Now before you all start moaning that I’m reviewing a car, sit down and take a chill pill because there are quite a few interesting reasons why.
The first being that I’m still the biggest fan of the Suzuki brand owning two classic bikes myself, a 1977 GS 750 and a 1979 GSX1100, which are my babies – all say awww… And two, this handsome all-new machine costs the same as many motorcycles, which attracted my attention more than a swimsuit model hosing herself down in my garden, well nearly.
But let’s to go back to the price first. This is the GL+ model, which is Suzuki’s middle of the range version, only costs R269,000, quite amazing for what you get I thought. Cheaper than the new R290,000 ZX-10, around the same price as a KTM 1290 Super Adventure, BMW R1200GS Adventure, Yamaha R1, Ducati Multistrada and most big Harleys to name only a few. See noe where I’m coming from and we all drive cars, right? And because it’s a Suzuki so all GSX-R owners should have one.
The GL+ is a two-wheel drive SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) with a 1.6-litre petrol engine producing a claimed 115hp and 151Nm of torque. You have to rev it to get the best from the engine through its five-speed transmission, but that’s what us motorcyclists do. If you drive it ‘normally’ you can achieve impressive fuel consumption figures of around 6l/100km, not bad at all for a relatively big car is it?
But the Vitara is not really about performance. It’s the perfect everyday ‘vee-hih-cull’ (as they say in the USA) that is just so nice to live with. The interior build quality is much better than BMW’s foul X1 thing and many more expensive options. Don’t forget that Suzuki cars win many reliability tests around the world, just like their bikes, so say no more. Everything inside is easy to access and there’s enough room inside for a half a playground of irritating kids, dread the thought, or loads of bike kit for a track-day or off-road ride. And, I never heard anything rattle or squeak whilst on the move, due to Suzuki’s renowned car build quality.
On the outside there’s no denying the Vitara is a ‘looker’ with a striking similarity to the Range Rover Evoque, which had some design input from Victoria Beckham, errr, OK and no thanks. But the Vitara is certainly nice to view in this Savannah colour, which seems to suit outdoor life in SA. I did have a chuckle though when Suzuki said the ‘clamshell bonnet’ is a distinctive feature. How much fun can you have with that phrase, if you know what I mean? And, in word document, Vitara comes up as Viagra so go wild with that one folks. Oh what fun!
Anyway, my week with the Suzuki Vitara GL+ was very relaxing, which sums up this car nicely. If you’re in the market for this sort of SUV car, and you’re a motorcyclist, or Suzuki fan, then I’d highly recommend a test drive at your Suzuki dealer. And for the price there’s nothing that comes close in this market regarding build quality and reliability factors, so there.
Go to www.suzukiauto.co.za to locate your nearest Vitara dealer. 
