Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 Suzuki Vitara Ultra Mild Hybrid AllGrip
Price: Vitara from £27,299; Ultra AllGrip from £28,999
Engine: 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol mild hybrid
Transmission: six-speed manual, all-wheel drive
Power: 129hp
Torque: 235Nm
Emissions: 128g/km
Economy: 52.3mpg
0-62mph: 10.2 seconds
Top speed: 121mph
Boot space: 362 litres
Styling
If you looked at these pictures and wondered why we were driving a car that hasn’t changed since 2015, you can probably be forgiven. Suzuki’s updates have been minor at best, but they are evident if you look closely. A new grille design makes it feel very slightly more modern, while there are updates to the bumpers and the rear spoiler. There are new alloy wheel designs and new colours, too, but the changes haven’t made a huge difference overall. It’s not that the Vitara is ugly – it isn’t – but it isn’t exactly gorgeous, either.
Interior
The cabin has always been the Achilles heel of the Vitara, and for all Suzuki's efforts, that remains the case. Sure, there's a new touchscreen infotainment system that's much better than the one that went before, but everything is relative. It still doesn't feel especially modern, either in its graphics or the speed of its processor. At least you can connect your phone wirelessly and use the much more visually enticing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto technology.
But with that screen, analogue dials and the same hard "wipe-clean" plastics it had a decade ago, the Vitara's interior doesn't really feel like a product of the 2020s. That said, it's fairly ergonomic and though the material quality may not be brilliant, it does at least feel properly screwed together, which gives the impression it will last the course, no matter what you throw at it. If you're more interested in ruggedness than style or tactility, the Suzuki will be just fine, but if you want to feel a bit more cossetted on the road, you're going to want to look elsewhere.
Practicality
Although it's small, the Vitara is quite a practical thing. For starters, there's the wipe-clean interior, which will likely repel as many customers as it attracts, and the range topping Ultra versions' panoramic roof makes it feel light and airy in the cabin. Further back, there's a 362-litre boot with all five seats in use, which is only very slightly less than you'll get from a VW Golf, which is less capable off-road and has a bigger footprint. Rear cabin space is respectable, too, if not quite as impressive as the space in the back of the larger S-Cross.
Performance
As before, the Vitara is offered in mild- and full-hybrid forms, with the former getting a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine and the latter combining an electric motor with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. Since the Full Hybrid option has always been dreadful in both the Vitara and the S-Cross, we'd suggest sticking with the much perkier, much more user-friendly Mild Hybrid.
That does mean you're stuck with a manual gearbox, but it's a light and easy-to-use transmission that won't pose any problems. And it gives you a bit more control in slippery conditions. It also helps that 1.4-litre engine to be as economical as you'll ever need, managing more than 50mpg on the official economy test and achieving high 40s on a long motorway run. And that's despite our test car coming with Suzuki's AllGrip all-wheel-drive system.
Performance is a bit limited, as you'd expect from a 1.4-litre SUV with 129hp, but a 0-62mph time of around 10 seconds means it's powerful enough to keep up with traffic. You aren't going to feel as though you're struggling to merge on motorways, but overtaking might not always be the easiest of feats.
Ride & Handling
The Vitara is small and light, and it feels that way on the road. Were we talking that way about a sports car, that would be a good thing, but in the case of a compact SUV, it's somewhat less desirable. The Vitara's steering is alarmingly light and feel-free, which is fine in a car park or even when you're off-roading, but it's less appealing on a roundabout or a rural back road.
Similarly, there's little feel through the pedals, but you feel far too much through the suspension. What weight there is feels high above the road, so there's lots of lean in corners and it bobs about a bit on the road. It isn't even that comfortable, with suspension that manages to settle reasonably well on the motorway, but doesn't exactly cosset you at any speed.
Suzuki will, naturally, point out the Vitara's off-road capability, and there's some merit in that. If you get an AllGrip all-wheel-drive version such as this, it does feel like a slightly more civilised and less characterful Jimny, with seats that adjust properly and some mod-cons. And though it isn't quite as capable as the Jimny, it will do anything most customers will ask of it, dealing with muddy tracks quite happily.
Value
Value is one of the key tenets of the Suzuki offering, but the Vitara is not as well priced as it once was – at least not at first glance. At £27,299 for a basic Motion model, it’s only slightly cheaper than a Volkswagen Golf, and it’s more expensive than the more polished T-Cross and Taigo models. However, even that basic Vitara comes with a huge amount of equipment, including keyless entry and start, a reversing camera and a nine-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Automatic headlights, automatic air conditioning and satellite navigation are standard, too.
Move up to the more upmarket Ultra, which starts at £28,999, and you get the option of all-wheel-drive, as well as standard-fit 19-inch alloys, a panoramic sunroof and front parking sensors, as well as suede upholstery. For about the same money as a basic Golf – a car with only fractionally more boot space – it’s a pretty compelling list.
Verdict
Alongside its rivals, the Vitara looks pretty dated and unloved, but there is a very small niche into which it fits beautifully. For those after something more user-friendly than a Jimny, but still in need of a small 4x4, the Vitara will do the job fairly well, but only if you choose the all-wheel-drive mild-hybrid option tested here. In any other form, it makes no sense at all.
