Now that the Toyota RAV4 and Land Rover Freelander have entirely abandoned the three-door four-wheel drive niche, Suzuki remains the sole contender. The company's latest three-door diesel Grand Vitara 4X4 is more compact than its five-door counterpart, but will offer the same 1.9-litre powerplant for low-end grunt and frugality.

Suzuki claims the three-door Grand Vitara 1.9 DDiS will be more capable off the beaten path than its petrol-powered siblings, owing to a centre differential lock and low-range four-wheel drive to enhance the permanent four-wheel drive system. The system includes four different off-roading modes, selected via a dash-mounted rotary switch.

The Renault-supplied 1.9-litre intercooled and turbocharged engine will also inevitably boost performance off-road. It is said to produce 127bhp at 3750rpm with 221lb.ft of torque on tap at 2000rpm - ideal for low-speed lugging. The powerplant is mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

A unique monocoque body, built atop a stiff ladder-frame chassis in typical off-roader fashion, translates to a 90kg lower kerb weight for the three-door, ensuring the car will be more agile and nimble through rough terrain. The weight savings also enable the engine to return a claimed 38.2mpg on the Combined Cycle (over the five door's 36.7mpg), and betters the five door's CO₂ rating by 10g/km - at 195g/km.

Though barely 65mm shorter, the three-door has a 200mm shorter wheelbase, which will certainly enhance off-road prowess and manoeuvrability, but will make for a more constrained interior as well, particularly at the rear. Boot capacity is 184 litres with the rear seats up (down 214 litres from the five-door Grand Vitara's 398-litre capacity) and holds a maximum of 516 litres (compared to 758 litres) with the rear seats down.

A MacPherson strut and coil spring suspension is employed at the front while a multi-link coil spring setup suspends the rear axle. The ventilated front disc brakes are conversely mated to an antiquated drum setup at the rear, though the car is fitted with ABS.

Equipment levels are on a par with other Grand Vitara models and include air conditioning, front electric windows, an audio system with steering wheel-mounted controls, tilt adjustable steering, heated and folding door mirrors, theft deterrent immobiliser, alloy wheels and front fog lamps.

Following on from the larger five-door's four-star Euro NCAP safety rating for adult occupant protection and three-star rating for child occupant protection, the three-door Grand Vitara also includes its sibling's front, side and curtain airbags for front seat occupants, and curtain airbags at the rear.

The 1.9 DDiS three-door joins the Grand Vitara line-up along its 1.6-litre three-door, 2-litre five-door and 1.9 DDiS five-door counterparts from April, priced from £14,999.

Eric Gallina - 27 Mar 2007