Faults:

Absolutely nothing has gone wrong in 10k miles. No light bulbs burnt out, no rattles, nothing out of the ordinary, I'm thoroughly impressed with how it has taken the miles.

General Comments:

I love my Grand Vitara, at first when I bought it, it kinda felt like a go-cart instead of a full sized car, but after 6 months and 10k miles I've come to actually enjoy this aspect of the car.

I can fit our whole family (wife and 2 kids) inside and have enough room in the back to pack for a 5k mile trip.

It turns on a dime, no problems making any u-turn or getting into parking spots.

I've driven it around the city and on the highway, and the only real complaint that I have is that I wish it was a little more fuel efficient during city driving.

Faults:

Motor blew at 8000 kms; wife driven only.

Very poor company support.

No new motor, only a new block with old heads.

Loaner 2008 Grand Vitara was a rattle box, stiffer ride than my ATV.

General Comments:

Truck handles very well.

Nice interior, very comfortable.

Good looks.

Stiff ride.

Cabin noise louder than my 95 Grand Cherokee.

Worst company support in 25 years driving.

Faults:

Rattle from the front passenger side airbag cover.

Small tear in the front passenger seat.

Two small scratches along the clock/MPG/temp display.

General Comments:

I bought this car after looking to trade in my '01 CR-V. I was disappointed in Honda's 2007 CR-V with its reduced ground clearance and soccer-mom styling. It might as well be a minivan.

Overall, the Grand Vitara seems to be well designed and well put together, and unlike most previous Suzuki models, it has an appealing design. Unfortunately, I do seem to notice more minor squeaks and fit/finish issues than I did with my previous Honda CR-V.

Solid would be the one word I would use to describe this car. It feels planted to the road and goes where I point it. Handling and body roll were better than I expected. The exception is on uneven ground where the short wheelbase, stiff suspension and ladder-frame unibody combine to give a somewhat bouncy ride.

Despite what some reviewers have said, the 2.7L V6 is fairly smooth and refined and delivers what you would expect of a small V6 engine, though as other reviewers have mentioned it does seem to run out of steam when trying to pass at highway speeds.

Fuel consumption is OK. I drive it fairly gently and average about 22MPG (10.7L/100Km) mixed city/freeway driving. For the vehicle's weight and the fact it has a full-time 4WD system coupled to a 6-cyl engine, this seems about right. For freeway-only driving, I get about 25MPG (9.4L/100KM) by sticking to the speed limit. Going above 65MPH causes a rapid decline in fuel economy.

The biggest let-down with this car so far has been the dealer backup. Suzuki USA needs to shore up their dealer representation in Southern California.

Faults:

Rattling in the dashboard area.

Clunk noise heard coming from the rear drum brake area when you let off the brakes.

General Comments:

The interior of this car is very attractive, but I found the seats lacked lumbar support and my back starts to hurt at around 200 miles of driving. A rattling noise coming from the dashboard area (near the clock and avg fuel comsumption meter) but goes away after interior cabin is warm.

Performance of this vehicle is average. I have a 5 speed manual transmission and you have to get your rpm's up to get moving. The transmission would be better if it shifted smoother. The ride is smooth on smooth roads and a bit rough on rough roads and sounds like you can hear every pebble you roll over.

Overall this car is average, but a bit discouraging because of the dashboard noise and the brake noise from a brand new car. Maybe I might have to use 100,000 mile warranty it comes with. But I hope not to.