Suzuki Vitara review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

As an all-seasons car, the four-wheel-drive version of the Vitara is a practical choice – it might not climb a mountain or cross a river like the Land Rover Defender, or even the old Vitara, but it’s perfectly capable of crossing a muddy field or finding traction on icy roads where two-wheel-drive cars would scrabble for grip.

The 2x4 versions are less versatile, but as with other crossover models you get a commanding, SUV-style view of the road ahead, and the greater fuel efficiency the 2WD system offers will outweigh the frequency that four-wheel drive will be needed.

It’s easy for drivers to get comfortable, thanks to the wide range of seat and steering wheel adjustment. There are large storage bins in the front doors, although the glove box is a bit on the small side.

Unlike previous Vitara generations there’s no three-door version, so all models are equally practical from the design point of view.

Size

Because it’s 125mm shorter overall (with a 100mm shorter wheelbase) than the SX4 S-Cross, the Suzuki Vitara doesn’t have the same amount of interior space, but it's still a spacious family car.

At 4,175mm long, 1,775mm wide and 1,610mm tall, the Vitara is a little bigger than the Nissan Juke (4,135mm x 1,765mm x 1,565mm) in all directions.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

The high-sided design means there’s lots of rear headroom. Legroom is generous enough for all but the tallest adults.

If you want to emphasise the feeling of space, you can opt for a panoramic roof with a large 560mm opening, although on our test car it suffered an irritating rattle (early test cars sometimes have this issue). The sunroof also has an impact on headroom in the rear seats – not an issue if you mainly carry children, but six-footers will find it a problem. 

Boot

The boot space of 375 litres (increasing to 1,120 litres with the rear seats folded) is 55 litres less than the S-Cross, but 21 litres more than its main rival, the Nissan Juke. 

It’s a well-thought-out shape – square, with a wide opening and a moveable boot floor creating a loading area that’s level with the boot lip, which also provides an area to store items out of sight.

Towing

The Suzuki Vitara has a modest maximum braked trailer towing capacity when compared to some of the larger SUVs and 4x4s out there. All models are limited to 1,200kg.