[AyAn!]

I've always been fond of the way this car looks. It has that chunkiness in character that befits a compact SUV, reflecting a matured Jimny in many ways. But wish it performed the way it looks though!

[suhaas307]

^^ Ayan, it may not have raw power / torque, but it's a great little performer I'm told. Never had the privilege of driving one, unfortunately.

Did you know that the Vitara is a soft-roader with a low-range 'box? Possibly the only one? Also, the chassis is a blend of monocoque and ladder-frame construction. That's pretty unique.

The Vitara was too ahead of it's time. Or maybe the fact that it's an SUV and wasn't powered by a diesel-engine that kept several prospective customers away? But even that doesn't make sense because the CR-V flew out of the showrooms despite being considerably more expensive.

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Did you know that the Vitara is a soft-roader with a low-range 'box? Possibly the only one? Also, the chassis is a blend of monocoque and ladder-frame construction. That's pretty unique.

The commonly accepted demarcation point b/w a softroader and an offroader is the absence or presence of low range. Isn't 'softroader with low range' an oxymoron? And many 'offroaders' nowadays have monocoque chassis to cater to better ride comfort and handling.

Unless you are saying - for some reason - that the Vitara's construction isn't as heavy duty as other offroaders - say the Pajero, Endy or Fortuner - I don't know about that, so can't comment.

I researched extensively about the Vitara before buying my Fortuner. Vitaras are used in many countries for offroading work, and used as a workhorse - that I do know.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

The commonly accepted demarcation point b/w a softroader and an offroader is the absence or presence of low range. Isn't 'softroader with low range' an oxymoron? And many 'offroaders' nowadays have monocoque chassis to cater to better ride comfort and handling.

It sort of is.

Moderator Samurai aptly calls it a 'bad-roader'.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

Unless you are saying - for some reason - that the Vitara's construction isn't as heavy duty as other offroaders - say the Pajero, Endy or Fortuner - I don't know about that, so can't comment.

Not saying that at all Niranjan. It's a pretty solid construction. The monocoque and ladder-frame blend gives it good potential off-road, while at the same time, giving it an edge over conventional SUVs on tarmac.

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

I researched extensively about the Vitara before buying my Fortuner. Vitaras are used in many countries for offroading work, and used as a workhorse - that I do know.

The Vitara is extremely popular in several markets. The US is one market where it has done reasonably well.

[Motored Mindset]

This request is unusual but I'm hoping at least the Grand Vitara veterans - Samurai, Sudev or GRV could help me with this. I own a 2009 Grand Vitara, and I'm quite taken up with the new front fascia of the 2013 model under discussion. A quick research tells me that the 2013 model has not received any changes in length, wheelbase or width.

Is it feasible to swap the front bumper, grille and headlights from the new model onto my car? If yes, then what's the best means to procure the parts? This is similar to what many Esteem owners did with their car's lights/bumpers in the early 2000's when a redesigned Maruti Esteem model came out.

I'm glad to receive any suggestions, and I apologise if this query has been posted in the wrong thread, I figured it relates to the 2013 model.

[volkman10]

Suzuki Vitara facelift launches in Britian, India Next?

This week Suzuki launched the facelifted Vitara in the United Kingdom. The Grand Vitara in the UK market features a full spare wheel with 225/70 tire on the tailgate.
This spare wheel increases the length of the car by 200mm on five door models Suzuki has retuned the 1.9L DDis engine to increase fuel economy and reduce CO2 emission


Maruti Suzuki is reported to be consideringlocal assembly of the Grand Vitara in the future.

http://indianautosblog.com/2012/12/2...#ixzz2EcNoAE00

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by volkman10

This spare wheel increases the length of the car by 200mm on five door models Suzuki has retuned the 1.9L DDis engine to increase fuel economy and reduce CO2 emission

At the right price point - GV surely has got potential to make a mark in the Indian market, but ONLY if it comes with the 1.9 diesel. It could surely give much better FE than the current big-engined competition.

As per this thread earlier, facelifted GV is supposed to arrive by 2013.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...gger-cars.html

I hope they dont do a half-hearted approach by going the CBU route again!

[sudev]

@Motored Mindset Can you give link for 2013 model in UK?

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by sudev

@Motored Mindset Can you give link for 2013 model in UK?

I hope this helps:

http://www.overdrive.in/details/2491...i-Grand-Vitara

[DieselFan]

Saw this news in eco times -

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/17595511.cms

Suzuki Grand Vitara is getting 1.9L DDIS engine in the next facelift in India. Good news for Suzuki fans. Definetely this will stir the premium small SUV segment. Likes of Yeti/Duster/XUV will run for cover.

[dhuli]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Definetely this will stir the premium small SUV segment. Likes of Yeti/Duster/XUV will run for cover.

Dont you think it is a bit late in the day? The GV official website lists ex-showroom price (Bangalore) for GRAND VITARA MT Rs.23,96,984/- and GRAND VITARA AT Rs.25,96,788/- For Delhi the same is GV MT Rs.22,68,064/- and GV AT Rs.24,60,529/- Which is higher than the roughly 22lakhs tag for Fortuner 4X4 MT. Duster is in the exshowroom price range Rs 7.49 - 11.69 Lakhs

Surely they dont plan to compete on price. Time to wait for official TeamBHP review.

[mayankjha1806]

Will the diesel one ever make it to India, there seems to be no news on that. Suzuki have been having the Diesel version in their lineup for sometime now but it never showed up on Indian shores.

When i test drove the GV i was given ~2L above Kizashi quite, i do not recall if there was a discount thrown in or something else.

[bobbafett]

It would be the perfect for many of us here if Maruti manages to localize it and launch it in the 15-17 Lakh price showroom, especially with the 1.9l DDiS engine. But I havent any news report anywhere (beyond blogosphere speculation) that talks about Maruti's plan to launch the GV anytime in 2013. I for one would want to buy the GV even in its current avatar, but all inquiries to Maruti dealers have resulted in a firm NO, saying no stocks and no plans for the Principal to import any more quantities as of now.

[MetalBuff]

Pricing will be the key thing here. With the likes of the Duster, Ecosport, XUV, Rexton, T-Fort all out there making the competition fierce. Unless, Maruti sorts it's pricing strategies and offer a plethora of equipment is when we can expect this to start picking up and selling in numbers.

If, it continues to be sold with the existing price tag albeit, with a diesel heart, WILL SELL but, will surely not equal the numbers as the dusty,xuvi and t-fort do. Price it in the 13-15 lakh range and this would become hot property.

[CARDEEP]

Test drive report of the GV by MSN (UK):

http://cars.uk.msn.com/reviews/suzuk...w-2013-onwards

Excerpts:
It’s not especially quick – 0-62mph is quoted at 13.2 seconds – but it gets the job done with a fair amount of efficiency, given the fixed four-wheel drive. Unfortunately, it’s also noisy, and as a turbodiesel we were surprised by its limited mid-range response, which leaves it feeling rather gutless much of the time.

This means you’ll find yourself fussing with the five-speed manual gearbox rather more than you might expect. This is a little on the heavy side, and really could do with a sixth cog to aid refinement. A four-speed auto is optional, but only on the already thirsty 2.4.

The Grand Vitara features independent suspension, which in comparison to the rigid axles on the Suzuki Jimny certainly sounds reasonably sophisticated. But in retaining true off-road capability, Suzuki has sacrificed some of the on-road comfort you get with less rough and ready competitors.

As a result, the Grand Vitara never really settles when you’re just driving around – with a constant jiggling and buzzing that quickly becomes tiresome. The steering is light but numb, and there’s plenty of rocking and rolling through the corners.