Used Suzuki Vitara 2015-present review

For a brand with a long history of making rugged 4x4s, it took Suzuki quite a long time to jump on the small SUV bandwagon. Previous Suzukis of this size had been good, solid workhorses, but not necessarily adept at providing that pleasing blend of on-road refinement and family-friendly practicality that marks out the best cars in this class.

Enter the Suzuki Vitara. Upright, square-cornered and with plenty of air inside its wheel arches, it's aimed directly at the more high-rise, genuinely dual-purpose offerings among the new breed of small SUVs.

For the most part, it succeeds, and we think the Vitara is a genuinely competent car. It looks good, there’s the option of four-wheel drive (Allgrip) and the engine options are strong.

Engines: Buyers originally had a choice of three engines to propel the Vitara: 1.6-litre petrol and diesel units and a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol ‘Boosterjet’ engine, which is the most powerful engine in the range but was initially only available with four-wheel drive. After a 2019 facelift, the 1.6-litre diesel and petrol options were dropped and a turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol was added to the range, while the 1.4 Boosterjet was offered in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive forms with either an automatic or manual gearbox.

All the engines are eager and responsive, but the 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrols can be quite thirsty, while the diesel – the most economical of the line-up – can be gruff under acceleration.

Ride and handling: The Vitara drives well, too, and is certainly better than some of Suzuki’s earlier efforts. The compromise between ride and handling is well judged – it does both pretty well – and keen drivers will find the car surprisingly rewarding.

Interior and practicality: Inside, the driving position is good, as is visibility, and there’s a reasonable amount of space both front and back. The boot is a decent size, too. On the whole, the interior feels strong and solid, although the doors and tailgate feel and sound a little tinny and some of the interior plastics are a bit utilitarian. Quality was improved after the facelift, with the top part of the dashboard using some soft-touch plastics and a classier-looking instrument cluster.

Trims and equipment: The Vitara model range comes in SZ4, SZ-T, SZ5 and sporty S trim levels, but all are well equipped. The entry-level SZ4 gets air conditioning, cruise control, a DAB radio, electric windows, front foglights, USB and Bluetooth connectivity and 16in alloy wheels. Consequently, it doesn’t feel like a completely budget choice. We’d recommend seeking out the SZ-T trim, because it gets the integrated sat-nav and media system.

SZ-5 features lots of upmarket upgrades, including suede seat trim, LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof and adaptive cruise control, while the sporty S trim comes with stiffer sports suspension, black alloy wheels and sportier interior detailing.

Interested in buying a used Suzuki Vitara? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

Entrance to the Vitara club starts at around £7000, at the time of writing, for which you should be able to pick up a 2015 car with an average to high mileage with a full history from an independent dealer. Up the budget to £9000 for a 2015 car with a lower mileage, or an early 2016 car with a higher one. Spend £10,000 for a 2018 or 2019 car with all the right criteria: an average mileage, a full history and the backing of an independent or franchised dealer. A facelifted example from 2020 starts from £10,500. Spend between £12,000 and £15,000 on later cars from 2021 and 2022 and over £15,000 on 2023 and later models.

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MPG

If you seek out the diesel version, you’ll see it has official average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures of 70.6mpg and 106g/km (NEDC) in SZ-T trim, which are the best in the range. Add the Allgrip four-wheel drive and that drops to 67.2mpg and CO2 goes up to 111g/km. Of the two petrol engine options, the quicker 1.4 Boosterjet offers official average economy of 52.3mpg and a 127g/km CO2 output, while the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol without four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox returns 53.3mpg and 123g/km. Add four-wheel drive and the figures are less impressive at 49.5mpg and 131g/km.

After the facelift, all models were certified under the current WLTP fuel economy test, with figures that should be more achievable in the real world. The figures for the 1.4 petrol were revised to 48.7mpg for the standard car, while the automatic four-wheel drive dropped to 44.8mpg. If you need cheaper running costs, then the more efficient 1.0-litre petrol is the one to go for, with 53.2mpg.

Road tax

Any Vitara registered before 1 April 2017 will fall under a different road tax system from examples registered afterwards. Those registered after that date will be charged £180 a year.

Insurance, servicing and warranty

Insurance groupings for the Vitara are keen, ranging from 13 for the petrol 1.6s up to 22 for the 1.6 diesel with four-wheel drive.

Vitara service intervals are annual or after 12,500 miles. You can take out a Suzuki service plan on any Suzuki model up to six years of age and you can fix the cost of your parts and labour servicing for three years. You could also go for fixed-price servicing for examples over three years old. A fixed-price basic service costs £129, or £259 for the fixed-price Service+.

If you buy an approved used car from Suzuki, you'll get a 12-month warranty – as long as the vehicle isn't older than eight years old and doesn't have more than 80,000 miles on its clock.

The naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol is smooth and quite eager. It isn’t the cleanest engine around, though, and it doesn’t offer as much mid-range pulling power as some rivals’ smaller turbo engines. But it's the best compromise in terms of how much it costs to buy versus performance. With a turbocharger to boost power, the nippy 1.4-litre petrol is actually the best of all the Vitara’s engines. However, because it’s only available in high-spec trims and mostly with four-wheel drive, it’s more expensive to buy and run.

Choose the diesel if you plan on doing lots of miles. However, it's a bit too unrefined in everyday motoring to make it our first choice.

The entry-level SZ4 Vitara comes with pretty much all you'll need, but we'd still suggest stepping up to mid-range SZ-T trim for its easier-to-use infotainment system. Higher-spec SZ-5 examples are fine if you can find one for a similar price, but a bit of extra suede on the seats doesn't turn the Vitara into a luxury car, so it isn't worth the additional expense. Sporty S examples aren't as comfortable as other models, due to their bigger alloy wheels and stiffer suspension.

Our favourite Suzuki Vitara: 1.6 SZ-T

The Skoda Yeti is one of our favourites. From it chunky styling through to its broad range of efficient engines and go-anywhere ability, it’s one of the most practical and solid of all the SUVs. It’s spacious, has a big boot, is nice to drive and is affordable to buy and own.

The Kia Soul is an interesting and stylish alternative to the Vitara. It’s remarkably practical, for one, with a very spacious interior, as well as being good to drive, more so in its later form, and reasonably cheap to buy and run. It certainly cuts a dash in this class.

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Interested in buying a used Suzuki Vitara? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.