The rear seats offer generous foot-, knee- and headroom and prove comfortable for longer trips. The 60/40 split seat backs fold down. The rear seats also tilt forward, and in so doing reveal a large cargo area of nearly 2,000 litres. That’s almost as much as the RAV4 or CR-V – which are both longer and wider than the Grand Vitara.
Practical yet awkward rear door
The car’s main handicap remains its large rear door, which opens towards the sidewalk. A lot of space is needed behind the Grand Vitara to fully open the door. What’s more, when you park the SUV on a city street, it actually blocks your access to the sidewalk. A hatch/tailgate combo, as seen on the Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda Element, is still the most practical solution here.
All the variants of the Grand Vitara, from the humblest to the swankiest, feature the same passive security devices: front and side airbags, side curtain airbags as well as traction control and electronic stability control systems. The user-friendly four-wheel disc brakes also feature an ABS system that’s not at all intrusive.
The question is, do I go for the V6 JLX or V6 JLX-L? In this case, the L designates one, and only one, difference: leather. Both share the same 18-inch aluminum wheels and sophisticated stereo system that will surely please the music-loving driver. All in all, the L and its leather perches will set you back a meagre $1,000 extra. In the end, it comes down to personal taste.
Practical yet awkward rear door
The car’s main handicap remains its large rear door, which opens towards the sidewalk. A lot of space is needed behind the Grand Vitara to fully open the door. What’s more, when you park the SUV on a city street, it actually blocks your access to the sidewalk. A hatch/tailgate combo, as seen on the Mitsubishi Outlander and Honda Element, is still the most practical solution here.
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| Access to the cargo area is via a large rear door that opens from left to right – and effectively blocks your path to the sidewalk. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |
All the variants of the Grand Vitara, from the humblest to the swankiest, feature the same passive security devices: front and side airbags, side curtain airbags as well as traction control and electronic stability control systems. The user-friendly four-wheel disc brakes also feature an ABS system that’s not at all intrusive.
The question is, do I go for the V6 JLX or V6 JLX-L? In this case, the L designates one, and only one, difference: leather. Both share the same 18-inch aluminum wheels and sophisticated stereo system that will surely please the music-loving driver. All in all, the L and its leather perches will set you back a meagre $1,000 extra. In the end, it comes down to personal taste.
2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L V6
2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara JLX-L V6
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