Suzuki Vitara is a new take on an old favourite

Step back to the late 1980s. SUVs were still the dream of five-year-old squeezed into a school run Mini Metro. If you wanted to go offroad you took a Jeep, the preserve of gamekeepers and Boy Scout leaders.

Around this time, Suzuki decided two wheel bad, four wheel good, and spawned the Vitara, the mutant offspring of a Land Rover and a Portakabin.

Fast forward – it’s the switch marked ‘>>’, more on that later – more than a quarter of a century. The Vitara is still with us. But the difference is quite marked. But for what is a sleek modern car there’s still a retro vibe running.

That first impression comes from the paint job, making it look like a oversized curvy Fiat Panda. Weirdly, there’s matching (only it doesn’t) metallic paint inside – on the vents, and on the analogue clock which takes pride of place on the dash.

There’s a good old-fashioned handbrake too, and twiddly knobs for heating control, and similarly manual rearview mirror and seat adjustments – for a car with a pretty high-end spec these are not givens.

But the biggest surprise is the lack of a CD player. (No, there’s no cassette player, before you ask. Or 8-track.) Mind you, it’s three days before I notice, which says something about cars, music, or myself. Instead we have an 
infotainment system, with DAB radio or smartphone hookup via Bluetooth.

And there’s a comprehensive satnav – which, perhaps for good reason prevents you entering destination info while mobile – but then, neither can your navigator, which will stymie any rally driving 
potential.

Which might be a shame as the Vitara is built for sport – the ‘Sport’ setting sends power to the rear tyres for better cornering. Or twist the knob left for ‘Snow’ – your MPG will drop accordingly, though not as much on ‘Lock’ which engages full-wheel-drive fully to get you out of any muddy situations if you venture too far off-
road.

The Vitara has, like many SUVs, a bit of an identity crisis. It’s probably happiest chugging along on the motorway, and handles fine, if a little fluid. Inside, it’s roomy enough, but there’s no particular impression of towering over the other traffic. The ride is comfortable and quiet – very quiet, in fact, idling it’s hard to tell if the engine auto stop/start has even kicked in.

The high-end stuff is mainly controlled by a row of switches to the right – adaptive cruise control, radar brake support, hill hold and descent control, 
all marking the Vitara’s pitch at the luxury end of the SUV 
market.

Features like parking assist are almost mundane nowadays but the Suzuki system is 
effective while the rear view camera with its handy guidelines makes reversing a breeze.

Of course, it’s the little details that count – so the double height boot is handy for loading in flatpack furniture (that’s my 
Sunday).

Suzuki have your safety at heart – the Vitara has achieved a five-star NCAP rating, thanks to its seven airbags, stability control and tyre-pressure monitoring on all models as standard, as are DAB, Bluetooth, aircon and alloys.

The question is is it worth the £20K? With rivals ranging from the Dacia Duster (around half the price) to the top-end Toyota RAV 4, the Vitara could struggle to stand out in a very crowded marketplace.

Unlike its uglier ancestor however – which has to be a good thing...

FAST FACTS

Price: £20,899

Engine: 1.4-Litre boosterjet petrol producing 138bhp and 162lb/ft

Transmission: Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive

Performance: Top speed 124mph, 0-62mph in 10.2 
seconds

Economy: 52.3mpg combined

Emissions: 127g/km