Fabulous vehicle - usually change car after 2 years no way will I part with my vitara this time round.

I've now owned a Suzuki Grand Vitara 2000 for 3 years, I normally change my car every 3 years buying an ex-demonstrator to save money on the new list price, this year how ever I shall keep this car and buy a new one for my wife instead.

It's been a real work horse, being used to carry building materials and rubbish as we've renovated our home over the last years.

People moan about Chelsea tractors and them being pointless, the Grand Vitara is actually a cleaner vehicle then many executive cars on the road and has a smaller footprint then many other cars, including people carriers that also clog the school run.

The 4X4 also comes in useful, living in the country we often have to pull over to pass other cars, having 4x4 we can pull right over on to verges with out the fear of being getting two wheels stuck or damaged by a passing motorist who doesn't know how wide their car actually is, only yesterday this happened with the rear wheel off the road and spinning uselessly, all it took was to slip the car in to four wheel drive, drive back on to the road and away we went. Being a five door there's also plenty of room in the back with the seats up for my 3 working English Springers Spaniels, the four wheel drive copes will with deep mud even with road tires on, and the car goes well off road.

OK, the Suzuki doesn't have the street cred that Land Rovers have, but then they cost three times more and at the end of the day most of then like the Suzuki's never go off road seriously.

I do not do many miles compared to your average rep and cannot really find any major faults with the Suzuki Grand Vitara 2000. It's a great family car and whilst people attach the "Chelsea tractor" label to these such cars, it is usually because they haven't owned one. I feel far safer in this vehicle than I did in my previous cars and as I have a young family this is an important factor.