Suzuki Vitara debuted in May 1988. At home, in Japan, the car is known as Escudo, in the North American market - Sidekick, in Spanish - Santana. Also, the car was produced under the brand name Geo (Chevrolet) and was called Tracker. Vitara late eighties - is a full-frame SUV.
Fully independent suspension with coil springs, wishbones and rear shock absorbers provided this car with quite decent handling on the road. Rear wheel drive car with a rigidly connected front axle. This scheme involves the use of front-wheel drive for a short time and only on slippery surfaces.
Vitara first generation received a comfortable and comfortable lounge. The informative dashboard was made neatly and soundly. The controls and switches on the center console are quite convenient. High landing was the key to excellent visibility from the driver's seat.
At the beginning of production, the car was produced only in a short-base 3-door version (3620x1630x1670 mm) and was equipped with one gasoline engine with a displacement of 1.6 liters and 80 hp. In June 1991, the five-door version of the Suzuki Vitara appeared. Their wheelbase is 280 mm longer than the three-door versions, and overall dimensions are 4125x1695x1700 mm.
The line of power units replenished 1.6-liter 16-valve engine producing 97 hp. There is also an open, convertible Suzuki Vitara convertible fabric-top. Its feature is ultra wide tires of size 255/60 R15. In the entire history of production, the car has undergone only one modest modernization.
Externally, signs of restyling in 1995 appeared in a new chrome grille. Internal changes mainly affected the visor of the instrument panel, which received a rounded shape, increased safety in the basic configuration appeared one, and in some markets - two pillows. In the same year, the 5-door version and the De Luxe convertible got a 2-liter V6 power unit with a capacity of 136 liters. from. For Vitara, Suzuki engineers prepared only one version of the diesel engine, and that turned out to be not “native.” Mazda 2-liter turbo diesel with 71 hp appeared under the hood of the car in 1996.
A year later, he was supplied with an intercooler of supercharged air, as a result of which the power increased to 87 hp. Diesel Vitara differ enviable brawl and agility. There are two types of transmissions to choose from - manual and automatic. This compact off-road vehicle for nine years headed the Suzuki lineup. But in 1997, the new Suzuki Grand Vitara model went on sale. This model of large size and increased power gradually began to displace the Suzuki Vitara from the market. But the production of Vitara is preserved in Spain.
The car is collected mainly for those countries of the European market, where the cost factor of the SUV is more important than its age. Vitara even modernized. Equipped with a new stiffer suspension: there are racks in front, and a continuous axle on springs with anti-roll bars is preserved at the back. It has excellent driving characteristics and high operational capabilities in poor road conditions. The exterior design of the body of this generation compared with the previous one has become less angular. As a result of the restyling, the design of the grille has changed. They offer three body options (open with a removable soft top, 3- and 5-door) on a wheelbase of 2200 and 2480 mm.
Powertrains include 1.6-liter engines with 80 and 97 hp, 1.9-liter turbo-diesel Peugeot 75 hp and mechanical 5-speed gearboxes. Four-wheel drive all wheels - with the inclusion / disconnection of the front. At the beginning of October 2014, a completely new model with a well-known name debuted at the Paris Motor Show - the compact Vitara crossover. This car has become a serial embodiment of the concept of "i-V4", presented in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. In the Japanese car manufacturer's lineup, the car took an intermediate position between Jimny and Grand Vitara.
In European countries, sales of new items started in April 2015, and in early August, the car appeared on the Russian market. Appearance Vitara 2015 turned out stylish and modern. The front end is distinguished by a powerful bonnet and grille in the shape of an inverted trapezoid with original chrome trim. Strict headlight optics attract attention LED dipped-beam lamps with blue contours of the lenses. The image is completed by a massive bumper with a two-level air intake, classic round fog lamps and vertical sections of LED daytime running lights framed with chrome-plated boomerangs.
The dynamic look of the car is characterized by a sloping roof, extended wheel arches accommodating discs with a dimension of 16-17 inches, and chopped side lines. It is noteworthy that the lower parts of the bumpers, the edges of the wheel arches and sills are protected by wide plates of scratch-resistant plastic. The design of the rear part of the body is simple and functional: a large tailgate with a large glass area and a solid-sized overhead reading light. For the body paint manufacturer offers a palette of 15 colors, the most original - Atlantis Turquoise Pearl Metallic (turquoise), Horizon Orange Metallic (orange) and Savannah Ivory Metallic (ivory).
To personalize the appearance of the car, it is possible to order various color solutions for trimming the false radiator grille, rear bumper covers, trimming pseudo-air ducts on the front wings, framing protivotumanok, moldings and spoilers. You can choose individual color options for the roof, pillars and mirrors. There are also two packages of exterior decoration: urban package - chrome elements on the body or rugged package - finishing, emphasizing the powerful crossover style.
The overall length of the model is 4,175 mm, the size of the wheelbase is 2,500, the width is 1,775, the height is 1,610. When installing large wheels with 215/55 R17 tires on alloy wheels, the ground clearance (clearance) is 185 mm, plus short body overhangs provide an entry angle of 18.2 degrees and an exit angle of 28.2 degrees. The interior of Vitara 2015 is made in a laconic style - without unnecessary frills, but with excellent ergonomics. In front of the driver is a compact steering wheel with adjustable columns for height and depth, an informative dashboard with large radii of speedometer and tachometer, multi-function on-board computer screen.
On the center console there is a 7-inch multimedia touch screen of the multimedia system and a climate control unit with an individual monochrome display (in the budget versions there is a standard air conditioner). The interior trim is made of good-quality plastic of various textures, which is diluted with expensive trim levels with a small amount of leather. Add to the design of "juiciness" by using optional decorative inserts of various colors. The front row seats have moderate lateral support, tight padding and a wide range of adjustments.
The driver and front passenger, with an increase of under 185 cm of space with a margin, sit comfortably and comfortably, but the three rear passengers of the same height are not so free - there is free space for the legs, above the head, and at least along the width of the passenger compartment. The luggage compartment at the crossover in the traveling state is 375 liters, and when transforming the rear seats with asymmetrical parts increases to 1,120 liters (this results in a nearly flat load area). Under the raised floor is an additional niche, which gives way to the optional compact “dokatka”. In our country, the crossover is offered in three trim levels (GL, GL + and GLX).
The basic equipment of the car includes seven airbags, ABS and ESP, air conditioning, audio system with USB and Bluetooth support, heated front seats, electric and heated side mirrors, front electric windows, steel wheels and a help system when driving Manual transmission. In the top of the range, Suzuki Vitara sports sensors of light and rain, diode running lights, front and rear parking radars, climate control, a multimedia system with a 7-inch touchscreen and navigation, a panoramic roof with a hatch, keyless access to the salon and an engine start button Assistant descent from the mountain, etc.
As a power unit for the Suzuki Vitara (2015-2016) in Russia is available a single 1.6-liter gasoline engine with 120 horsepower at 6000 rev / min and 156 Nm of torque delivered to the wheels with 4400 rev / min. In tandem with the engine work 5-step "mechanics", or 6-band "automatic" to choose from, which by default send the entire stock of traction to the front axle. In a number of other countries, a similar volume of diesel is being developed, developing 120 forces and 320 Nm of torque. Instead of a five-speed manual, he put on six gears. Also later appeared 140-strong modification Vitara S.
Optionally, the crossover is equipped with the AllGrip all-wheel drive system with an electromagnetic clutch in the rear-wheel drive and four modes of operation - Auto, Snow, Sport and Lock (in extreme values, up to 50% of the torque can be sent back). From a place to 100 km / h, the “Vitara” with front-wheel drive and “mechanics” accelerates in 11.5 seconds, and with the “automatic” - in 12.5 seconds (all-wheel drive transmission slows down the acceleration by 0.5 seconds). Regardless of the modification, the top speed is fixed at 180 km / h, while gasoline consumption in the combined mode ranges from 5.8 to 6.3 liters.
The use of durable and high-strength steel in the production of the Vitara body allowed Japanese engineers to provide the curb weight of the car ranging from 1,075 kg (front-wheel drive, gasoline engine) to 1,295 kg (four-wheel drive, diesel engine). The suspension schemes for the crossover are as follows: an independent part with McPherson struts in the front and a semi-dependent rear beam. In the steering system applied electric power.
