2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara Review

The 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara gains some new available features. This compact SUV seats 5 and has a side-hinged rear cargo door. Grand Vitara is offered with two engines. The first is a 166-horsepower 2.4-liter 4-cylinder that teams with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. The other engine is a 230-horsepower 3.2-liter V6 that has a 5-speed automatic. Rear-wheel drive and two all-wheel-drive systems are available: Single-mode AWD and Suzuki's "Four-Mode" AWD that includes a locking differential and hill ascent and descent control. Grand Vitara comes in Base, Premium, Special Edition, XSport, and Limited trim levels. Base, Premium, and Special Edition come only with the 4-cylinder. Xsport and Limited are available with both engines. Rear-wheel drive is standard on the Base, Premium, and 4-cylinder versions of the Xsport and Limited. Single-mode AWD is standard on the Special Edition and available on the Premium. The 4-cylinder Limited and V6 versions offer Four-Mode AWD. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain-side airbags, and front-side airbags. Newly standard on all models is a navigation system. A wireless cell-phone link is optional. A sunroof, keyless entry/engine start, and real-time traffic information for the navigation system are standard on the XSport and Limited. Leather upholstery and heated front seats are standard only on the Limited.

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara

Suzuki Grand Vitara 2010

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara Design

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara

COMPETITION

Consumer Guide Automotive places each vehicle into one of 18 classes based on size, price, and market position. Among utility vehicles, Compact SUVs are typically the least costly and offer the best fuel economy. Most utilize a car-type chassis and are not designed for heavy-duty, off-road use. Nearly all are 5-passenger vehicles; some offer seating for 7.

Our Best Buys are the Honda CR-V and Volkswagen Tiguan. Our Recommended picks are the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, Mercury Mariner, Subaru Forester, Suzuki Grand Vitara, and Toyota RAV4.

New or significantly redesigned models include the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, and Mitsubishi Outlander.