Suzuki Vitara 2018

[bongbojador]

It really depends on what you look for in a car. I would agree that most first time buyers will see great value with the Vitara since it's feature packed and it's an "SUV".

But you're also right in saying that you get picky once you've tried different cars. I've driven a whole range of cars from cute little Picantos to high-end Lexuses, and for me the Vitara falls in the bottom of the range when it comes to interior finish.

A more relevant comparison would be other cars in the 1M price range. For starters, the Vitara's interior is nowhere near that of the Civic or Mazda 3. Even among its subcompact CUV rivals, I'd say the Juke feels more upscale inside. I'd go as far as saying that subcompact cars like the City and Mazda 2 also have better interiors and finish. For sure, the City's doors close with a much more solid thud than the Vitara.

That said, if I really had to buy a subcompact CUV, the Vitara would still be my top pick. It looks good from outside (while I find the Ecosport and Juke quirky), plus it has a pretty good feature set and commendable FC.
I say it's compromised because I'm coming from the vantage point that this price range was previously the exclusive realm of compact cars. Subcompact CUVs came, but at a cost, namely:

- Less space (even more cramped than a City)
- Poorer handling (because of the higher ride height)
- Less comfortable ride (because of the non-independent rear suspension and shorter wheelbase)
- Inferior build quality (tinny door close, very little soft-touch plastics)
- Less power (more weight but same engines as subcompacts, though at least the Vitara is an improvement because it's much lighter than other small CUVs)
- Cheaper interior finish (no subcompact CUV even comes with a center armrest! [emoji35])

All of that for a few inches of ride height.

The nice thing about the Vitara is that even if it suffers all the fundamental problems with subcompact CUVs, it's fully loaded when you look at the paper specs - moon roof, climate control, cruise control, LED headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, push button ignition, a huge touch screen head unit, 6 airbags, traction control, parking camera and sensors, leather steering wheel, paddle shifters, power folding mirrors, and so on.

Which is why the Vitara is my top pick among the subcompact CUVs, like I said above.

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Cabin space of vitara for me is decent enough, i dont feel cramped, mas masikip loob ecosport, i also own a 2.0 lancer EX, Ford Escape and a Ranger Wildtrak so i can compare the difference,


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[jut703]

Cabin space of vitara for me is decent enough, i dont feel cramped, mas masikip loob ecosport, i also own a 2.0 lancer EX, Ford Escape and a Ranger Wildtrak so i can compare the difference,


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Cabin space as driver or as rear passenger? All cars have decent space for drivers since you can always move the seat back.

For rear passengers, the Vitara still has decent space to fit 3, but legroom is less compared to similarly priced cars like the Civic and even compared to cheaper cars like the City.

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[bongbojador]

Cabin space as driver or as rear passenger? All cars have decent space for drivers since you can always move the seat back.

For rear passengers, the Vitara still has decent space to fit 3, but legroom is less compared to similarly priced cars like the Civic and even compared to cheaper cars like the City.

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Back seat, civic is totally different and more expensive than a vitara, mas maluwag ang rear space ng vitara compared sa Lancer EX, and vitara is wider than a City specs wise, wider by 80mm and taller 125mm,


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[Walter]

Interior quality is a factor since that's what you see and feel when driving ... once you get to drive a well built car it's hard to go back ... that's why some would rather buy an 8-10 year old midsize or European car ...

[kenken123]

Interior quality is a factor since that's what you see and feel when driving ... once you get to drive a well built car it's hard to go back ... that's why some would rather buy an 8-10 year old midsize or European car ...

I totally agree on this. This was a major factor for me back when i was choosing our 2nd car.

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[polar01]

Interior quality is a factor since that's what you see and feel when driving ... once you get to drive a well built car it's hard to go back ... that's why some would rather buy an 8-10 year old midsize or European car ...

+1 here. I go for interior quality, this is where you dwell every time you step in to the car. I like it clean,neat and nice to look at. A minimalist at best. Space, not something i really consider.


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[jut703]

Back seat, civic is totally different and more expensive than a vitara, mas maluwag ang rear space ng vitara compared sa Lancer EX, and vitara is wider than a City specs wise, wider by 80mm and taller 125mm,


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There's only a 40k difference between the Vitara GLX and Civic 1.8E. The GL+ is cheaper but also with less features, although its feature set and pricing makes it comparable to a City VX.

You're comparing exterior dimensions of the City and Vitara, which is not automatically indicative of interior space, especially of two different body styles. I just had a City last week so I can compare and it's certainly roomier than the Vitara for rear seat passengers. More legroom with roughly the same shoulder room and headroom.

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[chronicle]

It is really hard or impossible to quantify build quality / class in a paper.

Nothing against the vitara though as it brings a lot compared to the cuv competion.

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[Egan101]

It is really hard or impossible to quantify build quality / class in a paper.

Nothing against the vitara though as it brings a lot compared to the cuv competion.

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Subcompact crossover, you mean? A Vitara is still far off against the crop of CUVs (Forester, CX5, CRV, RAV4, Sportage, Tucson).

Same with Jut, a compact car is a better buy over most of these subcompact crossovers if you drive mostly on paved city roads.


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[Ry_Tower]

Subcompact crossover, you mean? A Vitara is still far off against the crop of CUVs (Forester, CX5, CRV, RAV4, Sportage, Tucson).

Same with Jut, a compact car is a better buy over most of these subcompact crossovers if you drive mostly on paved city roads.


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For paved city roads no question about that. That is why in the provinces you see a lot of avanza, innova, ertiga vs sedan because of better performance in the glory road that DPWH maintains daw.

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[chronicle]

Subcompact crossover, you mean? A Vitara is still far off against the crop of CUVs (Forester, CX5, CRV, RAV4, Sportage, Tucson).

Same with Jut, a compact car is a better buy over most of these subcompact crossovers if you drive mostly on paved city roads.


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Yes. Subcompact crossovers. [emoji1]

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[ray_noel]

Subcompact crossover, you mean? A Vitara is still far off against the crop of CUVs (Forester, CX5, CRV, RAV4, Sportage, Tucson).

Same with Jut, a compact car is a better buy over most of these subcompact crossovers if you drive mostly on paved city roads.


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With its price... of course its far from those CUVs mentioned aboved... but i really appreciate suzuki since they opted to offer the vitara to those whose looking for sub 1M CUV with great features... however, who knows may entry din sila in the future to compete with forester, cx5 and the likes... i hope this vitara will have impact on philippine vehicle market para ma improve nila ng mas maganda pa next facelift... just like other cuvs and ppvs na pumatok, mas lalo ni pina paganda... just saying...


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[jut703]

With its price... of course its far from those CUVs mentioned aboved... but i really appreciate suzuki since they opted to offer the vitara to those whose looking for sub 1M CUV with great features... however, who knows may entry din sila in the future to compete with forester, cx5 and the likes... i hope this vitara will have impact on philippine vehicle market para ma improve nila ng mas maganda pa next facelift... just like other cuvs and ppvs na pumatok, mas lalo ni pina paganda... just saying...


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That's true. The demand for subcompact CUVs has exploded in recent years, led by the Ecosport which sold over 11,000 units combined last year. That's more than the Civic, Altis, and Mazda 3 combined. Goes to show that the raised ride height is a bigger draw to customers than refinement or handling.

Having more entrants to this segment will surely make things more competitive. Too bad that only smaller brands chose to duke it out with the Ecosport, namely the Juke and Vitara. The big brands (Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda) chose to field a 7-seater MPV (though they try so hard to market it as an SUV) for the same price range.

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[Egan101]

The Trax, ASX, XV, HRV, and CX3 are classified as subcompact or small crossovers. However, they are priced more like CUVs locally. The Ecosport, Juke, and Vitara are just priced lower than those above.


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[ray_noel]

That's true. The demand for subcompact CUVs has exploded in recent years, led by the Ecosport which sold over 11,000 units combined last year. That's more than the Civic, Altis, and Mazda 3 combined. Goes to show that the raised ride height is a bigger draw to customers than refinement or handling.

Having more entrants to this segment will surely make things more competitive. Too bad that only smaller brands chose to duke it out with the Ecosport, namely the Juke and Vitara. The big brands (Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda) chose to field a 7-seater MPV (though they try so hard to market it as an SUV) for the same price range.

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Agree!
Pero Sino kaya bibigay sa slogan na “if you can’t beat them, join them!”?

Kasi habang yung ford, nissan, chevy at suzuki nasa subcompact CUV nag cocompete... tapos sila honda,mitsu at toyo nag MPV sila... anyway, mas madami choices mas maganda... [emoji106]

[Maybulong]

Just sharing... Done 1k PMS at Suzuki Commonwealth to my GLX, it cost me 1623 pesos on a free labor.

[dr. d]

Agree!
Pero Sino kaya bibigay sa slogan na “if you can’t beat them, join them!”?. [emoji106]

it's probably,
"the CUV you've been waiting for...!"

[kenken123]

Just sharing... Done 1k PMS at Suzuki Commonwealth to my GLX, it cost me 1623 pesos on a free labor.

Bat may bayad? Usually the first 1k/1mo is free diba? Not just the labor.

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[Mar54]

Ive been considering a smaller subcompact SUV, namely CX3, HRV, Vitara. Our paved roads with are not good , hence an SUV is better than a car. Also, a smaller SUV is also more practical in traffic than a Fortuner, Trailblazer, Montero etc. in my case.
How does the good priced Vitara handle in the city and the long highways ? [B]It would be good to hear of the Vitara's characteristics .. Never mind the interiors (for me) I just want a practical subcompact SUV which is easy to drive & wash, and handles great & safe in rain or shine, bright or dark, short slow & long fast drives. How does it drive ?

[TheUninvited]

For me, the best sub-compact cuv would be the Vitara GLX (GL+ just don't cut it), and the best compact sedan would be the Civic RS followed by the Mazda 3 2.0.

Vitara GLX dapat kukunin ko (nag down na ako nun and stuff), kaso Suzuki PH sucks, I went with a Civic E instead since no budget for an RS haha.

Minsan napapa-isip pa din ako what if Vitara kinuha ko, pero when I drive the Civic, it all goes away hehe.