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SLIDESHOW: See Suzuki's snow-beating 4x4 in a gallery of pictures
Alan Candy's road test of the go-anywhere Grand Vitara
A friend in need is a friend indeed. So meet my new best pal – the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Why so chummy? Because I've just spent what should have been a nightmare week trying to get around Britain's roads in the worst weather we have experienced for some 20 years.
With heavy snow and compacted ice everywhere, it's hard to think how I was to transport my wife 20 miles each way to Mount Vernon Hospital every day in rush hour when all around me was chaos and confusion.
For most vehicles, any hill was a challenge. Vans and lorries spun their wheels frantically before sliding gracefully to the side of the road, their task impossible.
Rear-wheel drive cars – notably BMWs – didn't seem to have a snowball's chance in hell. One BMW driver I saw trying to make it up a steep, snowy hill simple slid sideways and backwards and ended up on the wrong side of the road, pointing at right angles to the traffic.
I had plenty of time to observe all this as I sailed serenely on in my Grand Vitara test car, which proved the best possible companion in such conditions. I don't test many 4x4s during a year, but boy was I glad I had this one. Yes, we had to sit in interminable queues (the worst day took us three and a half hours to drive 20 miles) but the Suzuki never let us down.
It steadily drove up steep, snow and ice-covered hills as if out for a summer jaunt. With hardly an inch or deviation or hint of spin or slide, the Grand Vitara crunched its way inexorably onwards. I like to think that my driver training stood me in good stead, but in truth it was the Suzuki's engineering that really did the business.
A Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser it isn't. But the Grand Vitara is most certainly a full-blooded 4x4 with the build and rigidity for serious off-road driving. At the same time, the all-round independent suspension ensures stability and comfort when driving on tarmac.
The four-wheel drive system is permanently engaged and ensures maximum grip whatever the driving conditions, working through a torque-sensing limited slip centre differential.
And when the going really gets tough (I only used it once – on our hill), the driver can simply shift the transmission into low range four-wheel drive, simply by turning a rotary switch on the dash.
Grand Vitara also has ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) as standard. This clever 'intelligent' system uses selective wheel braking and controls engine output as necessary to stabilise the vehicle if it detects understeer or oversteer which could compromise control.
The five-door model which I tested is an excellent compromise for those who seek the benefits and safety assurance of four-wheel drive in everyday driving, with maybe occasional off-road use, rather than an out-and-out mountain climber or safari trekker.
Powered by a smooth and refined 2.4-litre petrol engine, Grand Vitara is spacious and high-riding without suffering the clumsiness and awkwardness of some 'Chelsea Tractors' that bruise their way around.
Indeed, it's an excellent, car-like driver on tarmac, with a comfortable ride, sharp steering and responsive handling and braking.
The five-door has generous and comfortable seating for five, with masses of space out back for some serious luggage carrying. The rear seats split, fold and genuinely tumble to create the maximum space for loading up, with the benefit of a flat, unobstructed load platform, underfloor storage and tie-down hooks. The working area also brushes out easily.
Both inside and outside, the Grand Vitara has undergone a minor facelift, with revised front end and futuristic-looking door mirrors with integrated turn indicators.
The cockpit and dash are ergonomically simple and user-friendly and the auto version I drove boasted a slick auto gearbox with unobtrusive changes. Heated seats really were the icing on the cake – but it was the vehicle's accomplished performance in genuinely adverse conditions that I'll most remember.
Fast facts:
Suzuki Grand Vitara, prices from 13,800-18,250.
Revised Grand Vitara now powered by 2.4-litre petrol engine.
Marking 20 years of Vitara/Grand Vitara and more than 2.5 million worldwide sales.
More power, more torque and quieter, more refined performance.
Added safety, with ESP as standard.
Three- and five-door body styles.
Revised exterior and interior styling.
Top-of-the-range SZ5 five-door model features 18-inch alloy wheels, High Density Discharge Headlamps electrically-operated glass sunroof and leather, heated seats.
New, multi-information display in main instrument cluster.
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Weather for Bedford
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
