Today I test drove the Grand Vitara. I drove it in the same roads as my
Safari 3.0L test drive, and in addition did some highway driving and little more advanced off-roading in my office grounds. Got an automatic test drive car, so not too sure how MT would feel like. Three well built guys came with the TD vehicle, my wife and almost 11 month kid also joined me, totally 5 adults and one baby during the TD.
Ride & comfort: Soaks up bad roads very well, not up to Safari's ride quality, but reduces it to very tolerable levels. The front was very comfortable while the rear seats were quite satisfactory (so said Wife), can't reject this SUV on ride-comfort. Getting in is not like a truck, but more like a car. The driver seat is very comfortable, similar to Baleno but not low like Baleno. Very good visibility, didn't notice any blind spot in the front, has a good commanding view. The twisty AT gearshift was irritating to shift, but then I am not considering an AT. Feels like driving a car, this is an excellent city car, easy to handle in city traffic and has a small turning radius (5.5m).
Fit & Finish: Doesn't have that luxury feel, but very clean finish. Doesn't feel cheap either. Integrated HU looks nice, plays MP3/WMA CDs too. No upgrade possibilities though.
Highway Performance: Good highway performer, good high speed handling (AWD), didn't notice any body roll. No breath-taking pull, but a steady cruiser. Eats away potholes unnoticed at higher speeds. The brakes were well-modulated and precise. I braked hard on a slope and it stopped surely.
Hilly road performance: The AT starts hunting and revvs a lot while climbing steep hills. But that happens only if you want to push it hard. When I did off-road climbing in crawl speed, the torque was very adequate. This is not a performance oriented car, can't be pushed, but does the job at a steady pace. Again, no body roll in the twists.
Off-roading: I think it is a competent off-roader if not extreme off-roader, the approach/departure angles are 29 and 27 degrees. I didn't switch to 4H or 4L (central diff locks), but did all the off-road stuff in AWD mode. There was no bouncing or bobbing when I climbed up or down tiny hills. The 200mm GC was evident, nothing touched the under-body anywhere. I was impressed enough to google about GV's off-road performance. Found some good articles:
2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara First Drive 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara Review
Looks: Very clean lines and photogenic, but can be easily mistaken for a Swift or a SX4 in the front. It will be hardly noticed on the road, which fits my need perfectly.
Verdict: Very capable bad road vehicle offering very good ride-comfort (but not up-to safari level). But I feel this may be a better off-roader than Safari, it doesn't roll like Safari and is very steady off the road. But then I haven't experienced the 4x4 Safari. It doesn't take off like the old Baleno, but then I had 3 extra adults at the back adding at least 200Kgs. It might perform better with just my family. The standard safety features were all there like ABS, dual airbags, EBD and traction control thanks to AWD. This is not an exciting car to drive, but a very satisfactory car that meets all our requirement. This is something even my wife is willing to drive unlike the Safari.
I ordered the Test drive without much expectations, but it turned out to be a contender. The black and silky silver are available in 15 days, any other color will take 3 months. They only keep safe colors in inventory (actually it is in transit on a ship). Black is the most moving color.