Luke Wikner on the pros of the Vitara’s petrol engine and the cons of its 4WD.

Our Vitara’s 1.0-litre BoosterJet petrol engine continues to impress

Last month I touched on the virtues of our Vitara’s 1.0-litre BoosterJet petrol engine and it continues to impress, and continues to deliver over 50mpg, blowing its sub-40mpg WLTP official combined figure out the water.

That WLTP figure, incidentally, gives Suzuki’s SUV in this trim level a 29% BiK tax rating, meaning the Vitara SZ-T ALLGRIP would cost a 20% taxpayer around £100 per month in BiK.

It’s worth pointing out also that adding the 4×4 functionality of the ALLGRIP system adds £1,800 to the P11D price. Unsurprisingly, over the (relatively) dry summer months, four-wheel drive has seemed a little surplus to requirements, but for some, it’s nice to know it’s there.

For me, a 2WD Vitara – especially given that it saves a few kgs of weight and nearly 10g/km of CO2 – would probably make more sense for 99% of journeys undertaken. That would also provide justification for moving up – at a cost of £1,000 – to the even more capable 1.4-litre BoosterJet (140hp vs 111hp) version, which arguably suits the Vitara a little better. That said, the 1.0-litre is perfect for predominantly urban use, especially in light of the Suzuki’s modest kerb weight.

P11d/BiK: £20,799 (29%) MPG/CO2: 39.4mpg (WLTP) /129g/km (NEDC Correlated) Test MPG: 52.3mpg