Product attributes
The Suzuki Vitara is a series of SUVs produced by Suzuki in four generations since 1988. The second and third generation models were known as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, with the fourth and current series eschewing the "Grand" prefix. In Japan and a number of other markets, all generations have used the name Suzuki Escudo.
The original series was designed to fill the slot above the Suzuki Jimny. The first generation was known as Suzuki Sidekick in the United States. The North American version was produced as a joint venture between Suzuki and General Motors known as CAMI. The Sidekick was sold in various badges such as the Geo Tracker (Chevrolet Tracker beginning 1998 model year) in the United States, and as the GMC Tracker, Chevrolet Tracker, Asüna Sunrunner and Pontiac Sunrunner in Canada. It was also sold as the Santana 300 and 350 in Spain. In the Japanese market, it was also sold as the Mazda Proceed Levante.
The second generation was launched in 1998 under the "Grand Vitara" badge in most markets. It was accompanied by a still larger SUV known as the Suzuki XL-7 (known as Grand Escudo in Japan). The third generation was launched in 2005.
The fourth generation, released in 2015, reverted to the original name "Vitara" in most markets, but shifted from an off-road SUV towards a more road-oriented crossover style. It shares the platform and many components with the SX4 S-Cross, a compact crossover in a similar class.
The choice of the name “Vitara” was inspired by the Latin word “vita,” as in English word “vitality.” While the "Escudo" name is derived from the "escudo", the monetary unit of Portugal before adoption of the Euro.
First generation (ET/TA; 1988)
The Suzuki Escudo was first introduced in the Japanese domestic market in July 1988. North American Sidekick became available for model year 1989 as a 2-door convertible or hardtop. A fuel injected 80 hp (60 kW) 1.6-litre, 8-valve, four-cylinder Suzuki G16A engine was available on the JX and JLX. 1990 brought the deletion of the upscale JLX version. A carburetted version without a catalytic converter was available for some markets; this model produces 75 PS (55 kW) at 5250 rpm.
In August 1990, the Japanese market received a 16-valve G16B engine with 100 PS (73.5 kW) as well as an optional 4-speed automatic. At the same time, the commercial Van version was discontinued. Three months later a 5-door version with a lengthened wheelbase was introduced; it was sold as the "Escudo Nomade" in Japan. It was thought that the 5-door would overlap with the shorter 3-door in the market; instead, it appealed to a whole new segment and sales in the domestic Japanese market doubled as a result. 1991 brought the introduction of rear anti-lock brakes. European deliveries of the five-door version began in the summer of 1991.
Mazda Proceed Levante (Japan)
In December 1994, a 2.0 V6 (Suzuki's first six-cylinder) and a 2.0-litre Mazda-sourced turbodiesel were added; in return, Mazda got to sell the Escudo in the Japanese market as the Mazda Proceed Levante. A diesel option arrived in Europe in early 1996. In 1996 the Vitara received a facelift, which meant that the V6 was upsized to 2.5 litres while a 2.0-litre four-cylinder was slotted into the range. In Japan, the "Nomade" tag was dropped from the five-door Escudos. For the 1996 model year, Suzuki introduced the Suzuki X-90 which was mechanically identical to the Escudo/Vitara but had a much rounder body, a trunk, and removable T-bar roof. The Suzuki X-90 disappeared from Suzuki's lineup after the 1998 model year. The Sport variant was replaced by the Grand Vitara in 1999.
Second generation (FT/GT; 1998)
Suzuki announced the second generation model in November 1997. Slightly larger, more expensive, and more powerful, it used a light-duty automobile-type rack-and-pinion steering box instead of the recirculating ball truck unit used in the first generation. The three-door version remained in the mini SUV class while the five-door version moved up to a compact SUV. In most international markets the name "Grand Vitara" was adopted. In many markets it was originally only available with larger (two litres and up) engines while the earlier Vitara was still available with smaller engines. In the United Kingdom, a 1.6-litre Grand Vitara (the GV1600) arrived in early 2001.
The Vitara continued using Escudo name in Japan and Indonesia. Mazda also continued selling rebadged Escudo in Japan as Proceed Levante until 2000 when it was replaced by Mazda Tribute.
It received its facelift in 2000, 2002 and again in 2004. As of 2003, the smaller Suzuki Vitara has been withdrawn from the North American market. Sales were slow, with just 4,860 sold in 2004 for the United States. In Canada, sales were strong. All North American Vitaras were built at CAMI Automotive in Ingersoll, Ontario and in the Riverside facilities. The soft-top was only built in North America, with European export models assembled in Canada. The three-door wagon was brought in from Japan for European buyers and sold alongside the Canadian-made convertibles. The 2001 model Suzuki Grand Vitara comes standard as a 2.0-litre 4WD vehicle in New Zealand.
Third generation (JT; 2005)
An all new redesigned Grand Vitara (called Escudo in Japan or Grand Nomade in Chile) was introduced for the 2005 model year. The third generation received significant changes over the outgoing model. The ladder-frame construction was replaced with unibody construction which featured a unique built-in ladder frame to improve stiffness and ground clearance while also reducing the floor height. The outgoing model's front MacPherson strut suspension was retained while the rear solid axle was replaced with a fully independent multi-link suspension. Depending on the market, engine options included a 1.6L inline four (125 hp), 2.0L inline four (156 hp), 2.7L V6 (185 hp) and a 1.9L Renault-sourced diesel engine (127 hp).
The engine and transmission are longitudinally mounted unlike most front-wheel drive based compact SUVs in its class. Engines are available with either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission. The Grand Vitara is available in both rear-wheel drive only models (for the Australian market) or with a 4-mode all-wheel drive system.
The most widely available Escudo is the 5-door version, but a three-door version is also available in some markets such as in Japan, Australia, (parts of the) Middle East, New Zealand and (most of) South America. In some markets the three-door variant drops the "Grand" to be branded simply "Vitara". In some countries, including Chile the 5-door version is named "Grand Nomade".
A commonly held misconception is that the third generation Grand Vitara is related to the GM Theta platform. The two are completely unrelated and were developed separately by GM and Suzuki and share no components.
The 1.6 L M16A I4 (petrol) is available in the Base-spec 3-Door version in Japan, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Kuwait, Peru, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Base-spec 5-Door also has this engine in El Salvador. This engine is only available in conjunction with a 5-Speed Manual.
The 2.0 L J20A I4 (petrol) is available in the Base-spec 3-Door form in Uruguay. The Base-spec 5-Door version also has this engine in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Qatar, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Uruguay. This engine is only available with a 5-Speed Manual except for Bolivia and Qatar, where the 4×4 2.0 has a 4-Speed Automatic Transmission available. In Bangladesh, this is the only engine available (in conjunction with a 4-Speed Automatic and a 5-Door body).
Fourth generation (LY; 2015)
The fourth generation Vitara was presented first as "iV-4 concept" at 65th IAA Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013. The production model was unveiled at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Its production (by Magyar Suzuki) started in March 2015 and parallels with the third generation in Japan until 2019. The Vitara went on sale in Japan as the fourth generation Suzuki Escudo on 15 October 2015.
Unlike the previous generations, the all-new fourth generation model was changed from the traditional ladder frame SUV platform to a lightweight unibody platform, shared with Suzuki SX4 S-Cross. The engine position and layout also changed from longitudinal rear-wheel drive/all-wheel drive layout to transverse front-wheel drive/all-wheel drive layout. It is now a subcompact crossover SUV, with 140 mm (5.5 in) shorter wheelbase, 325 mm (12.8 in) shorter body, 85 mm (3.3 in) lower and 35 mm (1.4 in) narrower than the previous generation Grand Vitara, making the Vitara easier to drive on narrow roads and tight parking spaces. This new generation of Grand Vitara features a 5-speed manual transmission for the 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 6-speed manual transmission for the 1.6-litre diesel engine. A 6-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is also available for the 1.6-litre petrol engine. It has a luggage space of 375 l (VDA), expanding to 1160 l with rear seats folded.
Suzuki released a special version of the fourth generation Vitara called the Vitara S or Vitara Sport in some markets. The Vitara S features a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine "Boosterjet", which delivers 140 PS (103 kW; 138 bhp) and 220 N⋅m (162 lb⋅ft), 20 percent more power and 40 percent more torque over the standard 1.6-litre petrol engine. The engine, shared with the Suzuki SX4 S-Cross facelift 2017, is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission as standard. It was first available in 4WD "Allgrip" only until summer 2016 and after that again since 2017; starting with autumn 2016 the 2WD system is available for the S variant. The Vitara S also comes with several cosmetic changes over other Vitara trim levels including leather/suede sports seats with red stitching, aluminum sports pedals, red LED headlamp surrounds, distinctive five-slotted grille and black alloy wheels.
