I've had this car from 10000 miles now on 82000. It's a dream tow car. It has done everything I have asked of it. Tows the van easily and efficiently. Reliability is great. It's a late 06 plate model. Been Cornwall Devon Brighton and much further a field. Even France towing. Can highly recommend.
Just returned from France, the Suzuki performed well and towed the caravan with ease and averaged 27.5mpg.
We (hubby and me) have a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 DDis SZ5 top of the range purchased new 2010 for £21,000 pity C&C dont rate it much better in its tow car ratings. Great price for a good 4X4 which is also great match for our Hobby 460 UFe. Have towed with this combination in the UK also france and Germany the car performed great at 60+ didnt even feel the caravans weight on back and cruise control at 60+mph was great. A brilliant towing vehicle for its size and money will be looking forward to more towing with this vehicle. Also when it is time to change car we will be looking for another Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Have owned a Fleetwood Volante 560 EK and the Suzuki GV 1.9DDIS for the last three years ,have traveled to France,Spain,Portugal(Algarve),West Wales,Mid Wales,North Wales and the South west of England averaged 24mpg when towing found the car to be comfortable on long journeys when towing and for a basic 4x4 found the car to be an excellent workhorse
have a 2006 suzuki grand vitara in 2008 towed to debrovnik and back 4000 miles car performed great on hills on m/ways and a/b roads gives total confidence good work horse still getting good performence
Having towed several times I've changed my mind. I've had a couple of 'moments' with the final straw being a scare on the motorway whilst overtaking a lorry. Even though I kept plenty of room between us the caravan swayed towards the lorry causing the car to move over/cross lanes as well (tail wagging the dog!). The lorry driver avoided a collision by swerving onto the hard shoulder. I sold the Suzuki & bought a Honda CRV (08 model). What a difference. It's so much easier. I'm no longer correcting the steering even on straight roads, the whole experience is so much more relaxed. The CRV is 85% weight match & I can now see why this is recommended as a maximum. In reality the mpg was only around 12, not 18-20 as well.100% weight match may be ok with some cars but I don't think it is with a Grand Vitara.
Excellent car for towing. Don't understand low cc rating. First time towing & selected this car or the purpose. Car is quick either on the flat or up hill.
Ok, it's 100% but my Suzuki copes well. I towed from Exeter to Penzance over Christmas, into a very strong headwind which played havoc with the mpg but it never felt unsteady. Coming home with a tail wind I barely knew the van was there.
I will be getting a bigger car this year because i'll get a bigger caravan sometime. If I wasn't i'd keep the Suzuki (it's lovely to drive). 26mpg without the van, 18-20 with it does hurt a bit though.
Towed Swift Expression 550 (special edition Charisma) for several years in UK and France. Relaxing and very easy in all conditions, especially when using cruise control on motorways.
Would recommend Suzuki GV to anyone wanting a good, solid, medium size towcar.
Excellent, and very good value tow car.
i have just bought this outfit but on the first outing i was really happy with the performance i did use it on an extremely windy day but with the alko hitch fitted as standard it was a pleasure no twitching at all i did all manor of driving i.e motorway a roads b roads dual arriage ways and it was great under all those circumstances
short wheelbase makes for slightly hard ride { solo ]no trouble towing 65mph is best speed returns 27.5mph towing stable provided you know its limitations I think 1400kg is max to tow ...enjoy
Have a 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 DDis which is a great match for our Hobby 460 UFe.
Just came back from france and the car performed great at 60+ didnt even feel weight on back and cruise control at 60mph was great. A brilliant towing vehicle for its size and money will be looking forward to more towing with this vehicle.
Very pleasant to drive with combination Grand Vitara and Hobby 495! Travelling goes well with fifth gear and cruise on.
I pulled down to Italy and it was embarrassing, down through the gears at the sight of a hill, down to 2nd gear, dangerous with heavy freight having to speed at every opportunity to stop playing cat and mouse with the trunks, and appalling fuel consumption.
I have been towing this outfit for the last four years, and I am happy with its performance, although I do load the car up with items I would have carried in a lighter van,so that the outfit feels more balanced and used a roof top box which helps with the air flow. the car does use fair amount of fuel when towing, (car pulls better when tank is only half full). Have looked at a freelander but will stay with my Vitara.
i tow my elddis crusader storm twin axle heavy van with grand vitara v6 when van is empty it has no probs load with awning etc struggles a bit hgv driver for last 20 yrs so well exp in towing not for the faint hearted time 4 a up grade on car lol.
I don't know if anyone has noticed in the handbook that the maximum weight you may tow with this 4x4 is 1350 kgs.
(Comment webmaster: not in the Netherlands though, and according to http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/specs/Detail.aspx?deriv=27256 its maximum towing weight is also 1850 kg in the UK.)
I have towed my swift conqueror 540 with my Grand Vitara V6,with the caravan empty,and all the luggage in the car, it pulled nice,struggled a little on steep hills,and did burn a bit more fuel,but pulled nice, I had the suzuki weighed empty ,with the spare wheel on public weighbridge, it weighed just under 1500kg, so with the wife,and me,the luggage,and small dog, made the car more sturdy.
I have towed over 2000miles in the last six months with this combination. The car pulls well and even though the caravan is 91% it was quite effortless but the fuel consumption did drop to around 24mpg when towing. My real issue is the very notchy gear box which is making it a toil of a pleasure to drive. I will be changing towcar.
Have done over 2000 miles this year towing, great tug no issues at all, got 28 miles to gallon with van on, it is not as popular as other 4*4 for towing but gives great service and is reliable so far would have another, comfortable and stable. Recommend to anyone
Just got back from France again. 2100 trouble free miles towing our new Olympus. These cars do not deserve their low c.c. rating. Excellent value and 28,5 MPG.[1.9 ddis]. Very comfortable and stable. Recommend to anyone.
I was pleasantly suprised by the Suzuki. It made Telegraph Hill in third gear at 35mph. Always did what was asked of it. Had no trouble towing the caravan. Hardly any bounce on teh Suzuki when towing, very stable. The Suzuki was the 109bhp version
Been running this combination for 1 year, 50 nights away from home in all, no problems of any kind regards towing or stability. Sits comfortably on motorways at 60-70 mph, hills no problem, feels safe and secure. On A or B roads performance equally satisfactory. Very happy !
Our Suzuki Grand Vitara has served us well, towing a Fleetwood Garland 2 Berth in the UK and Northern Europe. Its a great vehicle and the 4x4 Low Range is handy in slippery conditions or for moving the caravan.
Just completed the first 450 mile round tow with an 07 GV 1.9ddis and am very pleased. Good power and pulling power up hills. Also achieved 26.7 mpg which is the best of any towcar I've had. A little bit of yaw on the back when trucks go by but a little more noseweight in the van on the return seemed to counterract this well. I too have seen the cc rating of 2/5 but it does the job well for me so am not too worried about snobbery.
We are picking up the van this weekend so will let you know!
Grand Vitara Automatic and Bessacarr 420GL 2 berth(29yrs old) with twin axle. It never wobbles, very comfortable drive. Plenty of power for overtaking on motorways and the long uphill slopes. Just have to keep my eyes on the speed as its so smooth.
I have just purchased the new 2010 Bailey Ranger GT60 620/6 Twin Axle on Saturday 5.12.09 & i have the Grand Vitara 2.0 petrol to pull it & found it much much easier than i thought it would be, on the motorway got up to 55-60 in 5th gear with no problem, i had to come down to 4th & 3rd on a couple of steep hills, slight change to driving took care of that. Over all impressed with both my Grand Vitara & new caravan.
i think the grand vitara struggled to pull the musketeer. on even slight gradients i had to keep dropping down to 4th or even down to 3rd. in top gear it plodded along nicely at a steady 55 to 60 mph but it guzzled petrol. wish i'd never got it to be honest.should have got the 1.9 dds diesel instead.
Excellent car very pleased tows well great acceleration no probs to South of France. Could do with a sixth gear.
Excellent, cannot even feel the weight of the Ranger on the back. Very pleased. GV is a bit 'truck like' alone, but comes into its own when towing.
Good combination would recommend to anyone, even though Caravan club do not really rate it as a tow car (2/5). I'd say excellent value for money & does the job. Why pay £40,000 when you can pay £17,000???
I ve been using this combination for 3 years it's ok but i wiil go for more powerfull car.
I have driven this combination for nearly two years now. The petrol consumption is not as bad as I first thought with a little careful driving. More power on slopes would be good. The spare wheel on the back is handy if you get a puncture. I would buy a full size one, as space savers are not to be used for towing. Many new 4x4 are putting the spare in the back. This makes it hard to remove when a full load is in the vehicle. Where would you store the punctured wheel as it will not fit in the area vacated by the spare. This is not a problem on the Suzuki. Very impressed.
Towing in France and the UK for more than 1.5 years has been a pleasure with this combo. It lacks a little power on motorway slopes but apart from that it is perfect. The spare being on the back is great when you get a puncture. No need to take all the kit out to get to it. One odd thing is the spare is not a full size one, but one will fit in the compartment. The Honda CRV amongst others have a space saver spare which cannot be used for towing. It is also not possible to fit a full size spare in the space provided.
Excellente association véhicule-caravane, sur toutes les routes et autoroutes, par tous les temps sauf verglas et neige (pas testé). La caravane "tient" la Suzuki bien "assise"
This Suzuki Grand Vitara DDiS is a very good car towing my Sterling Eccles Onyx (1431kg) with plenty of power, the low gearbox is first class on wet grass as we towed right across a very boggy cl when other cars stuck.
I have been using this combo since 2005. We have travelled the length and breadth of the UK, never had any problems
This Is By Far The Best Tow Car I Have Ever Had It Handles Hill Starts,Cross Winds,Steep Inclines And Declines With Absolute Ease And Best Of All I Am Completely Relaxed And Unstessed Even After A 7 Hour Haul Up To Scotland Also The 4x4 Capability Is Very Handy On Wet Grass And Muddy Fields I Would Recommend This Car To Anyone Thinking Of Towing A Boat Or Caravan.
Great tow car for our Elddis Odyssey 484. Very stable no lack of power. Very happy would recommend
It's not only the lack of power that is a big issue.The car is very unstable even at low speeds.Don't even consider to tow with this car if you are a novice driver not even a trailer.Excelent car for mountain driving not for towing,AVOID IT.
It is perfect, good car to towing
I've towed using my V6 Grand Vitara for more than 3 years, it's pulled three different van each one heavier than the last. It does struggle a little on hills and uses fuel when towing but I have to say that it pulls like a dream. Cross winds can effect the driving both with and without the van.
Excellent tow car. Just returned from france, 2400 very comfortable miles. Very stable and had plenty of power in all situations. Would recommend to anyone.
I have towed with my Grand Vitara V6 for just over a year and have found it to be very good, plenty of power for hills & motorway inclines but is very thirsty for fuel. selectable 4 wheel drive is usefull for wet grass etc. The only minor problem that i have encountered is the outfit can be affected by HGV's & strong crosswinds but provided you load up the caravan correctly it is not too much of a problem.
Perfect towing this caravan in mountain roads in Spain during many thousand kilometres. It is powerful enough in any slope. I am really glad with this little great car.
Great combination towing a 2 berth Sprite - very satisfied.
Car and caravan are a perfect partnership, sometimes even forget that the caravan is hitched on the back.Tows along very nicely,would recommend to anyone.Excellent package.
i have have my grand vitara and bailey ranger for two years now and love them both i feel that when towing i could do with a little more power for the hills but overall i am very happy i can do 60mph on the motorways in 5th gear with no prob
tows really well and is very comfortable on long journeys.Stable and powerful but could have done with a sixth gear but other than this excellent tow car.
Having this unit for 3 years now I find no problems that cannot be overcome easily with a slight adjustment to driving technique. On moderate to steep hills I feel this car can do with a little more punch maybe about 0.2 Ltrs.
I,ve towed this c/van on various roads from M/way to farm tracks including the B6277 which is very up & down & very twisty in places(scenery beautiful) with no problem
I've not ye had to resort to 4WD while towing although I,ve been in quite a few fields but none of them were really wet. Asfor myself apart from the slight power disadvantage(overcomeable) I really like this tow vehicle.
I realise that we all have our own opinions,likes & dislikes, these are mine & I hope its of some help.
towing a Lunar Delta 540-2 the Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.0 Tdi proformed well on 290 mile trip to Morvick, Wester Ross. Average fuel was 28 miles per gallon and no problems with hills. A great car for towing.
This car has never failed to pull our van out of even the most horrendous mud/snow covered field, could do with more power for the big motorway hills but it does ok.
The combination is quite scarry after 80km/h
stick to around 1200kg max van and the grand vitara will tow it fine. rear spring assisters are preferable.
Ignore the dealer and handbook advice it is not capable or safe to tow the stated 1600 kg, despite fitting rear coil/damper modification, it is a terable tow car.
the figures were our actual weights (weigh bridge minus our weight) when both can and van laden. Never had a problem and tows really well. On steep inclines and hill starts use the lower gears more than I would like, but can accellerate comfortably at any speed.
This car has no problems towing the caravan, never can tell you are towing anything its that good.
nice interior stylish exterrior, good tow car from 40 m.p.h. in top gear will accelerate, hills no problem very pleased so far
Excellent car, very pleased with it. Not a common sight as all the other 4x4's.
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