written by Thaddeusk436 on 21/03/2014
The best ever vehicle I ever had....had BMW X5, Merc ML 350, Lexus RX 350...Toyota Rav 4, Kluger, Mazda Tribute & CX9, VW Golf...and Holden Astra, & Ford Focus...they are all NO WHERE NEAR TO THIS...specially on Reliability, Drivability & Usability... Best Well Wishes! Suzuki... Dr. David W.
written by on 29/03/2012
Rat tot, nhin cang lau thay cang dep. tien loi cho dia hinh Ca Mau
written by CHUNHUANG on 01/01/2012
my father bought this car about 14 years in this many years ago it just like a new one ,never got any engine problem or anything problem. so overall, vitara is the great car in the world ,excellent performance ,nice interior ,cool and strongly exterior ,low machinery repair ,power noise like a supercar ,higher off road performance ,more comfortable and more i love this car i very very love this car . suzuki vitara i will keep you forever and love you forever . thx all suzuki vitara fans and lover . GIVE ME FIVE TO VITARA ! YEAH HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL
written by on 04/06/2010
This is my second vitara, I had a '92 (k) plate 3dr soft top before this for a year which i loved to bits but couldn't fit all my work gear in so it had to go. I bought a 5dr 16v instead as couldn't stand the thought of getting a crappy boring escort or something similar (no offence to any escort owners) This is alot better than my prvious alround, alot quieter on the road but having 10" wide wheels so not too good for off road (Better than expected though)
The ride is good, space is good, looks stunning with its fat boy kit, respray, blacked out rear windows etc. and also great fun in the wet ;) it's done 76k and haven't had to spend a penny on it ecxept for fuel, which isn't great at 25mpg but not too bad cosidering. can't speak highly enough of it and would deffinately recomend to anyone. esspecially as all modern cars are built from 1 mould! (no offence again) cheers
written by on 06/05/2009
Live in South Africa I have a 1.6 16v JLX 5 door with 280 000km on the clock 1994 model and she is in mint condition, and 4x4 used often, soft sand and mud driving.
We use the car every day still, and still a pleasure to drive, in traffic or on highway, still think it was money well spent.
Low on maintenace and ok feul consumption average 10.5 km/pl highway, 9km/pl in town and 6.2km/pl in 4x4
Not bad for a 4x4.
written by on 01/04/2009
The Suzuki Vitara 1.6 is a good looking car and drives great. mines got automatic
written by superwomble63 on 05/10/2007
Keep the vehicle serviced. Change oil and filter every 6000m and more importantly change the HT leads every 9000 miles.
written by billiam on 02/09/2006
My Suzuki Vitara 1.6 LWB JLX 5 door is a 1995 model so it is old but it looks a lot nicer than the new Grand Vitaras in my opinion. It looks more rugged and more like a proper off-roader, which it is. It is quite fast on the road and doesn't drink petrol compared to other 4X4's. The front seats are comfortable and roomy. The small size means it is easy to maneuver around towns, down country lanes and into tight parking spots. It will hardly ever brake down as the engine is simple and mechanically sound. I would recommend this Suzuki Vitara 1.6 LWB JLX 5 door car to anyone who wants a car which will go off road but is also ok on it. It will never stand up to the luxury of other 4x4's but you don't want luxury if you have a pair of wet dogs and muddy boots. Its small size may put you off but you can fit most things in it.
written by mezo on 02/08/2006
This is an all round good, reliable car. I drive my 1.6 16v 3dr grand vitara in Ethiopia. It is perfect! I can still burn the taxis off at the traffic lights, and drive offroad when the traffic is bad. I have not had one thing go wrong yet. On the motorways i can easly cruise at 140kph without the engine getting noisy. The 1.6 engine roars, I still cant get over the fantastic sound it makes. When I looked into the car I was imagining a small, slow and uncomfortable 4x4. But no, each rear seat measures 70cm wide and are very comfey for long distance. The car is also full of little pouches and drawers. It took me a few weeks to find them all. But it just kept on getting better. Last week we had some very heavy rain and a few of the roads were flooded. As my car was petrol it had no worries about drowning the engine. But I certainly wasn't expecting to drive through 40cm of water at 65kph. I would recommend buying one of the more expensive models with aircon, although the controls are ancient sliding levers, the aircon is better than in the new ford focus's. At mid-day I drive to the gym, it sometimes reaches 38c and the amazing aircon keeps the cab cool at 18c throughout my journey. People often advertise this car as being "fun". I think this is an insult to suzuki, the vitara is a serious offroader, and has endless capabilities both on road and offroad.
written by Darryl1980 on 19/01/2006
Overall the Suzuki Vitara is an excellent car, it makes some newer cars seem unreliable. Nothing major has ever gone wrong with this car (I knew the previous owner who has had it since new) just general servicing that has been carried out. A fun 4x4 and I would reccomend this vehicle to anyone. This car regularly tows trailers and although breathless on long hills is a real work horse. Fuel economy not too bad at about 25mpg.
written by wideboy. on 14/04/2003
We have a 1992 JLX which has done 50k miles, bought from a main agent. The fuel tank rusted through and had to be replaced. The wheel arches are rusting badly, the rubber surround on the windscreen is pulling away from the body. The electric window switches failed. The central door locking switches failed. The multi purpose light/horn/indicator switch has failed. The tailgate handle broke. We have experienced the battery completely discharge for no apparant reason on four occasions( no we didn't leave the interior light on)
The vehicle is unmanageable in the slightest fall of snow. The handbrake won't hold the vehicle on a slight rise with a loaded trailer on the back
Written on: 11/07/2005
I'm not 100% sure, but I've got a feeling with a combination of the age and the low mileage, that this Suzuki was a second car, has only been taken out in wet weather and then stored wet in a closed garage for a long time or until the next down pour. This would account for the rust and the drying out of windscreen rubbers etc etc. Whatever, the problems all point to poor maintenance on the part of the previous owners/owner.
written by Nick. on 14/02/2003
I have always thought of Vitaras as a little 'hairdressery' and of 4x4s in general as unnecessary on British roads until I saw a 2000 model Vitara 4u2 in a local car dealers. For some reason I had to have a look at this black and silver spotless example. I asked for a test drive, still dont know why, and was very pleasantly suprised by this car, excellent driving position and it came with both hardtop and soft tops. I purchased the car for £6500, 14k on the clock and truly unmarked, I have owned the car for a few months now and it is faultless, the 4 wheel drive proved a revelation in the snow we had recently and in short I would recommend this car to anyone, puts a smile on your face whenever you drive it and the only thing that will tempt me away from this car is the new model Grand Vitara, but for now the Suzuki is very much part of the family, buy one you wont regret it!
written by barry. on 16/11/2002
I bought this 94 suzuki escudo 9 months ago and it has been running perfectly. As it is a five door it is extremely practical and doesn't cost the earth to run. I can't recommend this jeep enough!
Written on: 14/04/2003
We can never get it passed a garage...20MPG is good???? and an Escudo.. not in the U.K. mate.....
Written on: 07/12/2003
This mirrors my findings with a 1996 Escudo bought with 82,000 kms on the clock.
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<br>Very reliable, good economy 28 to 32 MPG (converted) a great little car and brilliant off road in the steep mountains where I live (Middle Earth) New Zealand
written by AG. on 22/08/2002
Bought this 1997 Suzuki Vitara Christmas 2001 at well below book price as a very high miler. It had 115,000 on the clock with full service history. Took it for MoT test (UK stringent annual vehicle test) expecting to have to carry out work, and to my amazement it passed straight away. Have contacted last owner and this car is on the original clutch and exhaust system would you believe! - and still, at 118k runs quite faultlessly. To switch to 4x4 you have to turn front hub locks manually (unlike my other car a Vauxhall Frontera 4x4 with Autolock hubs). I greatly enjoy the 4 electric windows, light PAS steering, electric sunroof etc. Even the back seats just partially fold forward to accommodate boxy loads without fully folding down. This car looks and feels like new and very pleased indeed. Not a motorway vehicle - but around towns and lanes a very useful machine. Not the usual ladder chassis design, but nevertheless still quite substantial.
Written on: 28/09/2002
Vitara's do have ladder chasis.
Written on: 29/11/2003
So it's now a year on, and the Vitara is still up and running well into 100k+ Still not had to replace the exhaust system nor clutch, in fact have only spent on service items and given it lots of TLC. We are deliberately 'downtrading' ourselves with our two 4x4s at present (97 Vitara and 96 Frontera) - one thing they still both look and work so well, another thing is that we've got better things to spend on these days than having a flashy 1 or 2 year old car on the drive! Must say though that if we'd had the usual hatchback/estate type cars for so long I'd have expected a lot more wear and tear. So possibly the RIGHT CHOICE of 4x4 will last you longer than conventional vehicles - although of course fuel costs are higher (plus servicing if you don't DIY), insurance, tyres etc. What's the right choice 4x4? Well, I'm not picking up that hot potato!! But I'd simply say do not assume the 'originals', i.e. Jeep and Landrover to be any better (or even as good) as some of the other alternatives. Try: http://www.carsurvey.org/
Written on: 11/11/2002
Never said Vitaras didn't have a ladder chassis did I? I said: "not the usual ladder chassis design". Vitara ladder chassis much lighter than Frontera, Discovery, Isuzu etc. A different type of design - straight beam chassis, whereas others mentioned are a heavy contoured chassis. Still a highly rigid design.
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Girlydriver.'s Response to 88857_wideboy.'s Review
Written on: 17/07/2003
have also had problems with window electrics - located fuse but cant work out where the break in powere is -did you manage to sort them yourself or did it cost you a lot of dosh. thanks.