Test drive of the Suzuki Vitara S: a 4x4 alternative to the most popular urban SUVs

We tested the Suzuki Vitara S with the 140 hp 1.4T petrol engine and Allgrip (4×4) system.

The Suzuki Vitara S is an almost unique car. This Japanese urban SUV is one of the few in its category that offers a four-wheel drive system and behaves with quite a bit of dignity off the tarmac. Thanks to its all-wheel drive, its favourable off-road figures and its ground clearance (over 18 cm) the other would be the Jeep Renegade. The Vitara has very distinctive dimensions: it is slightly bigger than a Renault Captur, a Peugeot 2008 or a Nissan Juke, but smaller than an Seat Ateca, a Nissan Qashqai or a Kia Sportage; it is closer to the first three than to the latter. At Top10Motor we spent a few days living with the Vitara S, the only version in the range with the 140 hp 1.4 BoosterJet engine and the Allgrip system (4×4 traction). Here is what struck us most about this urban SUV:

140 hp 1.4T engine: excellent balance of performance and consumption

What we probably liked most about this car was its 140 hp 1.4 Booster Jet petrol engine. This is a turbocharged powerplant with an excellent balance between performance and consumption. Its punch is genuinely surprising at medium and high revs, but it also has torque from low revs (practically from 1,000 rpm), which allows you to make the most of long gears and drive it like a diesel. The Suzuki Vitara S reaches 100 km/h in under 10 seconds, which shows it is a very light car (just over 1,200 kg) despite its dimensions.

The performance of this engine is not penalised by excessive consumption, as happens with other urban SUVs with turbo petrol engines; quite the opposite. The Suzuki Vitara S officially consumes 5.5 litres, but in real-world conditions the figure is not much different: after covering more than 700 km we obtained an average consumption of 6 litres. To put this figure in context, we also tested the Nissan Juke with the 115 hp DIG-T 1.2 petrol engine and got an average consumption of 7 litres. We were already impressed by this engine’s performance in our test of the Suzuki Swift Sport, where it is set up to offer a sportier feel than in the Vitara. But we can conclude that the 1.4 Turbo is one of the stars of this car.

In the Vitara, the petrol engine does it all: you can drive it “dynamically”, it has plenty of torque to crawl off-road, and it is also refined and very smooth in operation. The gearbox has a short first gear to make off-road driving easier, where you may face starts from standstill with little grip or very steep slopes that need a lot of torque instantly. This does slightly limit comfort in town if you don’t get used to using first practically just to get moving and then shifting straight into second. It is not a real problem, though.

Allgrip system: the 4×4 traction that thinks most about your wallet

Like other urban SUVs such as the MINI Countryman ALL4 or the Nissan Juke Nismo, the Suzuki Vitara S features an automatically actuated multi-plate clutch that distributes engine power to all four wheels when grip conditions require it. The Suzuki Vitara S runs front-wheel drive under normal conditions, which provides a significant fuel saving; but if the car loses grip, the Allgrip system connects automatically to send a set percentage of torque to the rear wheels. This system is simpler and lighter than a conventional 4×4 system, which is why it has become popular, especially among SUVs that will mainly be used on tarmac.

But as we said, this Vitara is one of the cars in its class that offers the most fun once the tarmac runs out. The car has four driving modes: Auto, Snow, Lock and Sport. The “Auto” mode ensures that the rear axle receives no traction to reduce fuel consumption, unless grip conditions are poor. In the “Snow” and “Lock” modes all four wheels receive torque: in the first case in a variable proportion depending on the terrain, and in the second in a fixed 50/50 split (front/rear axle). Note that “Lock” mode deactivates above 60 km/h. Finally, the “Sport” mode does not affect the torque split between the axles, but rather aspects such as engine response (much more direct) and steering assistance. In this mode, traction works in the “Auto” programme.

Spacious interior and decent finish

The Suzuki Vitara S offers good cabin space compared with its direct rivals, models such as the Renault Captur or the Peugeot 2008. The rear seats are quite spacious and the boot offers a capacity of 375 litres.

The interior finish is decent. Although we found quite a lot of plastics and somewhat loose fits on the door panels, the materials look better in this version than in the standard one. The Vitara S features several red-finished elements that give the interior a more exotic touch.

The car’s interior feels solid even when you head out into the countryside, and the bodywork handles potholed surfaces without creaks or strange noises. It is also a comfortable car thanks to its suspension comfort and noise insulation on the move. It has good visibility compared with other SUVs in its class with a more “urban” design.

The car can optionally be fitted with a spare wheel, although at the cost of some boot space. We recommend this option if you are going to head into the countryside; for road use, if boot capacity is your priority, you can make do with the temporary spare or the puncture repair kit.

Cutting-edge connectivity and extensive standard equipment

The Suzuki Vitara S comes as standard with an infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen (very intuitive) compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In the video above we showed you how this system works and, in particular, how to use WhatsApp without touching your phone. The system also includes satnav.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iag6vJJymo&t=37s

The car also has extensive standard equipment. Highlights include the following:

• 17-inch alloy wheels with a black finish
• Electric windows
• Satin silver door mirrors, electrically adjustable and heated
• Silver roof rails
• Adaptive cruise control
• Heated front seats / mixed upholstery with red stitching
• Sport pedals in aluminium finish
• Tinted rear windows
• Heated rear windscreen
• Predictive braking control
• Brake assist
• Parking sensors

Price and rivals

As we said at the start, it is hard to find direct rivals for the Suzuki Vitara S given its dimensions and because it is one of the few urban SUVs with four-wheel drive. Its price is €22,730 in the manual version we tested, including discounts. It is also available with an automatic gearbox for €24,230. The closest alternatives to this model in terms of price and focus are the urban SUVs we all know:

• Peugeot 2008 GT Line 1.2 (110 hp): €26,150
• Renault Captur S-Edition TCe (150 hp): €27,095
• Nissan Juke GT Sport Playstation DIG-T (115 hp): €23,940
• Seat Arona FR 1.5 EcoTSI (150 hp): €24,800

Bear in mind that all these models are front-wheel drive and offer slightly less interior space than the Vitara S. For this reason, we could also compare it with models that do have four-wheel drive, such as the following:

• Mini Cooper Countryman ALL4 (136 hp): €35,500
• Nissan Juke Tekna DIG-T 4×4 (190 hp): €29,340
• Jeep Renegade 2.0 MultiJet (140 hp): €27,720
• Mazda CX-3 2.0 AWD (150 hp): €26,430

We also note that the Suzuki standard Vitara is available with front-wheel drive and a 120 hp petrol engine from €16,480, a much more affordable price, closer to its more generalist rivals (Captur, 2008…).

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadSuzuki Vitara11 versions · from 27,925 €