DriveTech

2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara

The 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara has been transformed

The all-new 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara has arrived in town and Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi had better look out, because Suzuki means business.

The '06 Suzuki Grand Vitara has been redesigned from top to bottom and from front to rear. While it's a good transformation, it still drives like a Suzuki. That's not a bad thing, it's just that Suzuki has always had a feel behind the wheel that makes it stand out from the competition.

The all-new Grand Vitara is clean and smooth and inside there's more room at every corner, making it even more comfortable. The engine is a 2.7-liter V6 that produces 185 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 184 pound foot of torque at 4,500 rpm. This gives the Grand Vitara the ability to run with the best on and off the freeway, plus the ride is a lot more solid than Grand of the past.

My test vehicle came from the good folks at Murrieta Valley Suzuki. Sales Manager Garry Jernegan had my Suzuki fueled, cleaned and ready to go. That kind of service isn't just for me - buy a Suzuki brand new and they throw in a full tank of fuel. Check out their seven-year/100,000 mile warranty, which is transferable. Plus, you get 24/7 roadside assistance and a loaner car if your Suzuki needs warranty work that takes overnight. I've always recommended buying from a car company that stands behind its product and Suzuki definitely does that!

My test vehicle came with a black onyx exterior, gray/black interior and the standard five-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission. But you can opt for the five-speed manual (I'd opt for the manual myself).

The steering wheel tilts and contains the audio controls. The driver's seat is very comfortable and easily adjusts manually. There's a sliding center armrest and storage area. The shifter in the center console is easy to operate.

The dash is unique because when at night the speedometer, tachometer, fuel and temp gauges are all illuminated by a very bright, white light in the instrument cluster. To the right is the audio system, which consists of a four-speaker, AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA/XM-ready sound system. The touch climate control system, interior temperature plus digital clock are all done up in red lighting. You can dim down the red lighting but you can't lower the glow of the instrumentation and I couldn't find the switch for the instrumentation cluster. After awhile I got used to it and actually liked having the important things glowing in my face.

This is the 2WD model but there's an opportunity to go to 4X4 mode, which gets you into the back country or just down a dirt road. The 2WD test vehicle is estimated to get 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 miles per gallon on the freeway. That's not bad for a vehicle that can haul up to five adults comfortably, plus has room in the rear for camping gear, golf clubs or a ton of food from the grocery store.

I had a problem with the rear door swinging open from the left to the right (see photo) because it's a nuisance walk around the door to get to your home or garage. I'd rather have the door open from the right to the left, facing traffic. I do like the spare tire mounted on the back door, where it is easy to get to. I don't know that if I had a flat if I'd put it back on the door. But it would take up too much room in the rear cargo area and eliminate much of its storage capacity.

The Grand Vitara 2WD I drove came very well equipped with power windows, door locks, keyless entry, independent front suspension and multi-link in the rear plus Electronic Stability Program, front and rear curtain airbags and front passenger air bags. All that totaled under $21,000, plus tax and license, and it comes with that great warranty.

So buy a Grand Vitara. Put a red bow on the hood and make someone happy!