Cinderella story: 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX review

As the 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX alighted in our driveway, it was clear a good old-fashioned road trip was the order of the day. But where to go from Cape Town with a claimed cruising range of approximately 500 km? We’ll throw a dart at the map and see where it lands …

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Voila! Fate decided a totally achievable route and destination for our 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX: SANParks West Coast National Park. Along the way, we’ll use the arrow-straight west coast highway to see if the (seemingly) modest 1.5-litre powerplant and five-speed gearbox is up to the task. Then we’ll detour to the R27 in search of some squiggly roads to test if the new Suzi has the same competent, comfortable demeanour of its predecessor.

SUZUKI GRAND VITARA 1.5 GLX

The Suzuki Grand Vitara nameplate has been around for some 25 years, and there’s been a growing enthusiasm for the brand in Mzansi over that time. According to official sales figures by NAAMSA, Suzuki Auto South Africa sold 5 235 new cars in January 2024. In an environment where new-car purchases are contracting, that’s seriously impressive. Suzuki is now firmly in third position overall for new-car sales in the country. What an achievement!

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Now, steering the latest 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX towards the West Coast National Park, you can sense a kind of well-meaning, all-knowing admiration for the brand. Suzi owners and fans love that their brand is riding high and doing well. And goodness knows South Africans have so little to get excited about these days; making the Suzuki Cinderella story in South Africa all the more laudable.

REAL HEAD-TURNER

Our Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX is a study in considered, practical design. It’s handsome but not overstyled. Remember, this is a mass-market product that has to appeal far and wide for Suzuki Auto South Africa. Goodness knows there must have been pressure to give its much-loved nameplate loads of attention-grabbing styling elements. Instead, the Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX displays genuine parity between aesthetic appeal and practical needs.

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If you don’t believe me, look a little closer. The 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX has a smoothly curved, aerodynamically efficient bonnet flowing down to its chromed grille surround. Then, look at those rear haunches and how stout and bulging they are. This gives it a real solid stance on the road from the rear. A subtle silver flash of paint on the C pillar softens-off an otherwise boxy roofline. Those are interesting design features for what will be a very common sight on Mzansi’s roads as it is bought by thousands of people. And I especially like the Anime-style separate light clusters. They look great!

CABIN-TASTIC

The cabin is standard Suzuki fare. Which is to say it’s not all that exciting, but it’s robust and everything will last the course. The central touchscreen looks after all your multimedia needs – including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – and cruise control comes as standard. Delve into the trip computer and you’ll see graphs that measure parameters like braking, throttle and lateral g-force, which may or may not be anathema for this type of vehicle.

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As for the rest of the Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX cabin, it’s much more spacious than its forebear. Hello 370 mm extra length and a 100 mm longer wheelbase than the previous Vitara Brezza. The front seats are plush and wonderfully supportive. The adjustment is huge, which means three adults can fit comfortably in the back for long journeys. Overall ambience in the cabin is one of comfort, spaciousness and practicality. The boot is rated at 328 litres but with the seats folded flat you unlock massive amounts of utility space: 1 147 litres. 

PETROL PROPULSION

Now, let’s delve into how the brand’s latest crossover drives. We’ll contend that a five-speed manual gearbox might be the least favoured in the 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX range. These days the familiar cadence of stomp and go in heavy traffic with a simple automatic cannot be ignored. Most buyers will opt for the convenience of a two-pedal transmission no matter what motoring journalists say about it.

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However, paired to the 77 kW and 138 Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, it is a perfectly usable transmission. It was more than sufficient to get us to the West Coast National Park in good time, even if a sixth gear would have lowered the revs at highway speeds.

DESTINATION SANPARKS

As we made our way out of Cape Town CBD, the vast West Coast countryside filled the windscreen. It’s hard not to feel a sense of pride and freedom in this part of the world. The Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX’s driveability on the open road is commendable, with sufficient pulling power from 2 500 r/min onwards. Crucially, the crossover weighs only 1 190 kg, so there’s more than enough grunt from the 1.5-litre motor.

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In that respect, the Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX is quite pleasant and easy going on the open road. At 120 km/h, the rev counter sits above 3 000 r/min, hence our belief that a six-speed gearbox would be even better for economy and noise suppression. Although performance data is hardly important to your average buyer, in a zero to 100 km/h sprint we recorded 10.42 seconds.

OPEN ROAD

That makes it about a second slower than the Suzuki Fronx 1.5 GLX we tested recently. Which isn’t surprising considering it features the same petrol motor but is a bit bigger and heavier. Fuel economy wise, Suzuki claims a combined figure of 5.6 l/100 km, however, we averaged 6.9 l/100 km on our West Coast National Park journey.

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The 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX’s 210 mm ground clearance really came into its own as we entered the West Coast National Park. The real seduction of our road trip is just starting to kick in. As the sun slowly rises and burns off the morning fog on the horizon, there’s nothing left to do but enjoy this untouched natural beautiful. The park speed limit is 40 km/h, to protect the turtles and dassies that love to warm themselves on the road. It’s also just quick enough to set cruise control, exhale and just relax.

NATURAL WEST COAST BEAUTY

The West Coast National Park is 40 000 ha, and it’s got way more in it than I initially thought. Everything from bird hides to stunning sea-view lookout points of the Atlantic Ocean. Then there’s the Langebaan Lagoon and beautiful flowers of Postberg (if blooming). Honestly, one visit doesn’t even scratch the surface or capture the true beauty on offer. Nevertheless, my rapport with the 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX is at an all-time high as we slowly proceed to Tsaarsbank, where West Coast waves smash majestically against the rocks.

THE VERDICT

All told, my only misgiving is the five-speed manual being short a ratio for ultimate quiet and efficiency. Nevertheless, the 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX is an excellent family adventure car. It piggybacks off a well-loved Suzi nameplate and still challenges conceptions and surprises with supreme comfort, practicality and a broad range of talents. Our 400 km roundtrip to the West Coast National Park proves there’s good reason why the Suzuki Cinderella story in South Africa is only gathering moment. We say let Mzansi continue to vote with its chequebooks.

THE FIGURES

• Best for: Weekend family adventures in ease and comfort. Practical, reliable and affordable.
• Not so sure: Not everyone will appreciate the charms of a manual gearbox. We’ll always ask for a six gear.  
• Model: 2024 Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX
• Engine: 1 499 cc 4-cyl petrol
• Power: 77 kW, 138 Nm
• Performance: 10,42 sec 0-100 km/h (tested)
• Gearbox: 5-speed manual
• Economy: 6.9 l/100 km (tested), 5.6 l/100 km (claimed/combined)
• Tyres: Apollo Aptera 215/60/R17
• Price: R407 900

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