The Suzuki Vitara may well be the car that is credited with creating the compact SUV segment, but against stiff competition from a new breed of crossovers and so called 'soft-roaders' its sales have flagged in recent times. Last year Suzuki only managed to shift 1,600 Vitaras, while in the same period Nissan sold nearly 46,000 Qashqais.

Suzuki is hoping that a new Special Edition model can go some way to reversing the trend. Dubbed the SZ-T the new car is based on the popular five-door 1.9 DDiS and is limited to just 500 units.

However, customers stumping up the £22,315 will have an easy job specifying their cars as Suzuki has effectively ticked all the option boxes for them. Standard equipment includes a new front grille, 18-inch alloy wheels, unique contrasting seat fabric, silver coloured roof rails and bonnet side vents, plus built in turn signal lamps for the door mirrors. Cruise Control and keyless entry and start are also included and for this special edition the spare wheel moves back to its tailgate mounting position.

The Euro 5 compliant 1.9-litre DDiS diesel engine has a power output of 127bhp and 221lb.ft of torque yet can return 41.5mpg on the combined cycle while emitting 179g/km CO₂.

The Suzuki Grand Vitara SZ-T is available to order now.

Paul Healy - 9 Jan 2012