1.9 DDiS 5dr 4 X 4

Superb value and so so capable, niggling issues have appeared with mileage blunting the ownership experience.

I bought my 5dr DDiS primarily for work purposes, I cover approx 18000 miles a year on mainly rural A and B roads and visit customers whose properties are in rural, hilly areas and often accessed via un-made tracks. My previous two cars (a Fiat Seicento & MG ZR) just were'nt suitable to the poor roads and associated weather (heavy rain, flooding etc) and I decided that I needed a 4x4 style vehicle to better suit my needs, it HAD to be a diesel.

Having had a good look round, the Grand Vitara was by far the best built product in my budget, the exterior looks are great and the interior both spacious and comfortable. The engine is indeed not the smoothest of Diesel units but has plenty of power and torque and perfectly acceptable on the move. The car has proved it's 'genuine' 4x4 credentials in the heavy snow falls of the past couple of years and has proved unstoppable in such conditions, truly excellent in fact.

I have now done 45000 miles and had planned to run the car until it was no longer economically viable however niggles in the last few months are casting doubts (at 40000 miles). The car has suffered with issues with the DPF pipes cracking (fixed under warranty) then the glow plugs failed (fixed under warranty) but more seriously, the front differential has now failed and will luckily be fixed under warranty just a couple of months before the warranty expires (at 45000 miles). Service intervals are every 9000 miles or 12 months which is much shorter than I am used to and has lead to plenty of vivits to the local dealer.

The car seem's to be particularly awkward to 'track' after new tyres are fitted with both independent tyre shops and the Suzuki Dealer struggling to resolve geometry issues after the fitting of new tyres, this results in the steering wheel 'cocked' to the right.

Do NOT buy a diesel version if you only do short journeys/low mileage. The emmisions equipment (DPF filter system) is very willing to clog up and a journey on Dual Carriage way or Motorway is needed so it can self clean. Despite my high mileage and varied use, I have had many issues when driving the car as economically as possible which frequently has resulted in the DPF warning light coming on, evem with more liberal use of the gears and rev range, it's a constant concern waiting for the DPF light to come on at an inoportune moment.

Overall I have to say that the GV really is a fantastic product, easy to drive, great to look at and very comfortable as well as hugely accomplished in both good and very bad weather. I WANT to absolutely love this car and resolutely do not want to part with it, I am looking at what else is available at the moment before I make a decision, maybe the reliability will come back after the next visit to have the diff sorted and the steering re-alligned (again) but then again the new Kia Sportage has a greatly improved spec and a 7yr warranty albeit with greatly reduced 4x4 ability, I'm affraid, the reliability issues have encouraged me to see what else is out there, just when I had been hoping to concentrate on things other than looking at a new car.

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