drove had a very loud squeek in the aircon. fan and it was brand new!!
it’s the opposite with Subaru they have beautifully built cars that in my personal opinion are butt ugly… so i’m still looking!
I wonder how’s the build quality of the Grand Vitara Diesel…
If Subaru were to make a Forrester/Outback with turbo and intercooled flat 4 diesel…that would be a winner =)
Although they would need to improve the look a bit.
the jeep patriot is a pile of rubbish. It may have a decent engine but it is terribly built and near enough to useless on anything other then sealed roads. The suzuki can atleast go on the beach and down a few rutted tracks.
but yeah i think the kia sorrento diesel is definetly a better buy, i drove one recently and was massively impressed! Yeah its not as good as a prado for example, but for the price its absolutely unbeatable
Reckless – Why should there be a problem with one particular fuel stations fuel, surely its all to whatever Australain standard.
In the Uk we have “red Diesel” for use in Tractrs and Boats. Its untaxed but the quality is the same. It only has a dye in to differentiate it from taxed derv.
I for one am surprised about the lack of noise this engine makes considering the number of UK test commenting on it. Time will tell.
I’d prefer this to the Patriot, thats just a squre block on wheels with a VW engine stuck in it. Not Stylish
Im keen to know if the Diesel Suzuki performs well with 4 people inside (family) and boot full of gear? Is there ample “grunt” in the motor to drive long distances (eg Sydney to Darwin)? Im looking for a medium SUV and hear lots of positive things about Suzuki but not sure – thanks
Spiz wait a few weeks and Ill let you know!
OK thanks – im also keen to learn about the car’s comparison to Toyota Rav4 (in all fields) – i.e. Which one to buy? Regards
Dir1:
“The Suzuki is still the only small/medium wagon with decent off road credentials. Its other Diesel competitors (Santa Fe, Patriot ect) are very much on road baised.”
You need to research your facts Dir1 ! Although the Santa Fe CRD may be road biased, it certainly has shown it’s off road credentials against the Suzuki and all new 4WD in 2007. Respected Overlander Magazine (Aust’s oldest 4wd mag) rated it 4th only behind Prado, Pajero & Tourage and ahead of Merc, Triton & Commander. Some judges rated it their #1 choice. The only non-low range 4wd ever to have made their grade! A head to head with a petrol Suzuki in 2007 (I think Carsguide?) saw the Santa Fe on top.
Agreed low range is preferable for the very serious off roader, but for 90% of 4wd Mums&Dads, the Santa Fe with its superior torque 343nm, economy 7.3l combined (4.6l proven capable – Hans Thulstrup) and bigger dimensions, blows the Suzi out of the water, and yes road biased!!!
Put a Santa Fe, Sorrento, or as Carl suggested VW diesel in the Suzi and they’ll be on a winner. No chance otherwise. They could have done alot better.
Alborz – I Noticed the below info through a UK website regarding the Suzuki GV 1.9 Diesel – Can it be asked / checked with Suzuki when undertaking the Full Review?? They sound like serious failings but hopefully have been rectified in the diesel model being sent to AUS – Thanks
“”Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 Diesel: RISK OF FIRE
It has been identified that due to an improper design of the intercooler inlet hose, there is a possibility that the air/fuel mixture ratio may be incorrect within the diesel particulate filter assembly. This in the worst case may cause the diesel particulate filter to ignite.
Recalled vehicles will be fitted with a modified intercooler hose.
Vehicle’s VIM affected:
JSAJTD44V00102735 to JSAJTD44V00218932
Reference: R/2007/084
Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 Diesel: WIRING HARNESS MAY CHAFE RESULTING IN POSSIBLE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER
It has been identified that, due to improper insulation of a branch of the engine wiring harness. The possibility exists that the harness can chafe on the cam cover securing bolt, and sustain damage. Should this occur, a possible sudden loss of engine power might ensue.
Subject vehicles will have the engine wiring harness inspected, and repaired as necessary, before being fitted with a protective cover.
Vehicle’s VIM affected:
JSAJTD44V00103047 to JSAJTD44V00211187
Reference: R/2007/102
Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 Diesel: RISK OF FIRE
It has been identified that the intercooler has been improperly designed. This may allow the intercooler to come apart in use, causing an improper mixture ratio of air/fuel in the diesel particulate filter. In the worst case, the particulate filter may ignite.
Recalled vehicles will be fitted with an engine intercooler attachment assembly “”
i am very interested in the diesel grand vitara , but i want to tow a1400kg campertrailer and i am concerned wether it will tow that weight reliably?
Australian cars have VIN’s that fall after the VIN’s listed above so there should be no problem. I’ve driven it and think the power is fine and noise very acceptable. For $34,990 it’s gotta be great value.
Car seems good and very well priced.
Question: Excluding fuel efficiency & the obvious benefits to the engine of running Diesel; How does the Diesel Grand Vitara perform against the 2.7L V6 model?? Im keen to hear views on Performance, Cruising, Take Off and general day to day city driving.
I’m driving one from south of Adelaide to Kapunda tomorrow, about 2 hours each way and a mix of city and country driving. I’ll post some results after that.
I’m really keen to hear more feedback on this car from people OTHER than dealer staff. I am booked in to test drive one in Bathurst on Tuesday (5th Feb?) and am very keen on the diesel for a number of reasons, namely:
We do 60000-80000km per year; With a young family we need a wagon; We live on an unsealed road with heaps of snow and ice in Winter (hence need for AWD as a minimum); We tow reasonably regularly, but not massive loads; Surrounded by thousands of acres of NSW State Forests, we’re keen to do a bit more exploring; and I’m a safety freak (worked with CrashLab and ANCAP for a while) so I want a decent active and passive safety package.
We have been Subaru and Honda owners up until now. The Japanese build quality of the GV has great appeal, as we’re happy with the Subes and Hondas we’ve had. I will be waiting to test drive the new Forester (March 08) before I sign on the dotted line for a GV Diesel, but given the likely pricing on the Sube I think the GV might stack up on the numbers, given the better mileage we’ll get with the oil burner.
Are there any CURRENT owners of petrol GV’s with opinions about the ergonomics of the current model? How easy is the car to live with? It’s a strange fact, but the GV weighs in at about 200kg more than a Subaru Outback, so does it sometimes feel a bit sluggish when driving in traffic?What’s the visibility like when parking, and will the seat height adjustment keep my small-built wife happy?
I’ll be going over the car with a fine tooth comb on the test drive, but there’s nothing like living with a car
long-term to get to know all it’s quirks and tricks.
Cheers!
The car has been out for 2 days offically, good luck finding any current owners.
Yeah, thanks for that scoop Gus…I actually asked if there were any current owners of P-E-T-R-O-L powered GV’s with opinions on other aspects of the car other than the engine…
Yes, did happen to notice that about a millisecond after hitting the enter button…..
LOL, no probs Gus.
Drove the diesel today. What a great little package. Took it on the compulsory test-drive lap of Mt Panorama, where it hauled up the hill (including the notoriously steep section called ‘The Cutting’) in 4th gear at about 65km/h with the cruise control on. Not even a suggestion of the engine labouring, which impressed me.
I also played around with the 4H/4H-Lock/4L-Lock settings a bit, on some wet gravel and grass. The ESP disable function didn’t seem to do anything, as it wouldn’t disable in either high range setting, and wouldn’t allow me to enable it in low range!
There are two key areas I think the car falls down, being the lack of a 6th gear for highway cruising, and the rear drum brakes. It’s 2008, and every man and his dog has these two features in new cars today.
The engine would easily handle a really tall 6th, allowing it to trundle along at 1900 to 2100 rpm when travelling within 5 or 10 kms either side of 100km/h. As it is, in 5th it’s going to be revving well over it’s peak torque area of 2000 rpm on the highway. Given that our car will do 60km per day of highway k’s, I’d like the extra cog.
The ergonomics are good, I like the legroom and headroom in the back. It’s far more user-freindly than an Outback or similar in the back seat, passengers sit up high but comfortably, and the footwells are huge. Middle back seat cushioning is really hard, but it’s a last-use seat anyway I guess. Only thing that I didn’t immediately like was the rear head restraints. They MUST be up when the seat is in use. I guess they have been designed like that to allow the seats to be folded forward, so it’s only a small thing. These are the sorts of things I would like to hear more about from existing owners of PETROL models (Gus!), as they are really no different to the models which have been out there for 18 months or so.
I’d love to take one out and get it really dirty, but that won’t happen on a standard test drive…
Cheers,
Matt.
I’m getting quite interested in this car. I’ve already found a mod chip that claims to improve this engines output to 112kw and 354nm. Probably just needs a tweak because of emissions tuning.
I don’t know why anyone would bother to try a standard one offroad though, should put some lift (2″) on first with some better tyres. Most 4wd’s come ’shopping trolley’ spec from factory and its not a good representation of their potential.
This might be the first car worthy to replace my older GV.
Auto would be nice though.
I thought the same thing about the off-road ability Joe Dirt, when looking at the standard 17-inch, lower profile tyres.
Depending where you’re trying to go, I think if you put a set of the 16 inch rims on it with some decent bush tyres, it’d go OK in the rough stuff if it were driven correctly.
Where did you find info about the chips to up the power and torque?
Took the Grand Vitara for a test drive, we drove the CRV, Pajero long wheel base, Compass and the CX-7. Had difficulty with stalling the compass and it feels like a very small car inside. The Pajero feels sluggish in the auto and I have never been in a car that changes gear as often as the CX-7 The Grand vitara is a very comfortable car, and 1st gear is a little low but once the car gets into 2nd and above it goes quite well. The dash seems well laid out and simple to use. The noise level is about the same as the V6 petrol version it just depends on how hard you try to go. It was very comfortable on the road and cruised along well, it also felt ok for overtaking at 100 which was a concer. Nothing like trying to overtake with no power. I am just concerned about the service intervals, I found one website in Europe which mentioned 20,000km which is ok (I work for an oil company and provided the oil is designed for this interval it is all good) but the guy at the dealership said it may be 5000km. Any ideas on the cost to service these things?
Shark, diesel-power.com. German manufactured, but there is an office in Queensland that supplies them. The ‘configurator’ link under ‘power’ lists the 1.9DDIS 95kw engine for Suzuki as I think its been used in other models for a while.
I actually drove one today and it is very soggy at low revs, especially 1st gear feels like an STi off boost before a quick surge and into 2nd. I think the chip would tidy that up. Overall the acceleration did surprise me, not far off a V6 I’d say.
I’m not sure what to do now, I might wait a little longer to see if they do an auto. I would however swap the 17’s with 16’s as part of the deal.
Peter, I believe the service interval is 15000kms, I would definately do the interim oil change at 7500kms though.
So far I’ve learned that its not good to idle for long periods and the engine needs to be taken for a good run to keep it clean and reduce servicing requirements. I guess thats a common diesel thing.
Thanks Joe. I noticed the same thing with the low-revs power surge in 1st and 2nd. Picks up nicely once it’s wound up though.
Also, with the rims, there are optional 16″ alloys listed on the Suzuki website, but I reckon any dealer who sells a few of these vehicles would rip the standard rims off a 2.0 petrol model and swap them! I’d probably buy a 2nd set though, and keep them purely for the bush. We do 60-80km return of highway every day, so the 17’s with low road noise tyres would be good for that.
Our highway mileage is also another plus for the diesel – Lets the motor run hot enough for long enough to burn all the crap out. I’d be happy with the 15000km service, would probably CHECK the oil every 7500, but unless it needs it (given our regular high kms) I probably won’t change it.
Gotta get me one of these things!
What do you guys think of the Ssangyong Actyon Hatchback diesel against these? You can get it in auto, which I like. Also you can but it pretty cheap as well – OK the brand is weak, but is that just the brand, are they getting better?
I also like the look of it – although it is a polarising look. Cheers
Steve,
We looked seriously at the Actyon twin cab – until the kids noticed no cupholders. Sounds a joke, but you do get used to having them, and it’s not showstopper in it’s own right, but the Actyon does lack generally in interior storage. Just a small consideration – if that sort of thing is important to you as a buyer.
We didn’t rule it out completely, but have also delayed any purchase for a number of other reasons.
Hi guys.
It took me a while to read all of the above. I am the owner of a GV 2.7 manual, I was the best car I ever had till I found out it can hold only 85 kgs down ball weight.
It is advertise with a towing of 1850 kgs. For what I understand the law in this country (australia) the DBW must be about 10% of the towing weight. Acording to this Suzuki is misleading buyers. I was thinking in buying an small caravan or camper trailer and the minimum DBW Igot is
110 kgs. I ask a 4wd mechanics if anything can be than to improve that. The anwer was “sorry, nothing can be than.
I ask a suzuki dealer if there is any change on the new diesel, the answer was NO.
Now I am looking for something similar (nothing with low gear) other than the Action sport or Kyron. I am looking at the Sorento, X-Trail, or the Navara D22.
I hope this will help you Peter and the others looking for the GV. It is an excelent car and it will take you anywhere.
On 25th Jan. Alborz says to Spiz wait a few weeks and I’ll let you know, its now Sept. 13th and I’m still waiting
Also, The 2009 GV brochure shows the diesel and the V6 at 2000kg towing capacity, so something has changed. The Manual 4-pot stays at 1850, and the Auto 4-pot gets 1700. I’ll ask the dealer for clarification on DBW.
Mike.
Mike.
I check already . The DBW is 85 kgs across the range, T he changes are only in the engine, is a new one pf 2.4 lts, with more power and better fuel comsumption. Even the top “prestige” with 3 lts engine is only for 85 kgs.
We recently purchased the 2008 diesel Vitara and noticed that in low revs and in second gear that the car sounds as though it is labouring. We notice this particularly when going around turning circles or in shopping centres. It really is annoying as 1st is too high and 2nd seems to be too long, so to speak. Has anyone else noticed something along these lines? I test drove the 2009 model recently and it was really smooth – Please can i have feeback on this as i have brought this up with the dealer who feels that this may just be the norm for a 2008 model????
We also find that second and in particular third gear shifts can feel unconfortable ( almost as though the syncro’s are not lining up )
We are not averaging anything close to the advertised fuel consumption either. Cant feel that we have made the best decision to say the least.
Hoping someone can make the purchase feel a bit more comfortable.
Cheers Guys
Never mind the Tech talk re gearing etc., the car is what you make of it except you do beleive some element of truth in the advertising.
The GV by Suzuki Owners manual can only safely tow 850Kg.
“Warning re Safety & Stability – BALL WEIGHT SHOULD BE 10% OF TRAILER GVM.”
Max Ball Weight 85Kg. therefore Max safe towed load 850Kg.
I Class 2000Kg as false & Misleading.
The factory tow hitch on my diesel Vitara states 80kg vertical load, 200kg total load on the ball. HAVEN’T YOU GUYS HEARD OF LOAD DISTRIBUTION HITCHES????? Up to 200kg can go on the ball, as long as 120 is transferred to the front wheels by means of a load transfer device.