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The Suzuki Vitara is a series of
SUVs A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
produced by
Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
in five generations since 1988. The second, third-generation and 2022 models are known as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, with the fourth generation eschewing the "Grand" prefix. In Japan and a number of other markets, all generations have used the name . The original series was designed to fill the slot above the
Suzuki Jimny The is a series of four-wheel drive off-road mini SUVs, manufactured and marketed by Japanese automaker Suzuki since 1970. Originally belonging to the kei class, Japan's light automobile tax/legal class, the company continues to market a kei- ...
. 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 The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
known as CAMI. It was also sold as the
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
300 and 350 in Spain and 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 The Suzuki XL-7 (styled as XL7 for the second generation) is a mid-size SUV sold by Suzuki from 1998 to 2009, over two generations. Slotted above the Grand Vitara in Suzuki's lineup, the XL-7 offered three-row seating. XL-7 stands for "Xtra Lar ...
(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 Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
style. It shares the platform and many components with the slightly larger SX4 S-Cross. The model introduced in 2022 reuses the "Grand Vitara" nameplate. It is slightly larger than the SX4 S-Cross. The choice of the name “Vitara” was inspired by the Latin word “vita,” as in English word “
vitality Vitality (, , ) is the capacity to live, grow, or develop. More simply it is the property of having life. The perception of vitality is regarded as a basic psychological drive and, in philosophy, a component to the will to live. As such, peopl ...
.” "Escudo", the name primarily used in the Japanese Domestic Market, refers to the " ''escudo''", the monetary unit of Portugal before adoption of the
Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
. __TOC__


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 A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
or
hardtop A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
. A fuel injected 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 at 5250 rpm. In August 1990, the Japanese market received a 16-valve G16B engine with 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 In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
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 An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintainin ...
. European deliveries of the five-door version began in the summer of 1991. 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 Proceed Levante with V6 models styling. 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-litre while a 2.0-litre four-cylinder was slotted into the range. In Japan, the "Nomade" tag was dropped from the five-door Escudos in October 1996. Also 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. File:1992-1994 Suzuki Vitara (SE416C Type2) JX softtop 02.jpg, Suzuki Vitara JX 2-door soft top convertible (Australia; pre-facelift) File:1998 Suzuki Vitara JX H 1.6 Front.jpg, Suzuki Vitara JX 3-door hardtop (UK; facelift) File:1998 Suzuki Vitara JX H 1.6 Rear.jpg, Suzuki Vitara JX 3-door hardtop (UK; facelift) File:1995 Suzuki Vitara (SE416W Type3) JX wagon (2015-06-18) 02.jpg, Suzuki Vitara JX 5-door (Australia; facelift) File:Suzuki-Sidekick-Sport.jpg, Suzuki Vitara with longer bumpers, wheel arches, side body mouldings, larger grille and powered by V6 engine. This model is known as Escudo V6 in Japan, Sidekick Sport in North America or Vitara V6/TD elsewhere. File:Mazda Proceed Levante 001.JPG, Mazda Proceed Levante (Japan)


Foreign markets


North America

When introduced in 1988, the Sidekick was available with three trim levels (JA, JX and JLX) and two engines (1.3-litre 8-valve Suzuki G13BA engine and 1.6-litre 8-valve Suzuki G16A engine ). The 1.3-litre engine was only available in JA trim with 2-door convertible body style. For the 1992 model year a , 1.6-litre, 16-valve Suzuki G16B engine was introduced to the United States. The original Sidekick was updated in 1996 with a new Sport version available with , 1.8-litre 16-valve four-cylinder Suzuki J18 engine. The Sport also had dual
airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. Th ...
s, two-tone paint and 16-inch alloy wheels. 1993 brought an update of the dash in conjunction with the exterior.


Australia

In Australia, there were two models available. The Vitara JX and the Vitara JLX. The JLX offered powered windows and body-coloured bumpers. Both versions featured the 1.6-litre engine: G16A (carburettor) in the 2-door, G16B (SOHC EFI) in the 4-door, introduced 1992, 2-doors got G16B from 1994. In May 1997, Suzuki introduced the 1995 cc J20 2.0-litre 16-valve DOHC engine with both soft top and hardtop three-door models. This engine was rated at at 6300 rpm. At the same time the 5-door models received the 1998 cc H20A 2.0-litre V6. Engine power rated for the five-door V6 models was at at 6500 rpm. Some of the 1.6-litre variant for the 3-door models were named the Suzuki Vitara Rebel. Many paint or trim or sticker-variants appeared as marketing exercises during the model's run in Australia. All models in Australia were sold as four-wheel drives. Early 3-door automatics featured a 3-speed transmission, this was a GM sourced TH180 which was used in Holden Kingswoods and early Commodores and was said to not be robust as the later Suzuki-built 4-speed electronic overdrive auto transmission. The rear diff on the 1st series Vitara was colloquially-known as "the Japanese 9-inch" as it was a very strong diff and hard to damage, even with oversized tyres. The front diffs were less strong, those with the aluminium-cased housing the weakest. The front diff with steel housing was not as widely available but is sought after by modifiers.


Indonesia

In Indonesia, Suzuki only sold the 5-door model under three different nameplates. It was first introduced as the Vitara in August 1992. Suzuki launched a two-wheel drive version labelled as the Escudo in late 1993 to target urban-driver market and to avoid higher taxes on four-wheel-drive vehicles, while the four-wheel-drive Vitara with 1.6-litre 8-valve G16A carburetor engine remained available until May 1994. The Escudo sales began in early 1994. Both the Vitara and Escudo initially came with the single JLX variant, and appeared with 16-inch steel wheels similar to the
Suzuki Katana The Suzuki Katana is a street motorcycle sold between 1981 and 2006 and then since 2019. It was designed in 1979–1980 by Target Design of Germany for Suzuki. The Katana name was later applied to a range of in-house styled sport touring motorc ...
GX but with silver finishings instead of white. Updates and improvements on the Escudo were available in March 1995, such as three-spoke alloy wheel with dark grey and chrome finishings, redesigned four-spoke steering wheel with Suzuki's S logo, new seat upholstery, and updated colour options (green metallic and dark purple metallic were available by March 1995). In April 1995, Suzuki introduced the Sidekick, a lower specification version of the Escudo, as the entry level model. The Sidekick has no power window and other luxuries installed on the Escudo, and appeared with steel wheels similar to the earliest Escudo. Later, only 5-door models with the 1.6-litre petrol engine were offered, with no automatic transmission. In early 1995, the Vitara received a 1.6-litre 16-valve G16B engine with fuel-injection system and was marketed as Vitara EPI (Electronic Petrol Injection). However, due to the much higher price that the earlier Vitara, the Vitara EPI sold poorly, discontinued in late 1995. Minor facelifts became available in August 1996, when the Escudo/Sidekick got a new interior with rounded dashboard and meter cluster, new front grille, and two-tone colour options on JLX trim. The JLX trim was replaced by Escudo Nomade variant in August 1997, it initially came with two-tone color but returned to single-tone body color in 1999. At the same period, the 1.6-litre 16-valve G16B engine was introduced for Escudo/Sidekick range, but still with carburettor. Another special variant called Sidekick Drag One was introduced in 1996, followed by Sidekick X Pro and Sidekick cruiser in 1997, this variant was placed between the basic Sidekick and Escudo. Both the Escudo Nomade and the Sidekick was available until the launch of Grand Escudo (full model change) in June 2001.


Europe

The Vitara was an immediate success across Europe. Italy had enacted a law which allowed off-roaders to bypass
EEC The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
quotas on Japanese imports, allowing the Vitara to be sold there without limits. In 1988, however, Italy's Ministry of Foreign Commerce enacted a law requiring "at least one differential lock" for a vehicle to be considered an off-roader - a requirement not met by the Vitara. Thus, from 1 January 1989 the Vitara became subject to the quota in the Italian market as well, as it was now classified as a passenger car. In early 1996 European markets began receiving a diesel model.
Santana Motor Santana Motor, S.A. (; ) was a Spanish motor vehicle manufacturer based in Linares, in the province of Jaén, Spain. It was originally created in 1956 as "Metalúrgica de Santa Ana, S.A." to manufacture agricultural machinery, but soon, in 1961 ...
built these vehicles and sold them both as the Santana 300/350 and as the Suzuki Vitara, to circumvent the EEC quota on Japanese imports. The 300 and 350 have round headlights and taillights, and is the only version of the car to have fog lights fitted in the front bumper from factory. The Spanish-built Vitara models, on the other hand, look nearly identical to the Japanese-built models, sporting a Suzuki logo in the grille. Steel and paint quality is different between the Spanish and Japanese-built models, both commonly found throughout Europe. Therefore, the Spanish-built Vitaras and 300/350s are more prone to rusting in northern European climates than Japanese-built counterparts of the same age and mileage. In addition, these vehicles had less insulation than the Japanese ones since they were built for warmer climates. Some of these have also been exported to South America. Some of the notable differences between the Japanese and Spanish models are different wheels, different paint schemes and details, different side plastic trim, interior details on the Spanish ones in fake wood, and the VIN code letters - Santana-built examples have chassis numbers that begin with "VSE". In the United Kingdom, two additional body kit models were offered. Some two-door models were sold with an OEM body kit called Wideboy, which had wider wheel arches, sidesteps and 8 inch wide alloy wheels. The Fatboy was also a popular bodykit conversion, offered by the company Suzi Qs, located in Oldbury, Birmingham, UK. The Fatboy converted models had different trim levels, where most sported Cooper Cobra tires, 10 inch wide alloy wheels, different taillights integrated into the rear bumper, in addition to extra styling options like mud flaps, sidesteps, an A-shaped bullbar and auxiliary high beam lights. The Suzuki Vitara Commercial was available in the UK. It was a Santana-built 3-door tintop Vitara panel van, with no rear windows. The Vitara Commercial had the JX 1.9 TD trim level, and sported a Peugeot XUD9 1.9-litre diesel engine. In 1999, the 1.9-litre diesel engine was replaced by more modern 2.0-litre DW10 HDi turbodiesel engine. In Norway, a modified version of the 5-door version with a taller glass fibre roof were sold with green van registration plates to bypass some tax laws. These models had no rear seats and a grille separating the front seats and the rear compartment. In addition, these had longitudinal roof rails and special custom made, removable transverse roof bars. Normal roof racks intended to be mounted in the raingutters do fit on the longitudinal rails, but do stand taller than normal raingutter mounted ones. Many of these were later converted to 5-seat passenger cars with normal white registration plates. All Vitaras sold in Norway (and other Scandinavian countries) were modified to have the low beams automatically turn on with the engine running, similarly to DRLs on the CAMI versions of the car. Another modified version of the 5-door was available in the Netherlands. It was a van similarly to the Norwegian one, but had a different glass fibre roof replacement. Official production for this generation ended in 2006 with the end of the Santana 300/350. There is also a very limited edition named Vitara Philippe Cousteaux which came in metallic pink or cyan with cream leather interior, wooden steering wheel, new wheels, bullbar and several other changes. Only 500 of this model were produced for European market. There are also similar limited editions for British market, but called Rossini (pink) and Verdi (cyan) with different wheels. These limited editions are only available in 2-door body style with a 1.6-litre 8-valve petrol engine.


China

This generation was not sold in China, however there were two versions of this car sold illegally as Wanli WLZ5020XLD and Guangtong GTQ5020XLZ. During the 1990s, the government of
Guandong Guandong may refer to: *Guandong or Kwantung (關東), a historical name for Manchuria, i.e. "east of Shanhai Pass" ** Kwantung Leased Territory, a small section of the above region controlled by Russia and, then, Japan from 1898 to 1945 *Guandong ...
province created a
loophole A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system. Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow verti ...
by allowing
grey market A grey market or dark market (sometimes confused with the similar term " parallel market") is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels that are not authorized by the original manufacturer or trade mark proprietor. Grey market pr ...
goods importer companies to bring the car as
knock-down kit A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
to be assembled in China and avoiding the 60-80% import tax for full car. The China government only allows manufacturers to assemble the cars in China with at least 60% local components via official 50:50
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
. However, the government of Guangdong province allowed these importers to import cars without tires, mirror and door handles and then reassemble these cars in Guangdong and cut the import tax only to 25%. These companies then making business agreement to get the license from the government approved local car manufacturers for using their brands for selling these Vitaras. This was barely concealed
smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various ...
and led the government to arresting more than 200 government, customs and law enforcement officials in the southern Guangdong area around
Zhanjiang Zhanjiang (), historically spelled Tsamkong, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Haikou city to the south. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,981,236 (6,994,832 ...
on September 8, 1998. This affair was known as "9898 smuggling case", the largest mainland smuggling racket of the last 50 years. The state's lost revenue was estimated around ¥30 billion from the illegal import of thousands of tonnes of crude oil, steel, cars and other manufactured goods.


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 A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
class while the five-door version moved up to a
compact SUV Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...
. 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 The (''Code J14'') is a compact SUV made by Japanese automaker Mazda from 2000 to 2011. It was jointly developed with Ford Motor Company and based on the front-wheel drive Mazda 626 platform, which was in turn the basis for the similar Ford Esc ...
. It received its facelift in 2000, 2002 and again in 2004. As of 2003, the smaller 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 CAMI Assembly (formerly CAMI Automotive) is an assembly plant wholly owned by General Motors Canada. The plant occupies and has of floor space of which was added in 2016 as part of a $560 million investment. CAMI uses the CAMI Production System ...
in
Ingersoll, Ontario Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west. Ingersoll is situated north of and along Highway 401. Oxford County Road 119 (formerl ...
facility. The soft-top was only built in North America. The 3/5-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. This generation was also assembled in Argentina by General Motors in
Alvear, Santa Fe {{Infobox settlement , name= Alvear , settlement_type= Village , image_skyline = , image_size = 300px , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map ...
from 2000 to 2005 along with the Chevrolet version for several countries in South American market. In the Philippines, the Grand Vitara (FT) replaced the aging ET Vitara. It was introduced in 1998. It is offered in 2 different trims, the "Sport" & "Elite Sport". The "Sport" is powered by Suzuki's 2.0L inline-four coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission while the "Elite Sport" is powered by a bigger 2.5L V6 engine coupled to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission. Both trims came in "Low-Range 4WD" configuration. The "Elite Sport" featured third-row seats, automatic climate controls, three-spoke steering wheel, japanese vinyl (earlier models), central locking, tachometer, keyless entry with immobilizer. By 2002, Suzuki introduced the "XL7" in the Philippine market. It is powered by Suzuki's bigger 2.7L V6 engine coupled to a 5-speed automatic transmission. It featured longer wheelbase as opposed to the Vitara which has a shorter wheelbase. It also featured redesigned front-end, slightly different sidings & a complete refreshed rear-end. Production of the 2nd Generation Grand Vitara in the Philippines ended in 2005 while the XL7 continued until 2006. File:Suzuki Escudo 201.JPG, 1997–2000 Suzuki Escudo 3-door (Japan) File:Suzuki Escudo 202.JPG, 1997–2000 Suzuki Escudo 3-door (Japan) File:2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara GV2000 2.0 Front.jpg, 2000–2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara 2-door soft top convertible (UK) File:2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara GV2000 2.0 Rear.jpg, 2000–2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara 2-door soft top convertible (UK) File:Suzuki ESCUDO 5door V6-2.5 (LA-TD62W) front.jpg, 2000–2005 Suzuki Escudo 5-door (Japan) File:Suzuki Grand Vitara (rear).jpg, Suzuki Grand Vitara 5-door File:Mazda Proceed Levante 201.JPG, 1997–2000 Mazda Proceed Levante (Japan) File:Mazda Proceed Levante 202.JPG, 1997–2000 Mazda Proceed Levante (Japan)


Grand Escudo

In 1998, the Grand Escudo was released, a longer 7-seater, slightly larger, pricier and more powerful version of the regular five-door. The Japanese market Grand Escudo was sold in North America and Chile as the
Suzuki XL-7 The Suzuki XL-7 (styled as XL7 for the second generation) is a mid-size SUV sold by Suzuki from 1998 to 2009, over two generations. Slotted above the Grand Vitara in Suzuki's lineup, the XL-7 offered three-row seating. XL-7 stands for "Xtra Lar ...
. In Australia, Europe and India it was marketed as the Grand Vitara XL-7. In Indonesia, it was sold as Grand Escudo XL-7.


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 1.6-litre inline four (125 hp), 2.0-litre inline four (156 hp), 2.7-litre V6 (185 hp) and a 1.9-litre 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 full-time 4WD. 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". The third generation Grand Vitara is not related to the
GM Theta platform GM or Gm may refer to: Companies * General Motors, US automobile manufacturing company which was founded in 1908 ** Motors Liquidation Company, the US automobile manufacturing company known as General Motors Corporation from 1916 to 2009 * ...
, since the model were developed by Suzuki separate from
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
and shares no components with GM vehicles. The 1.6-liter '' M16A'' I4 (
petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
) is available in the base-spec 3-door version in Japan and many other markets; the base-spec 5-door was also offered with this engine in certain markets. This engine was only available in conjunction with a 5-speed manual. The 2.0 L '' J20A'' I4 (petrol) is available in both bodystyles, usually with a 5-speed manual but with a 4-speed automatic transmission available.


2008–2011

In the second half of 2008, the Grand Vitara was given a facelift and two new engines. A Suzuki 2.4-litre inline four is offered producing of power and of torque, usually in conjunction with the 4-speed automatic transmission. The previous 2.7-litre Suzuki V6 is replaced with a GM-sourced 3.2-litre V6. The V6 is only offered in the flagship prestige model which produces of power and of torque. Fuel economy has also been improved with the addition of VVT to both engines and the 1.9-litre turbo-diesel has also received some mechanical work improving its economy. Safety has also been improved with more air-bags and traction control being standard on all models. The four mode four-wheel-drive system is also available on all models. It features a lockable central differential along with low ratio gears. Subtle improvements were made on the exterior of the car such as indicators in the door mirrors and a more pronounced front grille and bumper. The interior was also updated. In 2010, a version without mounted spare tyre was released for selected markets such as Japan, North America and Europe.


2012–2019

In the second quarter of 2012 for the 2013 model year, Suzuki unveiled a facelifted Escudo with new wheels, a new grille and front lights. The V6 engine was discontinued from here on. Starting with this facelift, the Grand Vitara in Indonesia is imported from Japan.


Discontinuation

Suzuki officially discontinued the third-generation Escudo in Japan in April 2017, however production would continue for export markets. In Indonesia, the third-generation Grand Vitara was discontinued in 2018. It was also no longer available in Europe, CIS countries and Southeast Asia. It was no longer listed on the Suzuki Philippines website as of January 2019, indicating that it was no longer available. In Iran, it was discontinued in July 2019 due to a shortage of CKD parts in Iran Khodro's facilities, low sales, and the political tensions and sanctions. As of July 2019, the Grand Vitara was removed from the Suzuki Australia website and it had been withdrawn from sale, and in South Africa, it was officially discontinued in October 2019 with sales continuing well into 2020.


Fourth generation (LY; 2015)

The fourth-generation Vitara was presented first as the 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 Magyar Suzuki Corporation is an automobile manufacturing plant, subsidiary of Suzuki, located in Esztergom, Hungary and founded in 1991 with investments from Suzuki Japan, the Hungarian Government, Itochu and the World Bank. __NOTOC__ History T ...
in Hungary started in March 2015 and parallels with the third-generation model produced in Japan until 2019. The Vitara went on sale in Japan as the fourth-generation Escudo on 15 October 2015. Unlike the previous generations, the all-new fourth-generation model was changed from the traditional
ladder frame A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...
SUV platform to a lightweight
unibody A vehicle frame, also historically known as its '' chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car ha ...
platform, shared with SX4 S-Cross. The engine position and
layout Layout may refer to: * Page layout, the arrangement of visual elements on a page ** Comprehensive layout (comp), a proposed page layout presented by a designer to their client * Layout (computing), the process of calculating the position of obje ...
also changed from
longitudinal Longitudinal is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Longitude ** Line of longitude, also called a meridian * Longitudinal engine, an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, ...
rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...
/
all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
layout to
transverse Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...
front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
/all-wheel drive layout. It is now sized as a
subcompact crossover SUV Subcompact crossover SUV is an automobile segment used to describe the smallest segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, below the compact crossover SUV. Subcompact crossover SUVs are usually based on a platform of a subcompact ...
, with shorter wheelbase, shorter body, lower and narrower than the previous generation Grand Vitara. It has a luggage space of 375-litre, expanding to 710-litre with rear seats folded (VDA method). The fourth-generation 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. In April 2016, a new twin clutch automated manual transmission with hydraulically controlled clutch and gear change called TCSS (Twin Clutch System by Suzuki) was added to the line up in Europe. It is only available for the Fiat-powered 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine with all-wheel drive configuration. File:2018 Suzuki Vitara (LY) S Turbo wagon (2018-11-02) 02.jpg, Rear view File:2015 Suzuki Vitara SZ5 Rugged Allgrip 1.6.jpg, Vitara Rugged Pack File:Suzuki Vitara - Mondial de l'Automobile de Paris 2014 - 042.jpg, Vitara Urban Pack File:2018 Suzuki Vitara S Boosterjet Allgrip 1.4.jpg, Vitara S File:Suzuki Vitara - wnętrze (MSP16).jpg, Interior File:Suzuki iV-4 Concept front.jpg, alt=, Suzuki iV-4 concept


Facelift

Suzuki unveiled a renewed version of the Vitara at the
2018 Paris Motor Show The 2018 Paris Motor Show took place from 4 October to 14 October. For the first time, it consists in three shows dedicated to automobiles, motorcycles and new mobility. Introductions Production cars *Audi A1 * Audi E-tron EV *Audi Q3 * Audi S ...
in milestone of its 30th anniversary in 2018. Changes include a heightened front bumper to give space for the millimeter-wave radar at the front. The conventional digital multi-information display was replaced with a 4.2" colour LCD MID. Like the Jimny and
Swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...
, ''Suzuki Safety Support'' was also adopted for the model which includes a
collision avoidance system A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system, or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its ...
(called Dual Sensor Brake Support by Suzuki) and a traffic sign recognition function. The ''M16A'' 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine is also replaced with a new ''K10C Boosterjet'' 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine in Europe. Starting from March 2020, all engine for European market Vitara was replaced by a new Euro 6d compliant " K14D Boosterjet" 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a 48V
mild hybrid Mild hybrids (also known as power-assist hybrids, battery-assisted hybrid vehicles or BAHVs) are generally cars with an internal combustion engine equipped with an electric machine (one motor/generator in a parallel hybrid configuration) allowing t ...
technology, coupled to a belt-driven Integrated Starter Generator (ISG), which delivers and . The ISG electric motor produces and . File:2019 Suzuki Vitara facelift Front.jpg, 2018 Vitara facelift File:2019 Suzuki Vitara facelift Rear.jpg, alt=2018 Vitara facelift, Rear view File:Suzuki Vitara Facelift, Paris Motor Show 2018, IMG 0206.jpg, Vitara Rugged Pack File:Suzuki Vitara facelift.jpg, Vitara Urban Pack File:2020 Suzuki Vitara GLX 2WD with Hikarii bodykit interior in Brunei.jpg, Interior


Strong hybrid

In January 2022, Suzuki released a 140V strong hybrid variant of Vitara marketed as 'Full Hybrid' in selected countries in Europe such as Hungary, France, Poland and the Netherlands, other European countries such as United Kingdom and Ireland received this model in March. The strong hybrid model was released in Japan as the Escudo in April, after the nameplate's temporary discontinuation in September 2021. The conventional petrol model is no longer offered in the country. It is powered with a new dual-injector 1.5-litre petrol engine called ''K15C Dualjet'', a reworked version of the ''K15B'' engine. The engine is combined with a Motor Generator Unit (MGU) electric motor, which produces and . The combined power of the petrol engine and the electric motor is . This hybrid model is only available with a 6-speed automated manual (dubbed as Auto Gear Shift (AGS) by Suzuki) and available for both front-wheel and all-wheel drive configuration. Due to the placement of battery pack in the boot, as a result, the capacity is decreased to 289-litre and 569-litre when rear seats folded.


Limited and special editions

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 ''K14C Boosterjet'' turbocharged petrol engine, which delivers and , 20 percent more power and 40 percent more torque over the standard 1.6-litre petrol engine. The engine, shared with the 2017 SX4 S-Cross facelift, is paired to a 6-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. In August 2018,
Changan Suzuki Changan Suzuki (officially Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd.) was an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in Chongqing, China and a joint-venture between Chang'an Automobile Group and Suzuki. Chang'an began assembling subcompact com ...
launched a special edition Vitara called "Star Edition (星耀版)" for Chinese market. It comes with rose gold colored body, headlights, interior and new grille design. It is only available with 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine. A limited edition called "Vitara Katana" was introduced for Italian market in November 2019. This limited edition Vitara pays tribute to the new Suzuki Katana 1000 sport bike. It is based on the 1.0-litre Boosterjet model with manual transmission and can be ordered with front-wheel drive, or with the renowned Suzuki AllGrip all-wheel drive sistem. Austrian market also received similar limited edition in September 2020, but based on the 1.4-litre Boosterjet hybrid AllGrip model. Both available in Metallic Silver or Black colors and limited to 100 units. A limited edition was made specifically for Mexico named "Cristal" in October 2019. It is only limited to 290 units. In Japan, a special edition for Escudo called "S Limited" was announced in November 2020. This special edition has similar concept like the Chinese market Vitara Stars Edition, but with brown colored headlights, interior, wheels and silver stainless steel pedal. Limited edition of Vitara Hybrid called "Style" with Urban Pack accessories and an extended 5-year or 150.000 km warranty was announced in April 2021 for Czech Republic. It is limited only to 200 units.


Sales


Safety


Nameplate usage


Vitara Brezza

In 2016, Suzuki released a smaller derivative of the fourth-generation Vitara destined for the Indian market as the Vitara Brezza, which occupied the sub-4-metre SUV segment in the country. The model was only produced in India with right-hand drive configuration. It was renamed to simply Brezza since the second-generation model.


Grand Vitara (2022)

The 2022 model, based on the lengthened fourth-generation Vitara's platform, was introduced in India in July 2022 and marketed as the "Grand Vitara". It replaced the S-Cross in the Indian market, which also sit on the same platform and segment. It is also sold under
Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
badge as the Urban Cruiser Hyryder. It will be exported to selected developing markets in Asia and Africa.


General Motors versions

A rebadged version was sold in North America by
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
as the Chevrolet Tracker for the first two generations. In Latin America - (excluding Mexico and several other countries), it was marketed as Chevrolet Vitara (first generation 3-door) or Chevrolet Grand Vitara (second generation 5-door). The first generation was also sold with various General Motors' brands in North America such as the Geo Tracker and the Canadian market exclusive Asüna Sunrunner, GMC Tracker and Pontiac Sunrunner. The last General Motors branded Vitara was the third generation model for Ecuadorian market called Chevrolet Grand Vitara SZ. Even though the car was sold and distributed through
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
, it was marketed with Suzuki badge. The "SZ" suffix was added because the previous generation Chevrolet Grand Vitara was still available in the country until 2016. File:1994 Geo Tracker Convertible 2 Door 1.6L front 6.15.19.jpg, 1994 Geo Tracker File:2006-08 Chevy Tracker.jpg, Chevrolet Tracker 5-door (Mexico)


Motorsports

In 1994, Suzuki built a twin-engined Escudo to compete in
hillclimbing Hillclimbing, also known as hill climbing, speed hillclimbing, or speed hill climbing, is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course. It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the fir ...
. It featured two heavily modified
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
1.6-litre G16B (with G13B
DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion c ...
cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern ov ...
) inline-four engines – one at the front driving the front wheels and one at the rear driving the rear wheels – with a combined power output of . The car had a curb weight of . Driven by Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, it finished fifth overall at the
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. The track measures and has over 156 turns, climbing from the sta ...
in 1994 and won the event outright in 1995, making Tajima the first Japanese driver to win the event. For 1996, Suzuki produced a new Escudo for hillclimbing which had a single twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre H20A V6 engine with a power output of and of torque for the prototype version, the racing version has higher power output, produces and . In 1997, Suzuki upgraded the Escudo with a bigger 2.5-litre H25A V6 engine with a power output of at 8100 rpm and . It had four-wheel drive and weighed . For 1998, the engine was replaced by twin-turbocharged 2.7-litre H27A V6 engine with the same power output as the previous 2.5-litre engine. Again, driven by Nobuhiro Tajima, it finished second overall at Pikes Peak in 1996, 1998 and 1999, and won the Queenstown Gold Rush International Hill Climb outright in 1998, 1999 and 2000. A newer Escudo went on to win at Pikes Peak in 2006 and at Queenstown in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Suzuki Vitara also participated in numerous cross country rally events around the world since the first generation, such as
Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, ...
, Australasian Safari,
Asia Cross Country Rally The Asia Cross Country Rally (also known as AXCR), is an FIA certified event, in compliance with the Standard Regulations for Cross Country Rallies and the present Supplementary Regulations. This cross-country rally, which began in 1996 and is now ...
and
Transsyberia rally The TransSyberia Rally is a rally raid race held in Siberia. The rally is open only to 4WD automobiles and trucks. Technical modifications are allowed, but vehicles must be street legal. Most modifications are to improve safety, reliability and ...
.


References


External links

* (Vitara) * (Grand Vitara) {{Authority control
Vitara The Suzuki Vitara is a series of SUVs produced by Suzuki in five generations since 1988. The second, third-generation and 2022 models are known as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, with the fourth generation eschewing the "Grand" prefix. In Japan and a ...
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