What makes a good car these days? Sound engineering, responsive handling, low running costs and remarkable performance seem like a decent combination. Suppose I told you that a Suzuki Vitara (list prices, pre-discounts, start at £16,999) is a tremendous all-rounder (actually, I have done so, if you check back through these pages)? It is an SUV/crossover class of car. It has bags of interior space, easy entry and exit and a simply outstanding level of grip, handling and roadholding.
Now, consider that the same Vitara is powered by a 1.0-litre (yes, 998cc), three-cylinder (yes, not four), petrol-turbo engine. You might find the details hard to swallow. However, this phenomenal Suzuki engine delivers no less than 109bhp, 125lbs ft of torque, a posted 49.5mpg (although I attained 53.8mpg with a little extra effort) and emits a modest 129g/km CO2. Not bad, considering that it drives through a six-speed automatic transmission and is lugging around 1,180kgs kerbweight.
Of course, I would love to punt around in a hot hatchback but the reality is most of them are too compromised for me to live with. My personal demands dictate first-class handling and damping as a priority. Speed is virtually a worthless criterion these days. Yet, I want to drive an engine that plays gainfully. I want to hear it working and it needs to produce a pleasant noise, with the revs rising and falling harmoniously. The 1.0-litre Suzuki unit does.
For the past (almost) three years, I have been spoilt by driving a Suzuki Baleno. It is powered by the same engine as this Vitara in a somewhat more compact package. I also enjoy its regular 50+mpg frugality, almost regardless of the velocity at which I drive it. Therefore, you can imagine my surprise in discovering that this Vitara can deliver an easy 50mpg and that I am exceptionally well catered for by its SZ-T trim level. Okay, I miss the extra timepiece located between the two airvents in the top-dash-centre…except there is a clock in the main instrument pod and another (unsynchronised) unit in the infotainment screen. I also miss slightly the pushbutton starter (and stopper) but turning a key in the steering lock is not a major effort.
My mobile pairs-up rapidly with the touch-screen, allowing me to play some of my music collection, as stored on it, through the car’s first-rate digital stereo system. The sat-nav works efficiently, complete with ‘pinch’ adjustment and ‘google maps’ on my mobile is also available. The air-con (not climate control) works efficaciously and the cloth upholstery is comfortable and supportive.
However, it is the tremendously engaging and neutral, front-wheel-drive, on-road behaviour that is the car’s major attraction. Its tiny engine seldom appears to struggle and, given its head and a German motorway, a seemingly unfeasible 125mph is possible, after despatching the 0-60mph sprint in around 11.9s. What’s not to love?
