Suzuki Grand Vitara or Kia Sportage
Pierre Brousseau
receive opinion from people who own one
Thanks
Pierre
Someone
I was looking at the Grand Vitara, and it is a very good little truck.
I was looking for better traction in the winter.
The GV looks like a great little truck but what started to bother me was
that it was normally a REAR WHEEL drive, and you have to shift to 4WH or
4WL. It also did not come with a limited slip differential on the rear,
another down side.
I guess it all depends what you want to use it for. Išve heard only good
things about the GV.
After looking at other models I decided I am going with the 2001 Toyota
RAV-4. AWD and LSD.
Good Luck
In article <B0yu5.1371$y%.44198@wagner.videotron.net>, "Pierre Brousseau"
Miles Hufford
corporate problems which result in cutting corners. Have you looked at
the Isuzu Amigo? For 2001 it will be called the Rodeo Sport. I have a
1999 Amigo soft top now and love it. I got the 205hp V6 which is
extrememly quick for a small SUV. That V6 is by far the most powerful
engine in any mini-suv.
jefflea
just dont pull in the dirt....
landrover disco excellent
Pierre Brousseau <brousse...@videotron.ca> wrote in message
news:B0yu5.1371$y%.44198@wagner.videotron.net...
me here
on and off road and it was around 22k for a nicely equipped 4.0l auto
4x4 rig......brand new just for your info....
me
On Mon, 11 Sep 2000 17:24:17 +0100, "jefflea" <jef...@ntlworld.com>
wrote:
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Tim Cottom
off rode for hunting and such just like I did my Bronco II. Had it since
last November without any problems on or off road. I have to wonder about
the people making these statements, if they own one, or just "heard" from
someone.
"jefflea" <jef...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:2Q7v5.7929$8r4.1...@news2-win.server.ntlworld.com...
James de'Armond
if you check the following links at Edmunds website for comments from actual
owners:
Sportage links:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=Sedans&t=102
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=SUV&t=70
Grand Vitara links:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=SUV&t=455
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?c=SUV&t=1886
I own the 1996 Geo Tracker (Same as Suzuki Sidekick) and I've found it to be
a very solid vehicle. Good gas mileage, well built, and fun to drive. I've
been thinking real hard about upgrading to the Grand Vitara, but I want just
a little more room in the backseat and storage area than the GV offers. As
far as quality goes, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Suzuki product.
Good Luck
James
"Pierre Brousseau" <brousse...@videotron.ca> wrote in message
news:B0yu5.1371$y%.44198@wagner.videotron.net...
Darryl West
off-angle trail up and down a moderately steep hill and was very impressed.
It also handles city driving very well and has plenty of power. I have not
tried the Kia.
--
Darryl
"Tim Cottom" <TCO...@EARTHLINK.NET> wrote in message
news:xybv5.3631$%p2.1...@newsread03.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Mister 4x4
Love it...
I'm 6'-5" - 265-ish, and have no major head- or leg-room problems. The V-6
is cool, has plenty of juice to move through traffic - even with my big-ass
in it. Great gas mileage, and an overall good basic transportation with
some nice amenities.
I don't 'wheel it much, as I also have an '80 CJ-7 & and '97 Dodge Ram.
Later!
Eric
Pierre Brousseau <brousse...@videotron.ca> wrote in message
news:B0yu5.1371$y%.44198@wagner.videotron.net...
Eric Lee Green
>
> Got a 'Zuki...
>
> Love it...
>
> I'm 6'-5" - 265-ish, and have no major head- or leg-room problems. The V-6
> is cool, has plenty of juice to move through traffic - even with my big-ass
> in it. Great gas mileage, and an overall good basic transportation with
> some nice amenities.
Hmm. The offroad capability would be why I'd be interested in the Grand
Vitara. But I hear that it is rather buzzy and uncomfortable on-road,
and that the V-6 is pretty lame (making the same amount of power as the
H-4 in the Subaru Forester).
The Subaru Forester is undoubtedly the more sophisticated and
comfortable car, but is totally lame off-road and on rugged forest roads
-- huge overhangs at front and back, no low-range transfer case, etc.
Hmm. Sophisticated on-road performance vs. good performance on rugged
two-track. I'm tired of having to hitch rides up to the trailhead (since
my current pathetic excuse for a car is even lamer than a Forester), but
can I put up with the unsophisticated road manners and ridiculous gas
mileage? (Forester gets better MPG, same size engine, same weight, what
gives?).
I guess I can wait for the Ford Escape and Hyundai Santa Fe to become
available in quantity, sigh.
I looked at the Kia. Great off-road vehicle, and reasonable on-road.
Very cheaply constructed, expect the paint to peel off the bumpers after
about 3 years, but hey, it's cheap. The only big problem I had with it
was the pathetic excuse for an engine, the same reason I ignore the RAV4
and CR-V. Trying to drive it up the Beeline Highway from Phoenix to
Prescott would be an exercise in horn-blowing (by the folks behind me,
as the pathetic engine struggles to maintain 45mph on mountain grades).
--
Eric Lee Green There is No Conspiracy
er...@badtux.org http://www.badtux.org
Miles Hufford
Have you taken a look at the Isuzu Amigo, now called the Rodeo Sport. Basically
a 2 door version of the Rodeo. Honda has a version out for 2001 also. Mine has
the 3.2L V6. In 1 word...AWESOME! 205HP in a small 2 door 4x4. It's very
capable off road and rides fairly well on road. The stock shocks are way too
soft though. Most everyone quickly changes them out. It is part time 4wd with
4low. Just about all the other mini-4x4s are more city car than off road suv. I
wanted something a bit tougher with a bit more punch! Thats why I bought the
Amigo. Tons of power, tow rating of 3500lbs, stock 16" alloy wheels and fully
off-roadable.
Peter Collie
my new Cherokee.... The Suzie out did the Jeep hands down. Everywhere I
went in the Jeep, the Suzie was there as well.... We eventually dented the
fuel tank and stuffed up a front left drive shaft.. but the Jeep was
screwed.. It lasted a whole 10 months and I had to trade it in.... What a
peice of junk!... I now have a new Patrol and not a problem yet.. its been
12 months!
In my opinion The Suzie's outdo the Kia's as as well we do some pretty rough
tracks here in Oz, and some of them are unforgiving. The Kia's have a
problem with the front hubs... they are prone to "Popping" the seals and
leaving the little Kia stuck at the bottom of a rocky or muddy track.Leaving
it for the Nissan to rescue.
If ya really want to get a small 4x4 that has pretty good off road ability,
the Suzie wins hands down.....IMHO
Pete
Melbourne Australia
"Eric Lee Green" <er...@badtux.org> wrote in message
news:39EC41AB...@badtux.org...
Eric Lee Green
> Have you taken a look at the Isuzu Amigo, now called the Rodeo Sport. Basically
> a 2 door version of the Rodeo. Honda has a version out for 2001 also. Mine has
> the 3.2L V6. In 1 word...AWESOME! 205HP in a small 2 door 4x4. It's very
> capable off road and rides fairly well on road. T
Yes, looked at that. It appears to be a good vehicle, but a bit
gas-thirsty (16mpg city, 20mpg highway gas mileage ratings). At 3800
pounds it is also looming quite close to porkitude, though the rag-top
drops close to 200 pounds of plastic off of that equation (at the
expense of road noise and general inconvenience). It is also loud, has
poor road manners (stiff springing, choppy ride, iffy on-road handling),
and otherwise shares many traits with the Jeep Wrangler.
Unfortunately, it appears that I have two classes of vehicles if I want
something lighter than 4,000 pounds: 1) On-road posers like the CRV,
RAV4, Forester, Ford Escape, and Hyundai Santa Fe that are not well
suited for offroad use, or 2) Rugged but crude machines such as the Kia
Sportage, Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitara, Isuzu Amiga or Jeep Wrangler,
which are all quite good off-road but either underpowered (Sportage,
Vitara) or harsh-riding, loud, buzzy, and fuel-inefficient (Grand
Vitara, Isuzu Amigo, and Wrangler).
The other possibility is a small four-wheel drive pickup truck from
Toyota or Nissan, but somehow the thought of taking a truck jacked 12"
off the ground around a corner makes me shudder (perhaps flashbacks to
the time I rolled my Ford Ranger while trying to avoid a deer).
So at the moment I'm caught on the horns of a dillema -- onroad manners,
or offroad capabilities? Category 1 machines are going to have trouble
with rutted two-track roads in the national forest, while Category 2
machines are going to buzz my fillings out on the highway and cause
kidney bruises with every expansion joint. Sigh, why can't anything ever
be easy?
James de'Armond
> Vitara. But I hear that it is rather buzzy and uncomfortable on-road,
> and that the V-6 is pretty lame (making the same amount of power as the
> H-4 in the Subaru Forester).
You've "heard" that the Grand Vitara is buzzy and uncomfortable on-road?
What's keeping you from driving one to find out?
I've driven the GV and it's very comfortable on the road for me, or maybe I
just have lower standards of what constitutes comfort. In addition, the
power is very good. I tend to agree that it's not quite the power I would
expect from a V-6 mated to a small light truck, but it's good.
If you're considering semi-serious offroading you probably are better off
looking at a modified vehicle anyway...these don't really have the clearance
to do too much.
James
Eric Lee Green
>
> "Eric Lee Green" <er...@badtux.org> wrote in message
> news:39EC41AB...@badtux.org...
> > Vitara. But I hear that it is rather buzzy and uncomfortable on-road,
> > and that the V-6 is pretty lame (making the same amount of power as the
> > H-4 in the Subaru Forester).
>
>
> What's keeping you from driving one to find out?
Err, by "on-road" I mean "on the highway". Pretty much any cute-ute is
okay inside city limits. But driving 3,000 miles in a car that is
cramped, uncomfortable, loud, and bucks back and forth as it hits the
expansion joints on the highway is not my idea of fun. (That's what my
Kia/Ford Aspire does, and I'm tired of buzzy little uncomfortable cars).
It is rather hard to test cars "on the highway" when all the dealerships
around here tend to be at least 20 miles from the nearest open highway
(I live in central Phoenix, and our suburbs do go on for at least 20
miles on all sides). Basically it's a case of me renting one for a long
trip, or canvassing enough current owners to rest assured that it's not
a problem.
> I've driven the GV and it's very comfortable on the road for me, or maybe I
> just have lower standards of what constitutes comfort. In addition, the
> power is very good. I tend to agree that it's not quite the power I would
> expect from a V-6 mated to a small light truck, but it's good.
Agree about the "good". It's not an astounding amount of power -- as I
mentioned, the Subaru H-4 makes the same amount of power, in a vehicle
about the same weight (but gets 4mpg better gas mileage doing it) -- but
it certainly is adequate to keep up with traffic and manage mountain
grades.
> If you're considering semi-serious offroading you probably are better off
> looking at a modified vehicle anyway...these don't really have the clearance
> to do too much.
My ideal is a vehicle that is reasonably comfortable on-road, while
being able to take me up two-track jeep tracks to popular trailheads in
the nearby national forests. I have no intention to do serious
off-roading (as in cross-country way-off-the-beaten-path). The obstacles
that I would face would be sand-filled washes, washed-out roads, and
loose rocks on uphills and downhills (can't forget the downhills, as a
mountain biker those things terrify me and I imagine they're no less
terrifying on four wheels!). 8 inches of clearance is no great shakes,
but I've hiked (or hitched rides) up to most of those trailheads, and
saw nothing that was stupendously difficult for any small 4x4 with
reasonable approach angles (for diving in and out of the washes),
low-range (for creeping up those uphills), and limited-slip diffy (for
swimming through the sand in those washes).
I'm beginning to think I need to get two vehicles. Or perhaps a class L
(Lamer) vehicle with good road manners pulling a trailer that has a good
dual-purpose motorcycle on it, except getting a motorcycle license
nowdays is a pain in the %@#$ (not like back in the 80's, when it was
basically "ride to the stopsign and back, and if you don't fall off,
here's your license").
Miles Hufford
4x4 that can do 0-60 in 8 seconds the 20mpg rating is fair. Actually, most people
including myself average about 23mpg on the highway. True the other mini suv's get
better mileage but they lack in the HP area. The Vitara's V6 is weak to me. The
Amigo can be bought with a 4cyl and better mileage to go with it, but not too many
people want to give up the performance. The on road ride and handling is pretty good
for this type of vehicle. Not nearly as rough as the wrangler and will easily out
corner it (I've owned a few jeeps!). The stock isuzu shocks are awful though.
Edelbrock's or Rancho 9000's are what most people have changed to and found the ride
improvement impressive. Why is weight an issue unless you're referring to gas
economy?
I owned a 93 Nissan SEV6 4x4 king cab truck and loved it. Not even close to the
performance of the Amigo's V6 but still plenty. It averaged about 18mpg on the
highway. Trucks suffer from light rear ends which tend to buck easily over bumps but
I wanted a truck at the time!
Eric Lee Green wrote:
> Miles Hufford wrote:
> > Have you taken a look at the Isuzu Amigo, now called the Rodeo Sport. Basically
> > a 2 door version of the Rodeo. Honda has a version out for 2001 also. Mine has
> > the 3.2L V6. In 1 word...AWESOME! 205HP in a small 2 door 4x4. It's very
Eric Lee Green
> I love the handling of my Amigo. It far outcorners my wifes 93 Nissan Altima. For a
> 4x4 that can do 0-60 in 8 seconds the 20mpg rating is fair. Actually, most people
> including myself average about 23mpg on the highway. True the other mini suv's get
> better mileage but they lack in the HP area.
The new Ford Escape clocks in at 18mpg city with its 200hp v6, as does
the Suzuki Grand Vitara (which has adequate, though unexciting, power
with its 165hp v6). The Hyundai Santa Fe manages 19mpg city with its
174hp V6. These vehicles also weigh about 500 pounds less. They are also
much less capable offroad. So I have to decide how much offroad
capability I need.
> improvement impressive. Why is weight an issue unless you're referring to gas
> economy?
Elementary. Physics 101. The amount of force needed to change the
direction of an object in motion is directly proportional to its mass.
What this means is that, all things being equal, a lighter vehicle
handles better than a heavier vehicle. (Which means my brother's old
Ford Festiva, at 1800 pounds, should handle best of all, but I *DID*
say, "all things being equal"... having 12" chair coasters instead of
real tires definitely impacts his handling!).
> highway. Trucks suffer from light rear ends which tend to buck easily over bumps but
> I wanted a truck at the time!
Yes, this is an issue, especially with 4x4 trucks :-(. I noticed though
that my GMC S-15 2wd (long wheelbase/long bed) bucked a lot less than my
Ford Ranger 2wd (short wheelbase/short bed/standard cab). I think the
additional wheelbase and additional mass behind the front wheels had
something to do with it, and thus if I were considering a 4x4 truck, I
would only consider the extended cab/long wheelbase version because the
short wheelbase ones can be brutal :-(.
> Eric Lee Green wrote:
> > Unfortunately, it appears that I have two classes of vehicles if I want
> > something lighter than 4,000 pounds: 1) On-road posers like the CRV,
> > RAV4, Forester, Ford Escape, and Hyundai Santa Fe that are not well
> > suited for offroad use, or 2) Rugged but crude machines such as the Kia
> > Sportage, Suzuki Vitara/Grand Vitara, Isuzu Amiga or Jeep Wrangler,
> > which are all quite good off-road but either underpowered (Sportage,
> > Vitara) or harsh-riding, loud, buzzy, and fuel-inefficient (Grand
> > So at the moment I'm caught on the horns of a dillema -- onroad manners,
James de'Armond
> Err, by "on-road" I mean "on the highway". Pretty much any cute-ute is
> okay inside city limits. But driving 3,000 miles in a car that is
> cramped, uncomfortable, loud, and bucks back and forth as it hits the
> expansion joints on the highway is not my idea of fun. (That's what my
> Kia/Ford Aspire does, and I'm tired of buzzy little uncomfortable cars).
>
> It is rather hard to test cars "on the highway" when all the dealerships
> around here tend to be at least 20 miles from the nearest open highway
> (I live in central Phoenix, and our suburbs do go on for at least 20
> miles on all sides). Basically it's a case of me renting one for a long
> trip, or canvassing enough current owners to rest assured that it's not
> a problem.
I've driven through Phoenix twice in the last couple of years. I agree
that the city is generally spread out, but highways 10 and 17 practically
run right through the middle of it. It seems like you should be able to
find a local dealership that will let you take a respectably long test drive
on 10 or 17 to get a feel for the highway comfort.
The reason I even mentioned it is that I've test-driven the GV a couple of
times, on city streets and highways. I haven't taken any long trips, but
the truck was VERY comfortable and quiet to me. I have a 1996 Geo Tracker
(same thing as the Suzuki Sidekick) and the GV addresses all the problems
that I ever complained about with the Tracker (power, seat comfort,
ridiculously small visors). I drove from the San Francisco Bay Area to the
southern-most tip of Texas (about 2100 miles) in 36 hours in the Tracker
(just to see if I could do it. Well, okay, I had to pick up my wife in
Harlingen) and the Tracker actually held up very well on the trip. I only
stopped for gas and food, and comfort or noise was not a huge problem. The
Grand Vitara seems to me to have even more comfortable seats. Plus, it's
much quieter than the Sidekick/Tracker. I suspect it has about the same 4wd
capabilites as the Sidekick before it, but they are certainly adequate for
most fireroads. I would say definitely take a look at the GV before making
your decision. The only reason I haven't already bought one was that it's
just a wee bit short as far as storage area in the back.
Actually, I currently also have a 87 4Runner with a 4" lift that I use for
any semi-serious off-roading. I'm not as into 4-wheeling as most guys here
probably are, but it's nice to know I can go to most of the places that I
want to go. The reason I don't take it out more often is that it gets
HORRIBLE mileage (we're talking 15-16 mpg for a 4 cylinder. Seems like it
should be much better than that).
James
Eric Lee Green
> > Err, by "on-road" I mean "on the highway". Pretty much any cute-ute is
> > okay inside city limits. But driving 3,000 miles in a car that is
> > cramped, uncomfortable, loud, and bucks back and forth as it hits the
> > expansion joints on the highway is not my idea of fun. (That's what my
> > Kia/Ford Aspire does, and I'm tired of buzzy little uncomfortable cars).
> >
> > It is rather hard to test cars "on the highway" when all the dealerships
> > around here tend to be at least 20 miles from the nearest open highway
> > (I live in central Phoenix, and our suburbs do go on for at least 20
> > miles on all sides). Basically it's a case of me renting one for a long
> > trip, or canvassing enough current owners to rest assured that it's not
> > a problem.
>
> that the city is generally spread out, but highways 10 and 17 practically
> run right through the middle of it.
You must not have driven through Phoenix anytime between 6am and 9pm on
weekdays, then. Traffic has gotten to the point where going faster than
45mph on either I10 or I17 is practically impossible. Last week I
sometimes hit the road at 8pm (had a project due) and traffic was still
heavy. Not to mention that all of the Suzuki dealers, I thought, were
located in very out-of-the-way places such as the middle of Tempe and
the middle of Scottsdale. But now I found one that is near I17, where I
may be able to test drive it. I hope to do that tomorrow (Saturday).
Traffic should not be too bad, since cool weather has set in (during the
heat of summer, I17 is bumper-to-bumper all the way to Flagstaff, where
the hoity-toity have their summer cabins to escape the heat).
Since somebody else mentioned it, I am also looking at the Isuzu
Amigo/Rodeo Sport. Unfortunately, none of the local dealers have any
automatic transmission 4x4 V6 models... apparently they are swimming in
an overflow of 2wd 2000 models and aren't buying any of the new year
models until they manage to dump the 2000's. There's still a few decent
2000 Grand Vitaras left in the local dealerships though, so I may just
jump on one and take advantage of the end-of-year incentives.
Darryl West
straight (with one 5 minute gas stop) and found it to be very quiet &
comfortable. I am 6'2" and 200 lbs. It also does very well off-road. At idle
I can not hear or feel the engine at all.
--
Darryl