2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Consumer Reviews

Great Little SUV

Written by: gr8wit on 10/09/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

Traded in a 2007 Chevy Colorado for the Suzuki. I have had nothing but pickups for the last 12 years or so and was always happy...until the Colorado, but that is another story. I decided on an SUV for the cargo capacity and wanted something compact, and different. Back in the 90's I had a Geo Metro, and my wife had a Geo Tracker, both were very well made and reliable, so it was a natural to go to the Grand Vitara. I love this SUV, very well made, comfortable, and looks great. The only problem is a 16 gallon gas tank. Averaging 25 MPG, the tank is too small. Also, the radio stinks,too dim. Would I do it again. At this point, yes. You are cheating yourself if you do not look at this SUV.

Favorite Features

Leather, moon-roof,looks, fit and finish and hopefully long term reliability.

Suggested Improvements

Better radio. Bigger gas tank.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Initial impressions

Written by: city slicker on 10/03/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara XSport 4dr SUV 4WD (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

just bought mine so this quality/reliability rating is irrelevant. All the reviews suggest the only small X overs you can actually take off road are Subarus and the GV and the GV is incrementally better off road. That was my deciding factor, despite reliability concerns. Always owned Hondas which have been bullet proof. My X Sport has true 4X4 w/lower gearing. I wanted the 6 cylinder with its addtl off road capability, but they are sold out in my region. I NEEDED to buy, Suzuki has $3K rebate and Sept sales were awful so dealer was willing to deal so I decided not to wait for 2010s. The GV price was right, the interior is nice & it has some off road chops. we'll see about reliability.

Favorite Features

For an extra $1300, the X sport gives you sunroof, fog lamps, and true 4x4 with lower gears. Pretty hard to argue against.

Suggested Improvements

3 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Big Mistake

Written by: Jeff on 09/24/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara XSport 4dr SUV 4WD (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

We purchased this car thinking it would be as good and reliable as the Honda we traded in. Big mistake. After 6 trips to the repair shop and many telephone conversations to the customer relations department, the problems remain unfixed. The warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. We had problems from day 1. The dealer finally admitted there were problems but was not capable of fixing them so customer service sent us to another dealer. They are unable to fix them also. We have not been able to travel any distance all summer and we certainly would not carry our precious grand children in this unsafe car. Please learn from our experience and do not buy a Suzuki.

Favorite Features

Nice styling, fairly manuverable.

Suggested Improvements

Poor gas mileage, blind spots, very low quality car, seats do not recline enough, poor cargo capacity, high maintenance.

4 out 8 people found this review helpful

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2'nd suzuki

Written by: resp on 08/02/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara XSport 4dr SUV 4WD (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Getting 26.1 MPG in my first 3000 miles of mostly highway driving, pretty good for 4WD. I like the standard doohickeys, keyless entry, sunroof, 6 disk cd. Really good price, no competition from its competitors, especially with the 3000 incentive. Bought the SX4 last year, gave that to my daughter, upsized for more room for me.

Favorite Features

keyless entry, sunroof

Suggested Improvements

better interior storage, standard tire cover would have saved me buying one.

14 out 14 people found this review helpful

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Nice mini 4x4

Written by: Ammx on 07/09/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury 4dr SUV (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I like this vehiche very much, powerfull and strong made desing

Favorite Features

Exterior desing, dashboard, engine

Suggested Improvements

navi system like SX4

7 out 12 people found this review helpful

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Real off-roader

Written by: Alex Povolotski on 07/07/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Premium 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

The car is a real off-roader in its class. Off the pavement, it beats RAV4, HR-V, Santa-Fe, and probably MItsubishi (though I'm not sure about that one). Besides its off-road capabilities, it's nothing else. Nothing! It's not a road warrior despite of interior creature comforts. I love the interior and visibility a lot but darn it is noisy! It is the engine noise I'm talking about. You can't escape it, especially up the hill. It sounds like another second and the motor will explode out of the hood. You definitely have the feeling that the car is underpowered for its weight and the engine struggles a lot to pull all that weight up hill. Other than that, it's a decent car full of defects.

Favorite Features

Off-road capabilities.

Suggested Improvements

Get rid of the noise.

8 out 14 people found this review helpful

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My Second Suzuki

Written by: Soldme on 06/10/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

With only 15K on the vehicle I can't say much about reliability, but they got everything right the first time. I also have a 08 XL7 with 40K and neither has ever been to the shop xcept for routine maintenance. One of the first things I did was check out the 4x4 capabilities and I was surprised how well it did. My only complaint is not enough clearance and no skid plates. I have seen some complaints about gas milage but I am really happy with it. Although some x-overs may do better it does well for a true 4x4. I am doing better than most people will, ave. 23.5 this winter and 24.7 since the alcohol was removed for the summer. I do drive 95% highway miles. Overall I love it.

Favorite Features

Good visability, ease of parking, New 3.2 l V6, Stability control system actually works well. Nice flat cargo area.

Suggested Improvements

Electric seat adjustment More ground clearence and skid plates. Would like to see tire pressures not just a warning light.

13 out 15 people found this review helpful

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Previous Suzuki Grand Vitara Owner

Written by: leo56 on 05/21/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I purchased a 2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara with 120259 miles off the street. Well, I have to say that this vehicle from the start did not let me down. The performance was is fantastic, steering and driving has been an absolute joy especially on overdrive, it takes off like an airplane. I love the Suzuki Grand Vitara so much that I went out and purchased a 2009 model. It has everything I want in a small SUV with plenty to spare. I have not driven my new Grand Vitara yet, but my expectations are greater.

Favorite Features

Favorit features are the leather heated seats, on wheel stereo control, sunroof and the rear seats fold flat.

Suggested Improvements

The cargo space is small, but so is the vehicle. If I wanted more cargo room I would have opted for a larger SUV. The only accessory I am going to miss it the 2-wheel drive option. This is from a fan of the Suzuki Grand Vitara.

4 out 8 people found this review helpful

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Great authentic SUV

Written by: Jared on 04/29/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury 4dr SUV 4WD (3.2L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Great little SUV. I wanted a compact SUV that was an actual SUV not a crossover so I took a look at this vehicle. Interior materials and quality is top notch and its very comfortable to drive in. Heated seats warm up nice and quickly. Great styling.Engine is nice and peppy. Gauges are superb and easy to read. Brakes are good. Drives like its on rails even in snow.Very maneuverable in tight spots.Takes potholes without worrying about getting a flat tire. I bought the GV because of terrible roads in the winter and the potholes that only seem to spread more and more as well as for off road and towing.Gas mileage is not bad at all, averaging 20 mpg so far.Take a look at it you will like it.

Favorite Features

Looks, interior quality, 4 mode 4 wheel drive with hill climb and decent mode, peppy engine, good gas mileage for the weight, towing capacity, drives really solid, just right size, excellent value for the money.

Suggested Improvements

The cargo door and windshield washer fluid reservoir are on the wrong side. Offer a manual transmission with the v6, more storage cubbyholes. Standard aux jack for the stereo.

9 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Great ride!!

Written by: Rick on 04/28/2009

Vehicle

2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara XSport 4dr SUV 4WD (2.4L 4cyl 4A)

Review

I am glad we decided to buy this suv. The vehicle is very solid and fun to drive. The mileage in the city is around 21 mpg with the four cylinder that should improve with time. Seems to be a great value for the money. Take one for a test drive before you count this vehicle out.

Favorite Features

The looks of the vehicle and instrument panel layout. The four cylinder has plenty of power!!

Suggested Improvements

Put the rear door on the other side of the vehicle or make it open vertically like a hatchback. Give the Grand Vitara the option to run in just 2 wheel drive like the sx4 crossover would help save on fuel.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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