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Grand Vitara Limited
Edition Road Test —Junior |
SEATTLE, WA —No music, no lights, and no
unveiling of the proverbial curtain for this showing. We didn’t give this
tough-as-nails sport utility any special treatment despite it’s luxurious Limited
Edition status. With V-6 power, shift on the fly four-wheel drive, and a full frame
stretching the entire length, the Grand Vitara Limited Edition provides power and handling
whether you’re on or off-road.
| Wasting no time we immediately logged well over 200 miles in city
and highway driving pushing every last one of the impressive 155 ponies the 2.5-liter,
24-valve, V-6 has to offer. Even more impressive is the available 160 foot pounds of
torque the best in it’s class |
 
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| power-to-weight ratio. And all the while maintaining a modest
19-21 mpg rating. We loaded the GV with four adult passengers and another 150 pounds of
equipment, found the steepest hill to climb, only to find we’d need more weight to
slow this luxury SUV. Unfortunately our GV didn’t come equipped with a tow package
depriving us of experiencing the 1500lb towing capacity. |
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At times we felt we were in a sports car but yet with the
room of an SUV. The handling was awesome. The GV uses a power assisted
rack-and-pinion steering, a rigid 5-link rear coil suspension, and MacPherson Strut front
suspension with sway bar. Although rigid and stable on-road, the suspension flexes very
well off-road. We place this luxury SUV on the dirt, starting with wet slippery forest
roads. Shifting from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive at speed was as easy as the
manual says. No need to get out and lock hubs. |
The same characteristics of on-road handling can be found on dirt
roads. Cornering stability but with the added traction of four-wheel drive. We increased
our speeds in corners pushing the GV nearly to it’s breaking point. Certainly not
your average driving conditions but how could one speak without having experienced it, not
to mention we just could resist.
| Taking things to the next level, we put the GV on the
trail. Mud; loose rock, and slick roots. The GV took it all. Having shifted from
four-wheel high range to low we continued to push the limits of stability versus travel.
On the road the suspension works cohesively, tuned to what the driver requests and what
the surface has to offer. But off-road the suspension takes on somewhat of an independent
stature. Using the known theory in off-roading ‘travel equals stability and
traction’, the GV produces it’s fair share. |
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At this point we had to take a step back and realize that this was
a luxury SUV with everything from leather interior to power mirrors. Putting everything
back into perspective, we continued to off-road. Additional standard features and
amenities include, power windows and locks, keyless entry, A/C, CD changer, cruise
control, tilt wheel, roof rails, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, and alloy wheels. We found a
wide array of bolt accessories offered by Suzuki, and to our surprise plenty of
aftermarket accessories on the open market. |
No we didn’t cut the Grand Vitara Limited Edition one bit of
slack. With handling and power attributes such as these Suzuki’s surely created
another rugged and versatile compact SUV.
 ZW
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