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The Grand Vitara has keyless entry. RFID technology makes me very happy. It is very nice to see that the relatively inexpensive Suzuki has this option. It makes life so easy, especially when carrying groceries or a sleeping five year old. No more fumbling around in my overstuffed pockets for the keys. I just press the button on the door handle and the door unlocks. I get in and turn the ignition. All cars should come with RFID keys standard.

The Grand Vitara has decent ground clearance, 7.4 inches minimum. Normally this would be fine, but like I said Vail has received lots of snow. I think it was the second morning of my review time and we had over a foot in one night. Then the plows came. The guys from the Town of Vail do an amazing job of keeping the streets clear of deep snow. Unfortunately the neighbor up the hill hired a plowing company that just moved the snow into the public right of way.

The Suzuki is very impressive. After the plows clear the roads they sometimes leave a slick thin layer of compacted and very slippery snow. This doesn’t always happen, it depends on the temperature and some other factors. But during the test drive it happened. Many cars couldn’t get up the hill to my house. The Suzuki and its Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) with Traction Control System (TCS) just rode right up. Going down the hill I used Suzuki’s Hill descent control. The Grand Vitara crushed it. I couldn’t be more pleased.

The vehicle holds five adults comfortably. The controls make sense and are very easy to use. The rear cargo space was very easy to access and held plenty of groceries and skis. I can’t really find anything to criticize in the Grand Vitara. I did get a chance to test the Grand Vitara on some dry highway roads. It handled competently. Not too noisy, but nothing special. OK acceleration, but not enough to cause whiplash. So maybe this would be a different review if I was living in Denver and it was summer. I might find the Grand Vitara to be just OK. But it isn’t summer, and I live in Vail.

The Suzuki comes with a great warranty. It has a seven year 100,000 mile, transferable power train warranty. And the best part about the Suzuki is what you get for the price. The Grand Vitara starts at $18,499 and goes up to $26,299 depending on the trim package. The keyless entry is standard, as is the auto on/off headlight, on all trim levels. Suzuki has done a great job packaging the Grand Vitara.

© Source: theautochannel
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Base price: $19,249
Vehicle layout: Front engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
Engine: 2.4L/166-hp/162-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Curb weight: 3479 lb
Wheelbase: 103.9 in
Lengthxwxh 177.1 x 71.3 x 66.7 (w/roof rails) in

Even before this year's massive gas-price-spike hit, buyers had begun fleeing the traditional SUV segment in favor of more fashionable and fuel-efficient crossovers. Automakers have noticed, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a compact SUV that's still actually an SUV. The 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara is one of the few capable compact offerings left for the U.S. market.

The last time a Grand Vitara graced our garage -- a 2008 4WD model -- we were pleasantly Gone is the overburdened 184-hp 2.7L V-6 engine. In its place is the standard 2.5L four producing 166 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque and an optional 3.2L V-6 producing 230 hp and 213 lb-ft of torque.

The two-row, five passenger 2009 Grand Vitara with just 1700 miles on the clock was fitted with the top-shelf Luxury trim package, the four-cylinder engine, and a four-speed automatic transmission. It was also 2WD, which meant I wouldn't be testing its off-road prowess. That's just fine, since most 'utes in the Grand Vitara's class spend most of their time on the pavement anyway.

The first thing you notice when you climb into the Grand Vitara is the simplicity of the interior. All the controls are within easy reach and easy to use, and there aren't too many of them -- enough buttons and dials to get the job done and no more. The black dash, carpet, doors and seats are set off by tasteful silver accents. Unfortunately, they're also offset by cheap-looking faux-marble trim around the gear selector and on the interior door handles. Marble works in kitchens, not cars, and cheap, plastic, fake marble really doesn't work. Still the trim is dark enough to overlook most of the time.

Although down 18 hp from our V-6 tester, the vehicle's four-cylinder engine actually feels quite peppy. Merging on the freeway and climbing hills requires only modest throttle input, as does passing on the freeway. Picking up my brother and his luggage did little to slow it down. What hampers the Grand Vitara more than the engine, though, is the old-school four-speed transmission. In most situations it's not a problem, but if you hit an incline on the freeway, things get ugly. The transmission constantly hunts back and forth between third and fourth gear, with third too strong and fourth too weak to make the climb. Worse, the downshifts are anything but smooth. A gearbox with at least one more cog -- say like the one in V-6 Grand Vitara -- would help immensely.

© Source: motortrend
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