Suzuki Grand Vitara Luxury With 64k Miles on 2040-cars

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Suzuki testing Grand Vitara replacement that is now forbidden fruit

Suzuki might be dead in the US, but its cars are still thriving in many other markets. Aside from the updated SX4 and a slew of promising concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki is getting ready to launch a much-needed replacement for the aged Grand Vitara, and our spy photographers recently caught the compact SUV testing in Sweden.
Judging by these spy shots, the replacement for the current Grand Vitara - it may or may not retain the Grand Vitara name - will take its styling cues from the Suzuki iV-4 Concept displayed at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show. These cues include the narrow, angular headlights, the sloped D-pillars and we even get a hint of the sculpted rear-wheel arches. We hear that the new Suzuki SUV could go on sale in Europe next year, so we'd expect it to debut later in 2014.

Suzuki Jimny is the classic Defender homage Land Rover should be building

Lake District, U.K. – The Land Rover Defender is to Brits what the F-150 is to Americans. Or rather it was, before it got too expensive and the farmers all switched to Japanese pick-ups. The Defender was effectively put out to pasture, relegated to being a lifestyle trinket. And Land Rover's endless prevarication over replacing the Defender can be partly attributed to this dilemma: Should it be in the original's mold, a fix-it-with-hammers rugged utility vehicle? Or should it concede that market and instead become a premium premium-priced Mercedes G-Class rival? Meanwhile, while Land Rover had dithered, others have capitalized – not least Suzuki's Jimny, which nails the seemingly conflicting demands of the new Defender's brief in one cute, pint-sized package So too is the Jimny priced at a level buyers in markets where it is offered can chalk up as a discretionary purchase. Dating back to the early 1970s, the Jimny has a heritage of its own to draw upon. But this lo-fi remix of traditional 4x4 tech and functionally slick styling has scored a bullseye for both utility users and the hipster brigade, both of whom place great value in authenticity. True, U.S. buyers won't have the option of the Jimny as they will the Defender, no matter how many emails Suzuki receives. But it's interesting to explore how it pulls the rug from underneath Land Rover, right here on the British stalwart's home soil. To demonstrate this we've travelled to the Lake District, a picturesque region on England's northwest coast with classic countryside vistas. Outside of the U.K., mountains topping out a little over 3,000 feet sound little to write home about – but, like the Jimny, modest size and ruggedness aren't mutually exclusive and there are trails here to test any street-spec off-roader. Competing pressures for access and a popular backlash against mechanized vehicles in the countryside mean tight controls for recreational drivers though, with many once-popular trails now closed to traffic. Those that remain accessible carry severe restrictions, our chosen route over Gatescarth Pass rarely opened to traffic and, when it is, limited to 4x4s with wheelbases of 100 inches or less. A Wrangler would just scrape through but these remain a rare sight in the U.K., and the limit is arguably skewed to favor the home team: the 90-inch, short-wheelbase Defenders that remain a staple for the quaintly English pursuit of 'green-laning'.

Suzuki, please come back and bring the Alto Works with you

The list of JDM vehicles we'd love to see imported into the United States keeps growing. But if there's one we could wish for in 2016, we dare say it's the one you see here. It's called the Suzuki Alto Works, and it looks like an absolute riot. The Alto, for those unfamiliar, is a tiny little Kei car. It rides on a 97-inch wheelbase and weighs less than 1,350 pounds, which makes it not only smaller than a three-door Mini, but also about half its weight. All it needs is a 660cc inline-three to pull it around the streets of Tokyo. And perhaps best of all, where the previous Alto adopted rounded, cutesy styling, the new model introduced in Japan a year ago takes a more squared-off, industrial design that looks much better to our round eyes. Suzuki made a punchy little Alto Turbo RS version (which you can scope out in the extra gallery below) that increased output to a still-puny 64 horsepower and 70 pound-feet of torque. And it won multiple awards for its compact, fun-to-drive nature. But now the Japanese automaker has made the Alto even more enticing with the new Works model. It's based on the aforementioned Turbo RS, but packs some key upgrades. Where the Alto Turbo RS was only available with an automatic, the new Alto Works can be had with a short-throw five-speed manual – driving either the front wheels alone or all four. Suzuki also boosted output modestly to 74 lb-ft, improved the throttle response, and recalibrated the steering for better accuracy. New 15-inch wheels are fitted to a retuned suspension with KYB shocks. It's all done up in a gunmetal finish with black trim, red-painted front calipers, and an interior with Recaro racing buckets, steel pedals, red stitching, and a boost gauge that changes color from white to red as it spools up. All of that can be had from only 1,509,840 yen, which may look like a lot, but translates to just $12,500 at current exchange rates. If only Suzuki still sold in the US market, because it does some of the best little hatchbacks around. And the new Alto Works looks like it'd be a hoot to drive.