• Currently only available with mild-hybrid engine
• Performance isn’t exactly sparkling
• But Vitara is light and fun to drive

Petrol engines

The Suzuki Vitara is currently only available with a single petrol engine, a 1.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged unit that Suzuki amusingly calls Boosterjet. You’ll notice a Hybrid badge on the back, but it’s actually only a mild-hybrid system that provides a slight boost to fuel economy.

It’s this engine that was fitted to Gareth Evans’ long-term test car and it’s fair to say he was a fan. He said: ‘I absolutely adore this 1.4-litre Boosterjet engine. It may only have 130hp [and 235Nm of torque] but the way it delivers it – smoothly in an almost linear fashion thanks to the cocktail of turbocharging and mild-hybrid technology – makes it hugely appealing for those who enjoy driving.’

Right now, the engine only comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, though an automatic was available in the past – good to know if you’re looking for a used Vitara. Front-wheel-drive is standard, but you can upgrade to four-wheel-drive, which Suzuki calls AllGrip. 0-62mph takes a smidge under 10 seconds whichever powertrain you opt for.

If you are shopping for a used Vitara, there are several other petrol engines you’ll come across. They are the 120hp, non-turbo, four-cylinder 1.6 VVT; the 110hp, three-cylinder, turbocharged 1.0 Boosterjet; and the 140hp, non-hybrid 1.4 Boosterjet found in the sporty Vitara S. These engines were available with various combinations of manual and automatic gearbox, and front- or four-wheel-drive. The 1.6 VVT is a good all-rounder that’s reasonably efficient, the 1.4 Boosterjet is rather amusing.

Diesel engine

The current generation of Vitara was available for a while with a DDiS diesel engine. That engine was a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged motor based on a Fiat design that produced 120hp. It’s quite a good engine in Fiats, but it became rough and noisy in the Vitara. Quite slow, as well.

On the plus side, it’s 320Nm of torque is good for towing (its towing capacity is 1,500kg), and it can return very good fuel economy. But, if you need a diesel small SUV, we’d steer you towards the Dacia Duster or Citroen C3 Aircross.

Hybrid engines

Another type of used Vitara you might come across is the self-charging hybrid. Rather than lean on its partnership with Toyota, Suzuki developed its own hybrid tech, combining a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a relatively low-power electrical system and an automated manual gearbox.

The result isn’t very impressive. The electric motor has just 33hp, so it’s not particularly keen to power the car for long periods, as some rival systems will. As a whole, the system has a fairly puny output of just 115hp and very little torque, so even though the Vitara doesn’t weigh much, acceleration is leisurely and noisy.

Worse still is the automated manual gearbox, which clunks through changes and is very sluggish to respond.

In fact, it’s so bad that we’d recommend you avoid the hybrid Vitara altogether and get a Toyota Yaris Cross or Honda HR-V if hybrid is what you want.

What’s it like to drive?

• Light weight means fun handling
• Ride quality is pretty good
• Capable off-road with 4WD

It’s no hot hatchback, but Suzuki knows how to make a neat-handling car and the Vitara doesn’t disappoint on the road. The suspension is relatively unstressed as it doesn’t have much weight to handle, so while the Vitara has a firm edge over sharp bumps it deals with bigger crests and compressions pleasantly.

There’s little in the way of body roll and the steering’s light, if not as precise as some rivals such as the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq. Still, the Vitara feels nimbler than plenty of rivals and you can even have a bit of fun with it in Sport mode, which sharpens the throttle response and backs off the steering assistance.

The car’s handling talent is best shown in the old Vitara S, a sporty little number that felt to us a bit like a tall Ford Fiesta ST from the behind the wheel. Regardless, the aforementioned Puma still rules the roost in the small SUV class when it comes to driver engagement.

Traction is good in Allgrip four-wheel drive models which push power from the front wheels to the rear when it detects slip. Snow mode uses four-wheel drive by default on low-friction surfaces, and Lock mode can extract you from a sticky situation (sand, mud or snow for example).

The Vitara may look like a typical road-biased SUV, but it can go pretty much anywhere. Gareth Evans subjected the Vitara to an off-road trial during his long-term test and came away impressed, saying: ‘It never once failed to proceed. It wrestled its way out of every scenario I could find.’ Among the many other small SUVs, only the Dacia Duster betters the Vitara’s off-road ability.