Suzuki Malaysia Automobile (SMA) unveiled the refreshed Suzuki Grand Vitara this afternoon at Empire Subang. Introduced in Japan in July this year, this is actually the third version of the third-generation Suzuki Vitara. The Grand Vitara has been around in its present form since 2005, getting a mild facelift in 2008.
This latest refresh sports a more obvious facelift than the 2008 model, with a new front bumper and grille being the main clues. Looks more premium to these eyes, especially with the new Gaia Bronze Pearl Metallic colour and new design 17-inch wheels.
No changes to the rear, which continues to have the prominent spare wheel housing that’s almost extinct these days. Another unique Vitara feature is of course the sideways-opening rear hatch.
The Vitara’s front bumper under garnish is now made of SSPP (Suzuki Super Polypropylene), which the company claims is lighter and remains unpainted to make scratches less noticable.
Inside, the Grand Vitara’s tidily arranged cabin gets new seat fabric and door inserts.
No mechanical changes other than the inclusion of what Suzuki calls “brake override system”, which was also added to the facelifted SX4. It basically gives priority to the brake pedal when both it and the accelerator pedal are depressed at the same time. So, the car will stop in a “sticky gas pedal” situation.
Otherwise, the built-in ladder frame Grand Vitara is powered by the familiar J20A 2.0 litre engine with 138 horses (not 104 PS as stated in the brochure) and 183 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, paired to a four-speed automatic gearbox.
The Grand Vitara 2WD is rather unique in having a rear-wheel drive layout, as opposed to the usual FWD. Note that the engine is mounted longitudinally as well.
The Suzuki Grand Vitara, which is imported CBU from Japan, is priced at RM121,100 on-the-road with insurance. Live gallery from the event is after the jump.
nothing impressive!!!!! f**k
Nonsense, You have no idea and dont understand about technology ,FYI I own Honda but I admire Suzuki cars since I see Grand vitara first model . You dont unnderstand what is ART .
Regards – prodigy Joe
of coz must admire.. SUZUKI is a entity owned by VW :)
Suzuki was never a part of VW. They had a partnership once, but even that is no longer in effect.
I napak ada Wings d, Good look always from Jepun. Well done
do own a vitara? quite interested with vitara bcause of its price. hehehe.
OMG…”ART”….COme on…this is car…
this mohan guy is actually staff from Suzuki itself, whatever happen to sense of pride for your own company product?
the power output is low for a 2.0. Only 138hp and 183Nm is too low for a car this size. for that output, it is equivalent to a 1.8 engine. this seriously sucks…
That is an old engine. Nothing cutting edge about it.
for a suv yep quite low. good price for a suv..but i heard it’s underpowered right?
Weaker than a normal 2.0L petrol engine introduced in year 1998.. That’s almost 15 years back!
Furthermore, the above engine was ‘retired’ almost 3 years ago (in 2010).
Suzuki give the ‘new’ G Vitara an engine that is older than old! WTH.
Isn’t that the Proton boss in the picture? Talk about conflict of interest…how do you manage a national car company and then root for a Japanese brand trying to win market share from Proton? Only in Malaysia…
whether the suzuki or the proton sell well, the money still will be inside the same pocket..
You do realise he’s the boss of DRB-Hicom, right?
It actually still looks good considering it was introduced around 7 years ago. And especially if compared with something like the Nissan X-Trail.
anything is more beautiful then the x-trail.
Yup…previously can say Ssangyong is the champion. Now Ssangyong also better than x-trail.
Price actually not bad for CBU Japan made SUV.
Just imagine, the price is much lower than Korean models yet it doesn’t sell well. That shows how terrible it is.
And I hate the rear sideways opening.
dont blame the brand/car. blame our perception. just slap T or H logo..sure the price not going to be cheap and sales number will be escalate quickly.
Freelander 2 baby’s version
It’s basically a Diskette in a Thumbdrive world…
thumbdrive in cloud storage
a good car, but aged. should come out with new model, not facelift….
Suzuki in Japan is bleeding. Losses and also pulling out of US market. How do you expect them to come out with new model when they dont even have money? Of course la must faclift!
so long in the market already why not come up with new one..what happened la Suziku
tucson is better
I think the power goes solely to the back wheels, not the front.
Yes, you’re right bout that :)
Suzuki is the cheapest SUV at malaysia, can,t compare with crv level interm of cabin size. Price on 121k is definately not cheap as there is nothing inside the Suzuki can offer. If top up about 25k can get a 3008 which offer a lot of goodies including the ESC which is lack on Suzuki and mostly all jap car.
25k is still a rather considerable amount of difference, even if it’s within this kinda price range.
25k banyak woi!
looks dated
The Suzuki has definitely aged well, but it has aged nonetheless
Although Mazda CX5 is a 20k premium , I think is worth pushing for it ….
Um, I’m still waiting for the new Swift, guys…
at kastam already … nicer in real life.
Nice vehicle.. too bad the ride is bumpy for rear passengers. Sat in one before (pre-facelift model).
The vitara does not look that overly dated, the only exception being the rear tailgate with the mounted spare tyre.
Since its launch, the car aged well into newer markets, it has this timeless bold design that fits well into 2012, a unique design compared to the sea of ‘organic’ shape cars these days. It just looks tougher and capable. And the price, still not cheap but a completely CBU japan model for just a tad over 120k.
If only the xtrail was in this price category, people will mot mock it as much.
Sharp and boxy design to me, usually aged better than organic or fluidic shape cars. This are all personal opinion but take for Exp: the W214 Mercedes E class aged better now than the newer W210 E class, the E36 BMW 3 series still looks modern today when compared to the newer E46 or even the E90 ,Or Peugeot 205 of the 80s laged better than a 00s 206
VW design chief said when defending the new mk7 Golf design that exegerated and over design can easily be outdated .clean simple lines are the way to go. Take for example. In my personal opinion the new Sonata and Tucson is starting to show its age while the last gen Camry still looks fine running with newer cars.( current gen is ugly & uninnovative) .cars in the 80s still look the part in the modern traffic.
look nice
The Suzuki Vitara is a rugged looking compact SUV breaking away from car like design of CRV and Sportage. Just shame there is no AWD and more equipments. Other wise this will be a great contender for those looking for Affordable SUV with rugged traditional looks but car like handling. I my self like this car but it term me down in terms of features. Instead I went for the new Kia Sportage AWD…because of its value for money and features…sorry Suzuki.
But if tomorrow the world going to end, this is the car u wanted to drive compare to all the other u all had mentioned (5008, CRV, TUCSON …) none of them is as capable as a Vitara when come to off-road… If u really know about cars , then u will know what i mean…. ps: Crv and tucson look really not badf, but they cant go off-road at all… if u happened to own 1 of them, try , just try to drive into sandy beach… they will dig the sand instead of moving…
Hi Danny ….
If u look at the interior Pic (brochure picture) at the Centre Console there is a knob under the Fan Control.. i recon its the 2WD or 4WD selection knob … if Suzuki have this … why don’t they bring this version in …
The 4WD version is costlier, and SMA could be thinking that not many potential buyers need it
bring in S-CROSS please!!!!
Hv driven this car 4 yrs now n still luving it….say whatever rubbish u want but this car drives trouble free so far…maintenance cost is so friendly to yur pocket…monthly instalment is low…4-speed tranny is not a big fuss…it moves smoothly without a fuss…the rest up there just luv complaining but they know nuthin about the car….talk is cheap bro!
Agree but the fuel consumption is a bit on the high side. Anyhow, will be keeping this 4WD lady as no current alternative can match it’s value in a ‘part city, part offroad’ currently on offer. Pity the are no longer offering the 4WD version.
Perhaps they could offer the 1.9litre diesel 4WD version. That would really be interesting.
it’s REAR wheel Drive baby!
Sorry, the Suzuki Grand Vitara interior looks dated…..
Suzuki makes very good cars. Small company but passionate abt their products.
Rmbr suzuki jimny, the old vitara? Plenty of them those days on oir roads. Built tough and simple. Designed for life.
I used to drive a swift..wow really an excellent car. It will always be a benchmark for me personally of how small cars priced below say rm75000 are supposed to be made and drive.
Its a pity majority of Malaysians prefer h or t no matter what competitors offer. Especially the young ah bengs and typical uncles who dont actually know abt cars but only rsv.
*Avh above now at least research more abt cars before condemning non jap makes, quoting vw’s ceo in design language.
Suzuki are long-lasting cars … just see the old Vitaras, let’s talk about CBU and not CKD or ASEAN-built cars. If you are one of those who owns a car for 10-20 years, Suzuki comes next to Toyota.
Fuel consumption maybe a tad off, but the engines are built to last.
I used to drive the original Grand Vitara, but it was a UK spec V6 though. Very comfy, pretty spacious, quiet engine that rumbles the V6 sound when pushed, pretty good fuel consumption, maintenance – wise ain’t too expensive either, but like all tall cars, rolls a wee bit if driven hard lol. Overall, I’d say it’s a good buy for a small family, and it’s CBU to boot! The new one looks good!
All new Sportage much more worth it!!
It still looks nice after all these years. However, Suzuki should have come up with a new engine, which should be more powerful yet fuel efficient, and not to mention the 4 speed auto…
Vitara is the real SUV….tuscon, crv, pug 3008 r pussies…
Lemme guess, u own a vitara.
Ya right, The new Vitara would be spinning its wheel trying to gain traction going off road. All the CRV,Tucson….would go on with its awd system. Who’s the pussies now? Why would you buy a SUV with no awd? So pointless and waste of money. Now that’s a girly SUV to me. A sedan with AWD is more manlier.
I own one and it’s great. Comfy (but not at the back), smooth ride and affordable (last time was RM116k). Too bad they don’t bring the V6 engine here in Malaysia, probably to cut cost. The GV does has a no-rear-spare tyre version, but maybe they’ve got some issues on how to keep them inside / below the car.
To me it’s kinda silly to have this facelift version just to get a new front bumper and grille that cost RM4k more. Better get the previous version that cost RM7k less (113k), since everything is the same.
Good News for me! ..The new facelift G Vitara looks great! Price is considered cheap for d CBU model from Japan,and its a rear wheel drive. Most important is within my budget and I’m looking for SUV in next year. I think I will buy you- New Facelift Suzuki Grand Vitara !
No more Suzuki for me! Damn expensive to maintain once the warranty is OVER !!!!!
Exterior design is safe-basic. Interior is, like the other commenter said, dated. But the price may appeal to some. Have to see in in metal and test-drive to find out if it’s good value for money.