While the Vitara moniker has been featured on Suzuki SUVs since 1988 and still is today, the Grand Vitara name first appeared on a vehicle in 1998. This was the second generation of the popular Japanese SUV, however, Suzuki continued with the naming convention until the end of the third-generation Vitara.
Sales of the Grand Vitara halted in October 2019 locally, two years after the model was discontinued in Japan. This iteration of the Grand Vitara arrived in 2017 and was offered in two trim levels, Dune and Summit. Each trim could be had with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or 4-speed automatic transmission. All four derivatives came fitted with a 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine capable of 122 kW and 225 Nm of torque.
Related: Browse used Suzuki Grand Vitara models on AutoTrader here
Service & Warranty
Included in the purchase price of the Suzuki Grand Vitara is a 5-year / 200 000km warranty, a 6-year corrosion warranty and 3 years of roadside assistance. Furthermore, customers benefited from a 6-year / 90 0000km service plan with service intervals set at 15 000 km. Thus, if you are one of the customers that purchased a Grand Vitara in 2019, you should have a few years left on your warranty and service plan, provided you have not yet travelled more than the distances stipulated.
Reliability
The third-generation Suzuki Vitara, the last to be called the Grand Vitara, was mainly produced between 2005 and 2017, although limited production continued until 2019 for smaller markets such as South Africa. While this last Grand Vitara saw many updates applied throughout its lifespan, many mechanicals remained consistent.
With such an extended lifespan, it was difficult to find more modern consumer surveys for the Grand Vitara, however, we did manage to track down a JD Power report for the 2008 model-year Grand Vitara. As for the model's overall consumer rating, the Grand Vitara scored an impressive 78 out of a potential 100.
As for reliability, the Japanese SUV also scored impressively. The survey of any malfunctions, design flaws and the level of defects experienced by the owners of the engine and all the way to the infotainment system returned a score of 74 out of a potential 100.
Verdict
Based on the results reported in the model-specific JD Power consumer survey, it is safe to say that the Suzuki Grand Vitara is indeed a reliable vehicle. However, should you consider a used model, be sure to do a thorough inspection as the condition greatly depends on how the vehicle was used throughout its lifespan.
