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30 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 6, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com EVERYTHING Auto your guide to everything auto in Oakville INSIDE: Safe Driving Week . . . . . . .Page 31 Nissan Supercar is North American Bound . . . . . . . . .Page 32 Ford wins FIA 2006 World Rally Championship Award . . . . .Page 33 The Real thing EVERYTHIN Suzuki Grand Vitara is rugged and stylish By Max Wickens OAKVILLE BEAVER SPECIAL In a market already overcrowded with wannabe SUVs, it's refreshing to encounter a manufacturer that's still willing to try offering Canadians the real thing. By that I mean a vehicle agile and tough enough for serious backcountry driving, yet not so costly that minor off-road scars like the occasional dent, ding or scrape become an issue. Suzuki has produced a long line of vehicles that fit this bill ever since the original Jimny in 1970. Others included the Sidekick, its clone the Chevrolet Tracker and, most recently, the Vitara. Which brings us to the entirely new Grand Vitara. The most eye-catching difference with the latest model is that where previous Suzuki SUVs were boxy -- resembling pocket-sized Jeeps -- the new Grand Vitara is rounded, handsomely aerodynamic and big enough to go head-to-head against other compacts like the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. Styling aside, the Grand Vitara has an important feature that's virtually invisible. It's a genuine, integrated ladder-frame design -- the sort of chassis that's just not included in many of today's "grocery-getter" SUVs. And it's this frame that braces the body shell to ensure rattle-free, go-any- where ruggedness. The engine is also noteworthy. The V6 is standard equipment and it's one of very few in the non-luxury compact segment of today's SUV market -- a 2.7-litre unit rated at 185 hp at 6,000 rpm and 184 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. On the two vehicles we tested, the engine yielded plenty of punch in tackling both offroad challenges and highway acceleration. Parked and idling, it purred. The base transmission is a 5-speed manual, but both test vehicles had optional 5speed automatics. The vehicle we tried on the highway tended to hesitate briefly before up-shifting at highway speeds. Unlike many SUVs that seek a price advantage by quietly omitting 4-wheel-drive from their base models, Suzuki makes 4wheel-drive standard on all models, then offers a choice of two drive systems: · Basic full-time, single-model 4-wheeldrive. · With the top of the line model: Fulltime, 4-mode 4-wheel-drive -- a system that can operate in 4-High, 4-High locked and 4Low fully locked. Neutral allows the Grand Vitara to be flat-towed behind an RV. The Grand Vitara bristles with standard safety features, including six airbags (two at the front and two more along each side), anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), traction control and electronic stability control. There are disc brakes up front and drum brakes at the rear. They do a good job, even though some critics might raise an eyebrow on learning about the rear drum brakes. What they probably don't know is that some 4x4 experts believe rear drums are better for off-roading under muddy or wet conditions; also that rear drums work better when the hand-brake is applied, especially on treacherous slopes. The Grand Vitara employs rack and pinion steering, which is very responsive. The front suspension embodies MacPherson struts, while the rear suspension uses a multi-link layout with a roll bar. Handling is well controlled and the highway ride is comfortable. Surprisingly, the off-road ride is also comfortable, even when traversing mountain trails too rocky to be walked on, no matter that some who tried to do so were wearing heavy duty hiking boots. Although our vehicles were shod with only standard all-season tires, none had any traction problems and none sustained flats, despite a punishing drive over shale and sharp, broken rocks. For those who may remember earlier Suzuki 4x4s for their stark, basic interiors, the Grand Vitara comes as a surprise. It's comfortable, attractive and user-friendly. Dashboard dials are easy to read and the centre stack controls are neat and logically laid out. Seats are above average and legroom is more than adequate. Cargo space with the rear seats up is 758 litres. The rear seats split 60/40 and when both are flipped forward cargo space expands to 1951 litres of stowage. There's an unusual bonus to be found in the design of the Grand Vitara's passenger doors. They extend downwards to shroud the door sill and are weather-sealed to prevent accumulation of mud and roadtar -- the sort of muck that can soil the pant cuffs of passengers and drivers entering or leaving many typical SUVs. So far, so good. But some might quibble about the occasional hassle of trying to load cargo at curbside while having to cope with the Grand Vitara's tailgate, which is hinged on the right. Others might bicker about the spare wheel mounted outside the tailgate. Granted, an external spare wheel looks rugged and frees up cargo space, but could prompt insurers to consider the costly consequences if the spare tire takes the impact of a rear-end crash, which can punch in the tailgate. Ultimately, though, the Grand Vitara should take its place as a viable competitor in an already overcrowded SUV market. Underscoring this is the price tag: the base JA is $24,495; the JX is $26,495; JLX goes for $28,995 and JLX with leather upholstery package costs $29,995