Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Suzuki Grand Vitara/Vitara 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
68 messages, Last post on Nov 17, 2009 at 12:10 PM
You are in the Suzuki Grand Vitara/Vitara Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
First, I don't have a handle on what proportions the nearest dealership has of '08's and '09's. I imagine they have holding yards elsewhere also. Next, the brakes. From the design, I'd expect discs to cool better and for the braking effect to initiate more abruptly. I've never had brakes overheat to the point of losing effectiveness. We've never towed a trailer, but we do come down 4000' vertical descents on rough logging roads. I try to use the engine/transmission to lower the load on the brakes. Another risk is that these trips sometimes include fording shallow streams, which can crack or warp hot drums and discs. Anyway, I too await comparative testing of the disc/drum and disc/disc setups. As part of an attempt to get Suzuki to resolve our squealing brakes, they took photos of our front discs and rear drums. The inside swept surfaces of the front rotors are significantly rusted, after only 30,000km. In contrast, the insides of the rear drums are shiny grey like new. They theorize that this rust is causing the noise, so they're going to replace the pads and turn the discs. I hate to think of what the rear brakes would look like if they were discs, the effect of deep rust on braking, and the cost to maintain them. Lastly, I dealt with the noise level by lining the doors and most of the floor and rear quarter panels with automotive acoustic insulation. I also added weatherstripping around the doors. Such as along the bottom edges to seal them off, and in the notch where the rear door meets the front door, and down past the front door hinges. Overall the difference is quite noticable. Today I was wondering why I couldn't hear any noise from the brand-new snow tires. |
|
| I really connected with the little GV. The '09 has me interested because of the revisions, and because I love the '08 model. I do some work as an automotive journalist, and even having driven $65,000 LR2's, I really liked the Vitara. I took it on the same off-road track that I took a Jeep Grand Cherokee and LR2 down - against my better judgement - and the Vitara was solid. I loved the size, the interior design, the exterior design, and the powertrain (even though slightly underpowered at freeway speeds). I loved the smooth shifting, intuitive 5-spd tranny. A little more power, with higher EPA ratings for the V6 will be welcome on the '09, and maybe I'll buy one. Oh yeah, let's see if they can eliminate the few little interior rattles that plagued a high-quality looking interior. | |
|
The GV does surprisingly well against a herd of Cayennes in the trans Siberia rally/bash-fest. Speaking of Land Rovers, the other day a Range Rover fishtailed out of control on a snowy and slushy highway. I was about to overtake it, so I was going faster. As it lurched back and forth, it lost speed fairly rapidly. When it ended up sitting broadside to me in my lane, I had to brake a bit hard to avoid running into it. No problem. Stupid Range Rover driver. So I blew my squeaky little horn at it just for a laugh, and continued on my way. Don't those cheapo things have any stability control?
|
|
|
Replying to: xostnot (Dec 16, 2008 9:44 pm) 
|
|
| And today, in similar conditions, a Prius taxi driver lost control just ahead of me and bounced off a concrete divider. This time I had plenty of space to slow down and go around him. It seems strange to me that people can just suddenly spin out their cars. Must make it very nerve wracking for them when they go driving in snow, not knowing what in hell is going to happen any moment. | |
|
|
|
Continues here. Even broke down and test drove a new CRV with the wife last month. Incredibly there was a $7,000.00 Honda factory cash incentive on leftover '08 LX awd's, and $5,000.00 on '09's in December! Ya, that's from HONDA! I did take pleasure in having the opportunity to tell them I was happy they were FINALLY adopting competitive pricing incentives, since I'd found 'em wanting badly in that area since we bid adieu to our last new Accord, to go 4 wheeling in Suzuki's, years ago... They even gracefully ate some humble pie in response. Sweet. But we found the CRV boring. So did someone else who works where the wife does, (we found out later), who happened to td one around Christmastime too, and had the same impression we did. Guess I expected it to be more Accord like in feel, but it was certainly not. Great awd system though, and impressively long service intervals aided by that superb Honda engineering. But..... Went to a Zuke dealership in "a bigger settlement" hereabouts this weekend, and likewise [like here] that dealer had no base 4cyl GV's either. At least the log jam?, (the '08 GVs), are finally moving now thanks to EXCELLENT factory support, which probably even exceeds the internet buying service posted incentives. For instance, here an '08 JX auto box four mode was priced (in the windshield at the dealer), at $20,900Cdn last week!, (plus freight and pdi). Wouldn't have been surprised if it actually went for a bit less too, (it sold). Surely now is a great time to pick up any leftover '08's if one were so inclined. Have to admit to being tempted, but... South, one auction service in the US is even advertising new '08 JLX's, (it looked like), on ebay, for $18,500.00US, on what was called a "Dealer overstock sale". Whoa... Picked up an '09 brochure at that other dealership on the weekend, and noted something I had not seen before re: the base 4cyl JA. The five speed manual shift mechanism has also been upgraded for '09, with improved performance, feel, and vibration damping. That again reinforces my idea that it oughta be the most fun GV to drive on road with that lively new four cylinder mill. Couple that with all the safety features, and it seems it might represent a good compromise as an all around driver, if one could avoid doing some of the more extreme stuff out there, (he continued to rationalize).... Still a JX with the four mode 4wd and a manual box, (not available in that config.), would be the logical jack of all trades at the most reasonable price. It remains incredible to me that Suzuki repeats this error of omission each and every time there is an important new intro of an all new or significantly improved 4wd model here in North America. Yes, the 4cyl auto works well, but we want choice. Only way to find/test drive a base 4cyl awd JA, seems to be to leave the woods for the coast where some of 'em must be sitting on the dock next to a dealership there. Someone want to post a shot of all of them sitting on a warf in Vancouver? Wonder if Suzuki may be limiting supply on purpose to try to keep the prices up, sans their biting the bullet by offering more competitive incentives now, or is it that no one is buying anything now, so.....? Suzuki's incentives seem to come out the latest of any mfgr's, around the 14th of the month here in the great white north, and are only good [therefore] for a limited time, (current posted offers expire Feb. 2nd for instance). And so we wait again, until Valentines day this time. Will Suzuki be sending us a Valentine in the form of enhanced incentives [then] on the '09's? It works for me.... nwdsmn.
|
|
|
Replying to: norwoodsmn (Jan 20, 2009 12:34 am)
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: bm000092 (Jan 21, 2009 4:40 am) ROOF RACK for a "flat topped" base '09JA, or one of the '08 to '06 JA''s: anyone ever figure out what you can use? Absurdly, (to me), Suzuki doesn't offer its so called "roof rails" on the base JA, thus excluding it's own customers from being able to even buy a Suzuki roof rack. AND the aftermarket folks seem to only make the "fixed point feet", (plastic foot covers at least?), contoured to fit in conjunction with JX models and above, with their "roof rails". Just how much would it cost the customer if Suzuki chose to simply add those two longitudinal pieces on to the sticker price on every one of these chiefly recreation oriented vehicles? Put another way, is it worth the cost to Suzuki NOT to include 'em as standard equipment? Again, just think of the lost profit on those Suzuki racks for instance. Crazy. Still I've noted what look like four sliding covers on the flat top roofed JA at fix points?, beneath which one oughta to be able to attach [something]. If that is, any aftermarket mfgr. makes something compatible now?
|
|
|
Replying to: norwoodsmn (Jan 22, 2009 4:27 pm)
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: bm000092 (Jan 22, 2009 5:51 pm) Back to your Thule "feet" looks like they come with "L" brackets which are bolted to the fix points, then the plastic contoured "cover", (if I've got this right?), contours over the top of those rails? Or is that plastic part its self load bearing too onto those roof rails? Probably is I'd guess? Guessing [further] that's the adaptation you made? Anyway that's the latest setup for a roof rail equipped GV on the Thule website. Not an immediate issue here for me, but good to nail this down for any other "JA" prospects out there. |
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Suzuki Grand Vitara/Vitara 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitara
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara
2004 Suzuki Vitara
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
