Have you ever owned or had any experience with a Suzuki Vitara? Let us know by entering your comments in the comments box below. We would also like to hear about any parts you have had for this vehicle and how they faired.
Suzuki Vitara Overview
The Suzuki Vitara is classed as an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) and is produced by the Japanese car manufacturing company Suzuki. This vehicle is marketed under many different names around the world, including: Escudo and Sidekick, depending on which market. In the UK it can be also be known as the Grand Vitara. This is cheap to buy compared with some of its rivals, and it is a good off road vehicle. It also has good handling but it lacks in refinement and performance when compared with some rival SUVs.
Suzuki Vitara History
The first generation Suzuki Vitara (1989-2006) of this vehicle was introduced to the Japanese market under the name Escudo and the American market as the Sidekick in 1989. This vehicle was soon introduced into other markets such as Australia and Spain. This version continued to be marketed in many countries, even though a newer version was made available in 1999.
The second generation (1999-2005) introduced the Grand Vitara which was a larger, more expensive and luxurious version of the Vitara. This vehicle received makeovers in both 2002 and 2004. Both the Vitara and Grand Vitara were quite successful worldwide, although the American market no longer sold the Vitara from 2003.
The third generation (2005 - present) gave the Vitara a new more modern look, and had some parts of the GM Theta platform in its design. This vehicle is a lot different from the Theta, as it has both rear wheel drive and 4x4 options available where as the Theta is front wheel drive. This version received a makeover in 2008 which gave the Grand Vitara some new engines and also affected some of the exterior and interior parts. This is the current version on the market.
Models
Vitara Grand Vitara
Standard trim Standard trim
JX SZ4
JX Sport SZ3
JX 4U SZ-T+
Attitude
X-EC
SZ5
SE
Life
GV2000
Limited
Fuel Economy
The original Vitara was available in
engine sizes from 1.0 – 2.0 petrol, and there were 2.4, 2.5, 2.7 and 3.2 V6 added throughout the later generations. The diesel engines available are: 1.9 and 2.0 turbo diesels. The diesel engines offer the best fuel economy, up to 42 mpg. Remember to consider the age, fuel type and engine size when determining the fuel economy of the vehicle.
Transmission
The different gearboxes across the range are 5-speed manual and 3, 4 and 5 speed automatic, with the 3-speed only available in early models and the 5-speed automatic in later models. Check out the
Suzuki gearbox page on our website to locate your gearbox parts.
Parts
Suzuki Vitara parts can be found here at Breakeryard. We have a vast network of different Breakers across the country that has many of these parts available. Enter your vehicle details in our part finder to find these parts or have a look at the
Vitara parts page.
