Suzuki boosts Grand Vitara, Jimny

SUZUKI has trimmed its Grand Vitara compact SUV range to four variants, spruced up standard equipment levels and added some cosmetic garnish in the latest update, while the tiny Jimny Sierra has returned to showrooms in Victoria with the inclusion of electronic stability control.

Just one three-door Grand Vitara variant survives, the auto-only, four-wheel drive Navigator at $25,990 driveaway, while the new rear-drive Urban Navigator the most affordable of the five-door variants at $27,990 driveaway.

As the name suggests, the Urban Navigator includes a 6.1-inch touchscreen satellite-navigation system, making this feature standard across the Grand Vitara range.

All Grand Vitaras now come with dark silver 18-inch alloy wheels, a dark chrome radiator grille, chrome roof rails, chrome on the bonnet side fins, suede/cloth upholstery and ‘champagne-silver’ inserts around the interior.

Combining four-wheel drive and five doors starts with the Sport at an unchanged $30,990 plus on-road costs, while the Diesel now tops the range at $34,990 plus on-roads as the former flagship Prestige variant has been dropped.

An automatic transmission on petrol five-door models continues to attract a $2000 price premium.

Sales of the Grand Vitara are reflecting its age, with year-on-year volume down 36.7 per cent to the end of September following a 7.8 per cent drop in 2013.

In addition to ESC, the Jimny upgrade includes 15-inch alloy wheels, new instruments, refreshed upholstery and a new steering wheel design.

The diminutive off-roader is priced from $20,990 driveaway for the manual or $22,990 driveaway for the automatic.

Suzuki Grand Vitara pricing

Navigator 4WD (a)	$25,990*
Urban Navigator 2WD	$27,990*
Urban Navigator 2WD (a)	$29,990*
Sport 4WD	$30,990
Sport 4WD (a)	$32,990
Diesel 4WD	$34.990

*Drive-away pricing.